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KEV.   STEPHEN    II.   TYNG.   D.I>. 

^TAS  42. 


{From  an  engraving  by  A.  IT.  Ritchie.) 


RECORD  OF  THE  LIFE  AND  WORK 


OF    THE 


Rev.  STEPHEN   HIGCxINSON  TYNG,  D.D. 


AND    HISTORY   OF 


ST.  GEORGE'S  CHURCH,  NEW  YORK 


TO    THE    CLOSE    OF    HIS    RECTORSHIP 


COMPILED   BY    HIS   SOU 

CHARLES   KOCKLA'ND    TYNG 


NEW    YORK 

E.  P.  DUTTON    &    COMPANY 

31  West  23d  Street 

1890 


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COPTUIGHT,    1890,   BY 

B.  P.  DUTTON    &    CO. 


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^nscribir. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Preface 9 


PART    I. 
Autobiography,  1800  to  1845,  and  Additional  Notes. 

CHAPTER    I. 
Family  History 15 

CHAPTER    II. 
Early  Life,  1800-1813 —     2^ 

CHAPTER  III. 
College  Life,  1813-1817.     Commercial  Life,  1817-1819. 
Conversion.     Call  to  the  Ministry 30 

CHAPTER    IV. 

Theological  Student  Life,  1819-1821. 

Bristol.     Bishop    Griswold.     Revival.      Quincy.     Return  to  Bristol. 
Ordination.     Visit  to  New  York.     Dr.  Milnor. 

Notes. — Incident  of  Daniel  Waldron.    Letters  to  Father.    Letter 
of  Dr.  Milnor 41 

CHAPTER   V. 

Ministry  in  Georgetown,  D.  C,  1811-1823. 

Arrival  in  Georgetown.  Call  to  St.  John's  Church.  Marriage.  School. 
Extemporaneous  Preaching.     Call  to  Prince  George's  Co.,  Md. 

Notes. — Missionary  Society.  Alexandria  Seminary.  Correspond- 
ence with  Bishop  Kemp 56 

CHAPTER   VI. 

Ministry  in  Prince  George's  Co.,  Md.,  1823-1829. 

Description  of  Parish.     Ministry.     Call  to  Philadelphia. 

Notes  —Letters  to  his  father.  Character  of  preachmg.  Letter  to 
his  Aunt.  Theological  Views.  Desire  for  Removal.  Remmis- 
cence  of  Bishop  Clark ^i 


6  Table  of  Contents. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Ministry  in  St.  Paul's  Church,  Philadelphia,  i 829-1 834. 

Dissensions  in  Church.  Father's  Death.  Enlargement  of  Church. 
Bishop  White.  Revival.  Incidents.  Wife's  Sickness  and  Death, 
Thomas  Mitchell.     Second  Marriage. 

Notes. — Views  regarding  Controversies.  Sermon  at  reopening  of 
Church.  Letter  recalling  Sermon.  American  Sunday-school  Un- 
ion. Domestic  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society.  Lectures  on 
'The  Law  and  the  Gospel,"  and  "Guide  to  Confirmation,"  pub- 
lished       90 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

Ministry  in  the  Church  of  the  Epiphany,  Philadelphia. 

I 834- I 845. 

Establishment  of  Church.  Elected  Rector.     Visit  to  South.     Preach- 
ing  at   Charleston.     Erection  of  Church,     Success  of  Ministry. 
Visit  to  England.     Election  of  Bishop. 

Notes. — Biography  of  Dr.  Bedell.  Episcopal  Education  Society. 
Sermon  for  Manual  Labor  School.  Editor"  Episcopal  Recorder." 
Fifth  Pastoral  Report  of  Church  of  Epiphany.  Reminiscences  of 
Bishop  Clark.  Incidents  of  Ministry.  "  Israel  of  God  '  published 
Enlargement  of  Church.  Letters  from  England.  Carey  Ordina- 
tion. Defence  of  Bishop  Onderdonk.  Case  of  Bishop  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Sermon,  "A  Plea  for  Union."  Archbishop  Kendrick's 
Letter.   Election  of  Bishop  Potter 108 


PART    II. 

MINISTRY,    I845-1885. 
HISTORY   OF   ST.    GEORGE'S   CHURCH,    NEW   YORK. 

CHAPTER  L 

St.  George's  Church,  1748-1845. 

Trinity  Church.  St.  George's  Chapel.  Separation  from  Trinity. 
Election  of  Vestry.  Rev.  Mr.  Brady  elected  Assistant  Minister. 
Rev.  John  Kewley  elected  Rector.  Church  destroyed  by  Fire.  Re- 
built by  Trinity.  Resignation  of  Mr.  Brady.  Change  in  Vestry. 
Resignation  of  Dr.  Kevvley.  Election  of  Dr.  Milnor.  Biographi- 
cal Sketch.  Death  of  Dr.  Milnor.  Character  of  his  Ministry. 
Dr.  Tyng's  Address  at  his  Funeral  Decline  of  Church,  Plan  ol 
Free  Chapel.     Memorial  to  Trinity  Church H9 


Table  of  Contents.  7 

CHAPTER   II. 

Ministry,  i  845-1 847 

Call  to  St.  George's  Church.  Letter  of  Acceptance.  Beginning  of 
Ministry.  First  Sermon  as  Rector.  Removal  to  New  York.  Per- 
sonal Narrative.  Diocesan  Convention.  Speech  on  Restoration 
of  Bishop  Onderdonk.  Location  of  new  Church.  Laying  of  Cor- 
ner-stone. Dudley  A.  Tyng  elected  Assistant.  Services  of 
Church 173 

CHAPTER    III. 

Ministry,  1847-1853. 

Visit  to  Europe.  Extracts  from  Journal.  Opposition  to  new  Church. 
Death  of  Dr.  Stearns.  Statement  to  Congregation.  Election  of 
Vestry.  Charges  ol  B.  L.  Woolley.  Investigation  of  Same.  Re- 
port of  Commission.  Letter  of  Rev.  Mr.  Lewis.  "  Christ  is  All  " 
published.  Opening  of  new  Church.  Negotiation  with  Trinity. 
Consecration  of  Church.  System  of  Ministry.  Recollections  of 
Dr.  Dyer.     Rectory  Built.     Resolution  of  Vestry 204 

CHAPTER   IV. 

Ministry,  1853-1857. 

Visit  to  Europe.  Extracts  from  Journal.  Slavery.  "Christian 
Titles."  "Fellowship  with  Christ,"  "  Rich  Kinsman,"  published. 
Erection  of  Spires.  Tenth  Anniversary  Sermon.  Speech  at  Dio- 
cesan Convention.  "  The  Rector  Rectified."  Completion  of 
Church.     Memorial  Tablets 234 

CHAPTER   V. 

Visit  to  Palestine.     Ministry,  1857-1861. 

Extracts  from  Journal.  Mission  Chapel  proposed.  Death  of  Peter 
G.  Arcularius.  Death  of  Dudley  A.  Tyng.  "  Child  of  Prayer." 
Notice  in  "  Boston  Courier."  Letter  of  Dr.  Cock.  Letter  of  New 
York  Clergy.  Dr.  Tyng's  Reply.  Resignation  of  Dr.  Dyer.  His 
Recollections  of  St.  George's  and  of  Dr.  Tyng.  "  Captive  Orphan  " 
published.  Contributions  to  "  The  Independent."  "Forty  Years 
in  Sunday-schools."  "The  Lost  One  Found,"  "Erratic  and  Un- 
ruly Presbyter."  "  American  Church  Missionary  Society  "  organ- 
ized. First  Annual  Report.  Death  of  Rev.  Dr.  Anthon.  Dr. 
Tyng's  Sermon.     Editor  of  "  Protestant  Churchmen 257 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Union  Societies.     Public  Addresses,  i 845-1 860. 

Connection  of  Dr.  Milnor  and  St.  George's  Church.  Interest  of  Dr. 
Tyng.  Ability  as  Speaker.  Bishop  Clark.  Rev.  Dr.  Cuyler. 
Speech  for  Bible  Society.     Jews' Society.     Temperance.     Ameri- 


8  Table  of  Contents, 

can  Sunday-school  Union.  Missionary  Convention.  Rev.  Dr 
DufF.  Young  Men's  (^^hristian  Association.  Slavery  Question. 
Controversy  in  Tract  Society.  "Clerical  Contempt  for  Lent." 
Reply  to  Bishop  Alonzo  Potter.  Defence  of  American  Sunday- 
school  Union 292 

CHAPTER    VII. 

Ministry,  1861-1865.    Civil  War. 

Political  Sermons.  Sermon,  "  Let  the  Dead  Bury  their  Dead."  Ser- 
mon, "  Duty  of  the  Crisis."  National  Freedman's  Relief  Associa- 
tion. Negro  Question.  Sermon,  "  Christian  Loyalty."  Sermon, 
"Open  Ye  the  Gates."  Re-electicn  of  President  Lincoln.  Sermon, 
"Shall  the  Sword  Devour  Forever?"  Close  of  War.  Sermon, 
"  Victory  and  Re-union" 32? 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

Lectures  on  Preaching,  i 861-1865. 

Several  Series  of  Lectures.  "  Office  and  Work  of  Ministry."  Qualifi- 
cations for  Ministry.  Incidents  of  Ministry.  System  of  Personal 
Ministry.    Sermon,  "  The  Spirit  and  the  Letter." 372 

CHAPTER    IX. 

Ministry,  1865-1870. 

Twentieth  Parochial  Report.  Home  at  Irvington.  Changes  in 
Vestry.  Death  of  Joseph  Lawrence.  Destruction  of  Church. 
Measures  for  Restoration.  Cost  of  Re-building.  Memorials. 
Scripture  Testimonies.  Rearrangement  of  pews.  Narnes  of  Ves- 
try. Reopening  of  Church.  Consecration.  Dr.  Tyng's  Sermon. 
"The  Spencers"  and  "  The  Feast  Enjoyed"  published.  Settle- 
ment with  Trinity  Church.     Sale  of  Beekman  Street  Church 427 

CHAPTER  X. 

Relation  to  Controversies,  1865-1870. 

Reply  to  Bishop  Potter.  Ritualism.  Revision  of  Prayer-book.  Triai 
of  Rev.  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  Jr.  Dr.  Tyng's  Review.  Protest  and 
Appeal.  Action  of  Vestry,  regarding  Benevolent  Contributions. 
Sermon,  "  The  True  Christ  and  the  False  Christs." 446 

CHAPTER    XI. 

Ministry,  1870-1875. 

Seventieth  Birthday.  Twenty-fifth  Anniversary  of  Rectorship.  Sermon. 
Visit  to  England.  Speeches.  Forty-sixth  Anniversary  American 
Tract  Society.  Semi-Centennial  of  Alexandria  Seminary.  Forty- 
ninth  Anniversary  American  Tract  Society.  Semi-Centennial  of 
American  Sunday-school  Union.  American  Bible  Society.  Sec- 
ond Church  Congress.  Visits  to  Prince  George's  Co.,  Quincy, 
Newburyport.     Sermon,  "  Our  Church  a  Bible  Church." 494 


Table  of  Contents,  g 

CHAPTER    XII. 

Ministry,  i 875-1 87^. 

Changes  in  Congregation.  Retirement  of  Samuel  Hopkins.  Plan 
for  new  Church.  Memorandum  of  Vestry.  Call  of  Mr.  Marston 
as  Associate  Rector.  Letter  declining.  Thirtieth  Anniversary  Ser- 
mon. Statistics  of  Ministry.  Death  of  William  Whitlock,  Adolphus 
Lane,  William  T.  Blodgett.  Fifty-first  Anniversary  of  American 
Tract  Society.  Changes  in  Church.  Dr.  Tyng's  Position.  Ser- 
mon, "  The  Old  Paths."  Call  of  Dr.  Williams  as  Associate  Rector. 
Illness  of  Dr.  Tyng.  Action  of  Vestry  on  Retirement.  Resigna- 
tion of  Rectorship.  Resolutions  of  Vestry.  Last  Sermon  as  Rec- 
tor     539 

CHAPTER   Xin.  i 

Sunday-school  and  Mission  Work  of  St.  George's  Church. 

Sunday-schools.  Grow^th.  Dr.  Tyng's  Address,  "  Object  of  Sunday- 
school  Teaching."  His  Efforts  in  Instruction  and  Entertainment. 
Missionary  Offerings.     Plan.     Various  Objects,     Amounts. 

City  Missions.  History.  Organization.  Mission  Chapels.  Min- 
isters. Death  of  Rev.  Dr.  Wolcott.  Rev.  Mr.  Bolton.  Rev.  Dr. 
Schramm.  Rev.  Mr.  Stephenson.  Annual  Reports.  Total 
Expenses 574 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

Retirement,  1875-1878. 

Letters  on  Retirement.  Bishop  Bedell.  Autobiography.  Removal 
from  Rectory.  Sermons  at  Church  of  Holy  Trinity.  Address  at 
"  Pre-millennial  "  Conference.  Letter  to  Dean  Carus.  Removal 
to  Irvington.  Last  Years.  Mental  Decay.  Death.  Funeral. 
Bishop  Lee's  Address.  Tributes  to  his  Memory.  Memorial  Ser- 
mon by  Bishop  Bedell.         "  In  Memoriam." 618 


APPENDIX. 

\. 

Dr.  Milnor's  Last  vSermon  in  St.  George's  Church 652 

II. 

Dr.  Tyng's  Address  at  Twenty-fourth  Anniversary  of  American  Suh- 
day-school  Union,  Musical  Fund  Hall,  Philadelphia,  May  15th, 
1848 660 


lO  Table  of  Contents, 

III. 

Dr.  Tyng's  Address  at  Second  Anniversary  of  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  Church  of  the  Puritans,  New  York,  May  15th,  1854.     665 

IV. 

Dr.  Tyng's  Address    at  Anniversary  of  American  Tract  Society  of 
Boston,  Church  of  the  Puritans,  New  York,  May  loth,  i860 670 

V. 

Subscriptions  for  Restoration  of  St.  George's  Cht  rch 678 

VI. 

Wardens  and  Vestrymen  of  St.  George's  Church 680 


PREFACE. 


The  position  which  Dr.  Tyng  occupied  in  the  Church  of  God, 
was  in  many  respects  individual  and  peculiar.  His  life  covered 
important  periods  in  the  history  of  the  Church  to  whose  ministry 
it  was  consecrated.  In  all  these  his  strong  personality,  his  inflexi- 
ble independence,  his  wonderful  power,  his  earnest  zeal,  his  un- 
ceasing activity,  made  him  a  prominent  figure.  It  would  tax  the 
skill  of  the  ablest  pen  to  depict  his  remarkable  qualities,  and 
require  a  history  of  his  times  to  portray  him  in  the  many  connec- 
tions in  which  they  were  so  constantly  displayed.  It  will  therefore 
seem  a  bold  undertaking  for  one  inexperienced  in  literary  labor, 
and  whose  life  has  been  spent  in  other  pursuits,  to  have  attempted 
to  record  the  history  of  such  a  life.  A  few  words  are  evidentlv, 
therefore,  required  in  explanation  of  the  purpose  and  ])lan  of  this 
work,  as  well  as  of  the  circumstances  which  have  caused  its  com- 
pletion by  the  j^resent  writer,  at  the  present  time. 

From  the  hour  of  his  death,  the  desire  that  a  memorial  of  my 
father's  life  and  work  should  be  prej^ared  led  to  much  considera- 
tion, and  many  2:>lans  for  its  accomj^lisliment.  All  proved  fruitless, 
however,  and  year  aft-er  year  passed  without  any  prospect  of  an 
attainment  of  the  wisli.  It  seemed  too  great  an  undertaking  for 
any  one  to  attempt.  It  was  known  that  little  had  been  preserved 
by  Dr.  Tyng  which  could  be  made  available  for  such  a  work,  and 
that  the  necessary  material  must  therefore  bo  gathered  wherever 
it  miglit  be  found.  This  must  be  a  laborious  effort,  while  its  suc- 
cessful result  could  ncilher  be  predicted  nor  assured. 

9 


lO  Preface^ 

Dr.  Tyng  liad  long  outlived  the  majority  of  his  generation. 
Few  survived  him  who  could  contribute  any  facts  of  interest, 
fewer  still,  who  were  so  free  from  the  infirmities  of  age,  that  the;j^ 
could  make  the  exertion  necessary  to  formulate  and  prepare  what 
might  be  within  their  knowledge  or  remembrance.  Every  year 
increased  the  difficulties,  and  lessened  the  number  of  those  who 
might  aid  to  overcome  them. 

It  was  at  this  time,  when  hours  of  leisure  were  given  to  the 
writer,  that  he  determined  to  employ  them,  to  the  best  of  his 
abihty,  in  the  collection  and  arrangement  of  such  material  as  could 
be  obtained.  Thus  much  at  least  would  be  preserved,  which  other- 
wise would  soon  be  lost.  It  was  the  intention  to  retain  the  whole, 
until  some  one,  more  qualified,  would  undertake  its  proper  arrange- 
ment, but  the  various  items  grouped  themselves  so  naturally,  and 
in  their  sequence  formed  a  narrative  so  connected,  that  but  little 
skill  seemed  necessary  to  unite  them  and  complete  the  work  in  its 
present  form. 

The  value  of  biography  is  not  so  much  in  the  mere  recital 
of  facts  as  in  its  exposition  of  the  principles  on  which  they  are 
based;  in  its  expression  of  opinions  and  thoughts  of  importance 
to  the  lives  of  others;  in  its  themes  of  instruction  to  those  who 
may  be  willing  to  apply  its  teachings.  In  these  will  be  found  the 
value  of  this  memorial  of  my  father's  life.  It  is  a  record  of  his 
■  work,  his  principles  and  views,  as  these  were  declared  at  various 
times,  and  in  various  ways.  Nothing  has  been  added,  nothing  with- 
held. Neither  comments  nor  criticism  were  needed  to  explain  his 
meaning,  nor  was  defense  required.  The  compiler's  work  has  sim- 
ply been  to  condense,  and  so  connect,  the  different  parts,  that  the 
reader  might  understand  the  occasions  and  events  to  which  allu- 
sions are  made. 

At  the  close  of  Dr.  Tyng's  active  ministry,  by  their  urgent  re- 
quest, he  wrote  for  his  children  a  sketch  of  his  life  previous  to  his 
ministry  in  New  York.  This,  his  occupation  in  hours  of  recovery 
from  an  exhausting  illness,  a  history  of  his  youth  as  he  viewed  it  in 
the  retrospection  of  age,  forms  the  basis  of  the  first  part  of  this 


Preface.  1 1 

work.  Much  was,  however,  omitted  from  this  personal  record, 
which  appeared  important,  and  many  facts  are  merely  mentioned 
which  it  seemed  essential  to  relate  more  fully.  These  omissions 
the  writer  has  endeavored  to  supply  from  other  sources,  as  addenda 
to  the  record  of  the  periods  to  which  they  refer. 

In  a  continuation  of  this  autobiography,  Dr.  Tyng  intended  to 
include  the  history  of  St.  George's  Church,  the  great  work  of  his 
life,  the  development  of  his  principles  and  practice.  Faihng  health, 
however,  prevented  the  execution  of  this  design,  when  only  its  mere 
outline  had  been  drawn,  and  this  has  been  closely  followed  in  the 
history  which  makes  the  second  part  of  this  record  of  his  life.  The 
whole  is,  therefore,  in  its  arrangement,  but  the  completion  of  his  de- 
sign, and  stated  to  the  utmost  extent  in  his  own  words.  Thus  its 
autobiographical  character  has  been  preserved,  and  authority  given 
to  all  its  facts. 

The  testimony  of  contem^Doraries  has  been  at  times  employed  to 
illustrate  important  points,  but  friend  and  foe  have  alike  been 
quoted,  and  words  of  eulogy  have  not  been  sought  more  diligently 
than  those  of  censure.  The  one  purpose  and  effort  has  been,  to 
give  a  strictly  impartial  view  of  Dr.  T}Tig,  as  he  stood  in  the  com- 
munity and  time  in  which  he  lived  and  labored,  that  the  fidehty 
and  consistency  of  his  life  should  be  exhibited  in  the  clearest  and 
strongest  lines. 

Composed  as  this  record  is  of  many  extracts,  differing  in  charac- 
ter and  subject,  it  must  often  seem  disjointed.  Such  an  effect 
could  not  be  avoided  and  yet  preserve  the  integrity  of  its  parts. 
No  one  can  more  readily  perceive  its  defects,  or  be  more  conscious  of 
its  imperfections,  than  the  writer  himself,  and  ho  gratefully  acknowl- 
edges the  kindness  of  his  father's  and  his  own  friends,  J.  Pierpont 
Morgan,  Esq.,  and  George  Dudley  Wildes,  D.  D.,  who  in  their  ap- 
proval have  so  greatly  encouraged  and  aided  tlie  pul)lication  of  his 
effort. 

To  what  extent  the  work  may  interest  others  cannot  be  known. 
It  is  offered  as  a  tribute  of  filial  reverence  and  lovo,  in  the  simple 
desire  to  perpetuate  a  father's  character  as  an  exaiiq)le  to  his  "  chil- 


1 2  Preface. 

dren  and  children's  children,"  and  a  pattern  to  those  called  to  the 
ministry  of  "  the  Word." 

It  will  be,  it  is  hoped,  an  enduring  record  of  the  testimony  of 
one  who  "  knew  whereof  he  spoke. "  Though  some  may  think  the 
subjects  belong  to  a  by-gone  age,  in  their  principles  they  are  as  liv- 
ing question  5  to-day,  as  when  the  words  were  uttered,  and,  in  how- 
ever different  application,  they  will  remain  living  questions  to  the 
end  of  time.  C.  R.  T. 

Irvington -ox -Hudson, 
Ayril,  1890. 


PART  I. 

AUTOBIOGRAPHY— 1800   to   1845. 

AND    ADDITIONAL    NOTES. 


CHAPTER  I. 

FAMILY  HISTORY. 

"  In  the  lives  of  men  who  have  been  remarkable  in  the  world, 
there  is  often  found  much  of  an  interesting  and  predictive  character, 
even  in  the  incidents  of  their  earliest  youth.  These  facts,  though, 
at  the  time  of  their  occurrence,  they  may  be  but  little  attended  to, 
are  afterwards  remembered  in  connection  with  the  events  of  the 
subsequent  life,  and  made  the  subject  of  much  interesting  reflec- 
tion. They  are  calculated  to  bestow  ^increased  interest  upon  the 
history  in  which  they  are  contained,  and  to  seciu'e  for  succeeding 
circumstances  the  most  favorable  notice." 

So  wrote  Dr.  Tyng,  in  his  biography  of  a  beloved  brother  in  the 
ministry,  in  whose  early  days  he  found  but  few  incidents  to  record. 
The  words,  then  used  in  their  general  application,  are  i^eculiarly 
true  of  his  own  history.  Seldom  are  the  characteristics  of  matu- 
rity more  clearly  displayed,  as  merely  the  gifts  of  inheritance  and 
the  development  of  the  traits  of  youth  than  as  they  are  exhibited  in 
the  facts  of  his  life. 

The  incidents  of  his  youth,  furnish  the  key  to  the  pnncii^les  and 
practice  of  his  later  life,  and  it  was  doubtless  the  consciousness  of  this 
fact,  which  led  him  to  devote  so  large  a  jmrt  of  his  autobiography  to  the 
memories  of  his  early  years.  Though  never  completed,  in  accordance 
with  liis  intention,  it  happily  supplies  all  the  facts  important  to  show 
the  foundations  upon  which  his  character  was  built,  and  fully  depicts 
the  youth,  which  was  only  matured  and  ripened  in  age.  Its  title, 
"  The  Record  of  a  Life  of  Mercy,'  sufficiently  revealed  the  spirit 
and  purpose  with  which  it  was  written,  but  these  were  even  more 
fully  impressed  upon  its  every  page,  that  it  might  stand,  the  tribute 
and  testimony,  of  a  heart  overflowing  with  gratitude  to  God,  for  the 
boundless  mercies  he  had  enjoyed.  In  this  simple  desire,  "  to  mag- 
nify the  grace  and  power  of  a  pardoning  God,"  and  "  to  make  a 
grateful  record  of  the  goodness  of  the  Lord,"  he  procoodcd  with 
this  sketch,  as  in  the  following  pages: 

15 


1 6  Rev.   Stephen  Higginsoii    Tyng,  D.D. 

In  the  grateful  retrospect  of  the  gracious  Providence  which  has 
governed  all  the  lines  and  facts  of  my  j)ersonal  history,  my  honored 
descent  has  always  been  to  me  a  subject  for  thoughtful  gratitude. 

My  family  name  of  Tyng  was  not  the  inherited  name  of  my  di- 
rect line  of  paternal  ancestry.  My  father's  original  name  was 
Dudley  Atkins.  The  name  of  Tyng  was  the  lineal  name  of  a  col- 
lateral relation,  and  was  adopted^by  my  father  at  his  own  maturity, 
upon  receiving  by  inheritance,  an  estate  of  that  long-established 
family,  at  Tyngsborough,  in  Massachusetts,  which  had  been 
bequeathed  to  him  by  an  aged  lady,  the  last  female  heir  and  a 
remote  relation,  the  male  line  of  that  family  having  become  extinct. 

My  father's  grandfather,  the  first  of  the  family  of  Atkins  in  this 
country,  came  from  Norfolk,  in  England,  in  1710,  and  settled  in  the 
town  of  Newbury,  in  Massachusetts,  on  the  banks  of  the  Merrimac 
River,  now  the  city  of  Newburyj)ort.  His  name  was  Joseph  Atkins. 
He  was  from  an  honored  family  in  England,  distinguished  in  the 
legal  profession,  several  members  of  which  have  their  monuments 
in  Westminster  Abbey,  and  he  himself  had  been  an  officer  in  the 
British  navy.  On  his  arrival  in  this  country  he  engaged  in  mercan- 
tile pursuits,  and  obtained  thus  a  moderate  share  of  wealth.  He 
married  Mary  Dudley,  the  second  daughter  of  Joseph  Dudley,  the 
Governor  of  Massachusetts.  Their  only  son,  my  grandfather,  was 
named  Dudley  Atkins,  and  from  him  the  combined  name  was 
transmitted  to  my  father.  His  wife,  my  father's  mother,  was 
Sarah  Kent,  daughter  of  Richard  Kent,  whose  home  and  inheritance 
were  on  Kent's  Island,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Newbury.  My 
grandfather  inherited  his  father's  business,  but  was  not  successful 
in  its  management,  and,  dying,  left  but  little  to  his  widow  and 
children.  He  left  a  family  of  six  children,  of  whom  my  father  was 
the  youngest  but  one.  They  all  became  dependent  for  their  sup- 
port on  the  labor  and  management  of  their  faithful  mother. 

My  venerated  grandmother,  Sarah  Atkins,  survived  her  husband 
to  a  very  old  age.  She  died  in  1810,  having  been  a  widow  near 
fifty  years.  She  lived  to  see  her  family  prosperously  settled  in  life, 
and  to  enjoy  many  years  of  grateful  support  from  the  avails  of 
their  success.  Dear  and  venerated  matron !  Madame  Atkins  she 
was  called  by  all.  Hundreds  knew  her;  and  all  venerated  and 
loved  her  as  a  pattern  of  holiness,  kindness,  and  fidelity  in  every 
relation  of  life. 

My  father,  the  Hon.  Dudley  Atkins  Tyng,  was  born  in  Newbury- 
port,  August  3,  1760.  His  father's  death  occurred  while  he  was 
but  a  child. 


Family  History,  17 

My  father's  ancestry  had  been,  in  every  generation,  members  of 
the  Church  of  England.  The  first  church  in  Newbury,  was  built 
on  the  Plains  above  the  Port,  where  the  ancient  burial-ground  is 
still  remaining. 

Many  years   after,  another  church  was  built    at    "  The    Port," 
where  the  present   church   still  stands.     In  the  yard   around  this 
church,  repose  the  remains  of  six  generations  of  my  family.     It  has 
been  made  to  me  a  dear  and  hallowed  spot.     The  rector  of  this 
church,  at  the   time  of  my  father's  birth,  and   also   at  my  birth, 
fort}'  years  subsequent,  was  the  Eight  Kev.  Edward  Bass,  the  first 
Bishop  of  Massachusetts;  and  by  him  both  of   us  were  baptized. 
My  father  grew  up  in  this  church,  related  to  its  pastor  as  a  beloved 
child,  and  in  all  his  maturity  a  dear  and  faithful  friend.     And  the 
love    and  gratitude    of  the  bishoj)  toward  him  remained  till  that 
venerable    man    departed    to    his     rest.      In   such    relations    my 
father's  habits  laid  the  foundation  of  a  life-long,  unswerving  attach- 
ment to  the   Church   of  his  ancestors.     His  prosperity  he   shared 
with  her.      Her  bishops  and  ministers  were  always  the  cordially 
welcomed  friends  in  his  house  and  in  his  heart.     I  look  back  upon 
a  life's  testimony,  to  this  very  striking  trait  in  his  character,  with 
the  most  grateful  pleasure.       My  father's  classical  education  was 
completed  at  Dummer  Academy,  about  six  miles  from  Newburyport; 
and  in  Harvard  College  from  1777  to  1781.     His  early  and  fixed 
desire  was  to  enter  the  ministry  of  his  beloved  Chmx-h.     But  grad- 
uating at  Cambridge  in  the  midst  of  the  war,  a  voyage  to  England 
was  impossible,  and  he  had  no  means  to  wait  for  more  advantageous 
results,  and  this  cherished  object  of  his  life  was  most  unwillingly 
relinquished.     This  early  desire  influenced  the  whole  character  of 
his  subsequent  years.     His  chosen    employment  in  all  his  leisure 
hours  was  theological  reading.  After  being  graduated  at  Cambridge 
he  accepted  the  ofifer  of  a  place  as  a  private  tutor  in  the  family  of 
Selden,  in  Stafford  County,  Virginia,  near  the  Potomac.    More  than 
fifty  years  afterwards,  I  had  the  pleasure   of  visiting  some  of  his 
pupils,  in  the  house  in  which  he  passed  two  years  in  this  emi^loyment. 
During  these  years  passed  in  Virginia,  he  pursued  the  study  of 
law,  under  tlie   direction   of  "  Judge  Mercer,  of   Fredericksburg,** 
and  subsequently   completed  it,  in  the   office  of  Judge  Parsons,  in 
Newburyport,  when  he  entered  the  j^racticc  of  his  jirofcssion.   Soon 
after  his  return  from  Virginia,  he  received  the  formal  comnuinica- 
tion  of  the  Tyng  estate,  to  which  I  have  already  referred.     I  make 
an  extract  from  the  biographical  notice   prepared   for  the  ^Fassa- 
chusetts  Historical  Society,  by  the  Hon.  John  Lowell,  of  Boston: 


1 8  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D. 

"  Upon  the  death  of  James  Tyng,  the  last  male  heir  of  the 
ancient  Tyng  family,  one  of  the  oldest  in  New  England,  the  landed 
estates  in  the  ancient  town  of  Tyngsborough,  descended  to  Mrs.  Win- 
slow,  his  only  surviving  sister  and  heir.  Mrs.  Winslow  resolved, 
as  all  the  Tyng  blood  in  that  quarter  was  extinct,  to  settle  the 
estate  on  her  distinguished  maternal  familj^  the  Dudleys.  Unfor- 
tunately for  Mr.  Tyng,  then  Mr.  Atkins,  she  fixed  upon  him.  They 
were  mutually  descendants  from  Mrs.  Rebecca  Tyng,  the  wife  of  Gov- 
ernor Joseph  Dudley,  and  thus  stood  in  the  relation  of  sixth  cousins." 

Mrs.  Winslow  made  her  intention  known  to  my  father,  the 
nearest  heir,  through  Judge  Lowell,  her  brother-in-law,  and  the 
very  particular  friend  of  my  father's  mother.  My  father  accepted 
the  offer,  and  legally  assumed  the  name  of  Tyng,  with  the  added 
burden  of  a  farm  of  one  thousand  acres,  in  Tyngsborough,  to 
which  he  removed,  as  his  residence,  without  any  adequate  means 
for  maintaining  or  improving  the  vast  estate.  It  was  a  very  im- 
portant but  not  a  prosperous  crisis  in  his  life.  Henceforth  he  was 
to  be  known  as  Dudley  Atkins  Tyng. 

In  1792  he  was  maiTied  to  my  beloved  mother,  Sarah  Higginson. 
She  was  the  eldest  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Stephen  Higginson,  of 
Salem,  Massachusetts,  the  descendant,  and  only  living  male  repre- 
sentative, of  the  eminent  Francis  Higginson,  who  settled  the  town 
of  Salem,  Mass.,  with  his  company  of  emigrants,  in  1629.  My 
grandfather  Higginson,  was  an  active  public  man  diiring  the  Amer- 
ican Revolution  His  life  was  occupied  in  commerce  as  a  very 
successful  merchant.  He  removed  to  Boston  after  the  restoration 
of  peace  in  1783,  and  lived  there  to  a  very  old  age,  highly  esteemed 
and  venerated  among  all  classes  of  his  fellow-citizens,  and  died  in 
1827,  at  87  years  of  age. 

My  maternal  grandmother  was  Susan  Cleveland,  of  Salem.  In 
the  various  lines  of  her  family,  I  have  found  many  collateral  rela- 
tions in  life,  whose  acquaintance  and  society  have  given  me  much 
pleasure. 

My  father's  farming  proved  an  unsuccessful  experiment,  and  his 
vast  estate  an  expensive  gift.  Neither  his  education  nor  his  taste 
was  adapted  to  the  life  which  was  required  of  him.  Yet  his  earnest 
determination  kept  him  u^3.  Vast  improvements  in  his  neighbor- 
hood were  devised  by  him  in  opening  the  canal  around  the  falls 
below  Tyngsborough,  which  opened  the  free  navigation  of  the  river 
from  the  upper  country,  and  prepared  the  site  and  the  power  for 
the  large  and  flourishing  city  of  Lowell;  both  of  which  were  the 
result  of  his  mind  and  his  exertions. 


Family  History,  19 

After  four  years*  residence  at  Tyngsborough  lie  received  from 
President  Adams,  tlie  appointment  of  Collector  for  the  Port  of  New- 
bury, and  removed  again  to  his  native  town.  He  occupied  this 
office,  however,  but  a  short  period,  and  returned  again  to  the  prac- 
tice of  law. 

In  1805  he  removed  from  Newburyport  to  Boston,  to  pursue  his 
profession  there.  In  180G  he  was  appointed  Eeporter  of  Decisions 
for  the  Supreme  Judicial  Court  of  Massachusetts,  and  held  that 
office  till  1821.  His  rej)utation  in  this  office  was  highly  honorable, 
and  his  volumes  of  Massachusetts  reports,  remain  a  legal  authority 
of  undisputed  importance  and  worth. 

In  1823,  having  completed  his  sixty  years  of  age,  he  determined 
to  retire  from  pubHc  life,  and  again  removed  from  Boston,  to  his  na- 
tive town,  and  for  his  whole  remaining  life,  occui:)ied  his  old  maternal 
home;  and  there,  on  the  1st  of  August,  1829,  he  departed  to  his  rest. 

His  closing  years  Avere  passed  in  retirement,  amidst  the  many 
duties  of  his  family  relations,  and  in  the  many  engagements  of 
social  benevolence,  which  were  to  him  the  highest  enjo^-ment  of  his 
life.  In  his  library  he  found  much  gratification,  and  in  correspond- 
ence with  his  absent  children,  he  had  much  to  interest  and  employ 
him.  The  cultivation  of  his  grounds  was  a  constant  pleasure,  and 
his  gathered  family  of  children,  and  grandchildren  constantly  en- 
hanced his  pleasures  as  they  passed.  No  family  of  children  ever 
had  a  father  more  full  of  generous,  painstaking,  and  self-denying 
love,  or  more  constantly  willing  to  deny  himself  for  their  advantage, 
and  they  would  be  most  ungrateful  did  they  not  rise  up  and  call  him 
blessed. 


Among  Dr.  Tyng's  papers  was  found  the  following  transcript 
from  the  Atkyns  monument  in  Westminster  Abbey,  -svith  this  note: 

"  These  inscri2:)tions  I  had  copied  for  me.  The  monument  is  in 
the  North  Transept  of  Westminster  Abbey.  Joseph  Atkins,  who 
came  to  Newburyport  and  married  the  daughter  of  Governor 
Dudley,  was  the  son  of  the  last  named  Sir  Edward  Atkyns  and 
brother  to  Edward,  last  mentioned.  He  died  in  Newburyport. 
His  widow  survived  him  several  years.  They  are  buried  in  the 
church-yard  at  Newburyport. 

"ATKYNS   IMEMORIALS. 

"  Sir  Edward  Atkyns. — To  the  memory  of  Sir  Edward  Atkyns,  one 
of  the  Barons  of  the  Exchequer  in  the  reign  of  King  Charles  the 


20  Rev.   Stephen  Higginson    Tyng^  D.D, 

First  and  Second.  He  was  a  i^erson  of  such  integrity,  that  he 
resisted  the  many  advantages  and  honors  offered  him  by  the  chiefs 
of  the  Great  Rebellion.  He  departed  this  life  in  1669,  aged  82 
years. 

"  Sir  Robert  Atkyns,  his  eldest  son,  created  Knight  of  the  Bath  at 
the  Coronation  of  King  Charles  the  Second,  afterwards  Lord 
Chief  Baron  of  the  Exchequer,  under  King  Wilham,  and  Speaker  of 
the  House  of  Lords,  in  several  Parliaments,  which  place  he  filled 
with  distinguished  ability  and  dignity,  as  his  learned  writings 
abundantly  prove.     He  died  1709,  aged  83  years. 

"  Sir  Edward  Atkyns,  his  youngest  son.  Lord  Chief  Baron  of  the 
Exchequer,  which  office  he  discharged  with  great  honour  and  integ- 
rity. But  retired  upon  the  Revolution,  from  publick  business,  to 
his  seat  in  Norfolk,  where  he  was  revered  for  his  piety  to  God  and 
Humanity  to  men.  He  employed  himself  in  reconciling  differences 
among  his  neighbors,  in  which  he  obtained  so  great  a  character, 
that  few  would  refuse  the  most  difficult  cause  to  his  decision,  and 
the  most  litigious  would  not  appeal  from  it.  He  died  1698,  aged 
68  years. 

"  Sh-  Robert  Atkyns,  eldest  son  of  Sir  Robert  above  mentioned,  a 
gentleman  versed  in  polite  literature  and  in  the  antiquities  of  this 
country,  of  which  his  history  of  Gloucestershire  is  a  proof.  He 
died  1711,  aged  65  years. 

"  In  memory  of  his  ancestors  who  have  so  nobly  presided  in  the 
Courts  of  Justice  in  Westminster  Hall,  Edward  Atkyns,  Esquire,  late 
of  Ketteringham  in  Norfolk,  second  son  of  the  last  named  Sir 
Edward,  caused  this  monument  to  be  erected.  He  died  January 
20,  1750,  aged  79  years." 

So  great  was  Dr.  Tyng's  admiration  of  his  father's  character, 
and  so  peculiarly  were  many  of  the  father's  characteristics  trans- 
mitted to  his  son,  that  it  is  interesting  to  note  some  of  these  as  they 
are  described  by  Judge  Lowell  in  the  biographical  sketch  before 
quoted. 

"  His  pre-eminent  quality,"  Judge  Lowell  says,  "  was  his  rare 
independence  of  mind;  his  opinions  were  always  free  and  he 
pronounced  them  on  all  occasions  with  freedom.  He  was  a  man  of 
strong  feelings  and  strong  passions,  never  indifferent  on  any  sub- 
ject or  as  to  any  person.  Where  he  loved,  he  loved  with  an  intensity 
which  few  people  feel,  and  of  which,  when  they  perceived  it  in  him 
they  could  scarcely  form  any  conception. 

"  His  temper  was  frank,  approaching,  in  the  view  of  strangers,  to 


Family  History,  21 

abruptness  and  severity.  A  nearer  approach,  and  a  more  intimate 
knowledge,  convinced  you  that  no  man  had  a  greater  share  of  what 
is  termed  *  the  milk  of  human  kindness.'  He  was  the  most  tender- 
hearted man  whom  I  ever  knew,  and  he  was  the  most  soHcitous  to 
conceal  this  iveakness — shall  we  call  it  sublimity  ?  He  affected  to  do 
it  under  the  guise  of  an  apparent  roughness,  but  it  was  ill-concealed, 
and  a  very  slight  acquaintance  showed  the  honest  disguise.  He  was 
eminently  benevolent.  Distress  in  whatever  form  it  presented  itself 
took  deep  hold  upon  his  heart,  and  no  man  of  his  age  or  country 
ever  devoted  more  hours  or  greater  exertions,  than  he  did,  to  relieve 
the  suffering,  to  bring  forward  retiring  merit,  and  to  soften  and 
alleviate  the  anxieties  and  wants  of  his  fellow-men. 

"  A  Christian  upon  conviction  and  research,  a  man  of  high  moral 
principles;  the  exemplary  performance  of  domestic  duties  followed 
as  a  necessary  consequence.  To  his  church  his  whole  life  was 
devoted,  and  probably  that  church  cannot  name  among  its  members 
one  more  devoted  to  its  interests;  and  few  who  rendered  it  more 
efficient  service.  Yet  he  was  no  bigot.  He  was  perfectly  cath- 
olic in  his  religious  creed." 

The  high  Christian  character  which  Mr.  Tvne:  sustained  in  the 
community  in  which  he  lived,  and  more  particularly  in  the  Church 
to  which  he  was  so  devoted,  received  a  singular  recognition  in  his 
being  urged  to  accept  the  bishoj)ric  of  Massachusetts,  when  it 
was  made  vacant  by  the  death  of  Bishop  Bass. 

This  incident  is  related  as  follows,  by  Bishop  Stevens  of  Penn- 
svlvania,  in  the  sermon  delivered  at  the  consecration  of  the  Rt.  Rev. 
Benjamin  H.  Paddock  as  the  Fifth  Bishop  of  Massachusetts: 

"  Shortly  after  his  (Bishop  Bass')  death,"  Bishop  Stevens  says  : 
*'  there  occurred  the  only  instance  in  the  American  Church,  where*a 
bishopric  was  tendered  to  a  la^-man.  Among  the  honorable  men 
of  Massachusetts,  there  was  one  who,  like  Ambrose,  in  the  4th 
century,  was  early  entrusted  with  the  judicial  office,  like  him  truly 
godly  and  zealous  for  Christ,  and  to  whom,  as  to  Ambrose,  was 
tendered  a  bishopric  while  yet  engaged  in  secular  duties.  That 
man  was  Dudley  Atkins  Tyng. 

"  Ambrose,  despite  his  reluctance,  was  forced  to  *  lay  down  the 
fasces  and  take  up  the  crosier,'  and  was  consecrated  Bishop  of 
Milan.  Judge  Tyng,  however,  refused  the  solicitation  made  to 
him  by  Dr.  Dchon,  subsequently  Bishoj)  of  South  Carolina,  who 
waited  upon  him  in  the  name  and  at  the  request  of  the  clergy  of 
Rhode  Island  and  Massachusetts,  and  asked  him  to  '  receive  orders 
as  Deacon  and  Priest,  that  they  might  with  as  little  delay  as  possi- 


22  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

ble,  elect  him  their  Bishop.'  The  transaction  is  singularly  inter- 
esting, and  is  honorable  alike  to  the  clergy  who  proposed  it,  and  to 
the  layman  who  declined  the  proffered  honor." 

"  As  early  as  1783,  which  was  only  two  years  after  he  left  college, 
most  unfortunately  for  his  future  success  in  hfe,"  as  Judge  Lowell 
further  remarks,  Mr.  Tyng  "  received  an  intimation  that  he  was  to 
receive  a  fortune  on  the  death  of  Mrs.  Winslow.  No  event  of  his  whole 
life  could  have  been  so  adverse,  as  the  accidental  circumstance  of 
her  fixing  her  preferences  upon  him.  He  was  the  announced  heir 
of  the  great  Tyng  estates  ;  but  no  man  ever  passed  so  severe  a 
novitiate  for  admission  to  a  monkish  order.  She  changed  her  wiU 
as  the  wind  blew  north  or  south,  and  finally  bequeathed  to  him  a 
large  farm,  giving  away  the  principal  means,  and  ^^nearly  aU  the 
means  of  supporting  it. 

"  He  took  possession  of  his  farm,  of  very  indifferent  soil  gener- 
ally; and  with  scientific  skill  he  tried  its  capacities,  till  he  found 
ruin  the  inevitable  consequence.  His  pride — and  no  man  had  a 
greater  share  of  that  honorable  quality, — induced  him  to  persevere. 
With  greater  means  of  knowledge  than  any  other  individual  could 
possess,  we  have  no  hesitation  in  saying,  that  to  these  circumstances 
he  owed  the  defeat  of  the  fairest  prospects  in  his  profession,  and 
was  reduced  by  them  to  shifts  and  expedients,  in  his  future  life, 
from  which  his  sound  talents  and  learning,  his  industry  and  vigor 
of  mind,  would  have   elevated  and  secured  him." 

The  father's  character  thus  portrayed  after  forty  years'  close  inti 
macy  and  friendshi23,  was  the  pattern  and  guide  followed  and  ven- 
erated by  the   son.      No    one  who  ever   knew   Dr.    Tyng,    could 
fail    to    recognize   how    these   hereditary   virtues   were   revealed 
tnrouofhout  his  life. 


CHAPTER  n. 

EARLY  LIFE,  1800  to  1813. 

I  WAS  born  in  Newburyport  on  the  first  day  of  March,  1800. 
My  father  had  eight  children;  in  the  line  of  birth  I  was  the  fourth. 
Newburyport,  has  never  ceased  to  be  the  home  of  some  of  the 
sweetest  memories  of  my  life.  The  first  five  years  of  my  life  were 
passed  there,  and  all  my  springs  of  action  were  there  imbibed. 
There  I  was  baptized  by  Bishop  Bass,  in  the  church  which  is  still 
standing.  Nineteen  years  after,  I  first  united  in  the  communion  of 
the  Lord's  Supper,  in  that  church.  There,  in  two  years  after  that, 
I  preached  my  first  sermon  after  my  ordination.  This  church  has 
always  been  to  me  a  place  of  delightful  remembrance.  My  strong 
attachment  to  it  I  have  never  lost.  With  the  families  composing  it 
I  was  intimate  from  my  childhood.  There  my  own  personal  attach- 
ment to  the  Church  of  my  fathers,  in  which  my  ministry  has  been 
passed,  was  deeply  ^wrought  in  all  the  affections  and  experience 
of  my  soul. 

In  1805  my  father  removed  to  Boston,  as  I  have  already  stated. 
We  took  possession  of  a  wooden  house,  belonging  to  my  grand- 
father Higginson,  on  the  western  side  of  Federal  Street,  making 
the  corner  of  High  Street. 

I  entered  upon  a  higher  step  of  life  while  we  lived  in  Federal 
Street,  by  going  to  a  man's  school.  It  was  a  famous  school  in 
Boston,  kept  by  Master  Lyon,  in  the  yard  of  Dr.  Channing's  church 
in  Federal  Street,  corner  of  Berry  St.  But  everything  of  that  day 
has  been  removed.  The  schools  are  all  forgotten,  and  the  church 
stands  removed  to  Clarendon  Street,  west  of  the  Common,  where, 
in  the  day  of  which  I  speak,  the  sea  was  spread  from  Charles  Street 
to  Brookline  and  Roxbury. 

In  the  autumn  of  180G,  I  was  sent  from  home  to  my  first  board- 
ing-school at  Quincy,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Boston,  kept  by  the 
Rev.  Peter  Whitney,  the  Congregational  minister  in  that  town,  in 
his  own  family.     This  system  of  education  was  much  the  habit  of 

23 


24  Rev.   Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D> 

that  day.  Most  of  the  country  ministers  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Boston,  received  boys  into  their  farailies  for  education;  I  was  five 
years  in  this  place.  There  was  here  a  school  of  fifteen  boys,  nearly 
all  of  whom  lived  in  the  family.  One  family  of  four,  and  another 
single  one,  were  from  the  "West  Indies,  under  a  guardianship  in 
Boston.  The  residue  were  from  Boston.  They  have  all  gone  from 
my  knowledge  except  Josiah  Quincy,  of  Boston. 

Our  teacher  paid  but  little  attention  to  us,  and  seemed  indiffer- 
ent to  our  scholarship,  and  still  more  so  to  any  moral  training  or 
habits.  We  were  shut  up  in  the  school-room  together,  to  take  care 
of  ourselves  in  study,  and  were  called  upon  for  recitations  at  the 
close  of  the  session.  But  no  attempt  at  personal  religious  instruc- 
tion, by  book  or  voice,  was  known  by  any  of  the  gathering  of  youth 
who  were  there.  We  were  left  to  govern  ourselves  according  to 
our  own  taste  and  habits  while  out  of  school.  There  was  always 
something  in  Summer  and  Winter  to  furnish  the  elements  of  youth- 
ful enjoyment  and  mirth. 

In  religious  relations  the  Congregational  meeting-house  was  the 
only  place  of  professed  worship  in  the  town  which  was  regularly 
opened,  and  we  attended  that  on  every  Sunday.  There  was  also 
an  old  Episcopal  church  there,  erected  before  the  Revolution,  in 
which  the  service  was  read  by  a  layman  once  in  the  month,  and  of 
which  it  is  strange  to  say,  that  it  was  afterwards  the  place  of  my 
opening  ministry,  and  the  scene  of  my  first  Sunday-school.  This 
church  was  opened  once  in  a  month  for  the  few  families  belonging 
to  it.     But  I  was  not  allowed  to  attend  it. 

One  illustration  of  the  personal  vigor  acquired  in  this  rustic  life 
I  well  remember.  In  the  winter  of  1807-8,  three  of  us  started  to 
go  home  across  the  harbor  to  Boston  on  foot — on  the  ice — in  one 
Saturday  afternoon,  without  permission.  The  weather  was  intensely 
cold,  and  the  harbor  of  Boston  was  entirely  closed.  The  distance 
from  Quincy  to  Boston  across  the  ice  was  perhaps  eight  or  nine 
miles.  We  stopped  at  a  small  island  on  our  way,  and  kindled  a  fire 
to  warm  ourselves,  and  finally  arrived  at  our  homes  in  Boston,  about 
nine  o'clock  in  the  evening.  My  personal  welcome  was  a  severe 
chastisement  from  my  father,  the  painful  distress  of  my  dear 
mother,  and  an  immediate  supperless  bed.  The  guilt  of  running 
away  from  school  wholly  obscured  the  remarkable  enterprise  of  the 
deed.  The  next  morning  we  were  sent  back  in  a  sleigh  belonging 
to  the  grandfather  of  one  of  the  boys,  to  receive  another  flogging  at 
school.  The  place  and  method  of  that  punishment  I  have  never 
forgotten.     It  was  a  specimen  of  discipline  which  I  should  not  be 


Early  Life,  25 

likely  to  forget.  But  I  was  too  much  accustomed  to  this  severity 
of  treatment  to  be  cast  down  by  it.  How  precious  is  the  rebound- 
ing cheerfulness  and  activity  of  youth ! 

At  the  time  of  which  I  speak  Boston  was  a  town  of  less  than 
thirty  thousand  inhabitants.  It  was  extremely  rural  in  its  aspect, 
from  the  yards  and  gardens  connected  with  most  of  the  houses. 
The  citizens  pastured  their  cows  upon  the  Common,  and  in  the 
evening  drove  them  home  to  their  various  dwellings.  To  me,  Bos- 
ton was  the  abode  of  family  connections,  both  on  my  father's  and 
my  mother's  side,  including  a  large  portion  of  the  best  families  in 
the  town.     It  seemed  to  me  that  I  knew  every  family  in  the  place. 

My  father's  official  and  social  position  filled  our  house  with  con- 
stant company  of  the  most  instructive  and  attractive  character.  A 
large  number  of  the  men  of  consequence  of  that  day,  which  com- 
prised the  first  generation  after  the  Bevolution,  were  visitors  at  my 
father's  house,  and  thus  passed  before  my  youthful  eye  and  ear,  and 
aided  unconsciously  in  my  education.  I  recall  the  aspect  of  those 
venerable  men,  and  the  character  of  the  conversations  to  which  I 
often  listened  with  a  peculiar  interest.  Though  I  was  but  a  boy  I 
was  the  daily  observer  of  men  who  had  passed  through  all  the 
scenes  of  the  Revolution  in  mature  life,  and  were  familiar  with  its 
facts  and  persons.  The  value  of  this  education,  by  mere  company 
and  association,  I  have  felt  through  all  my  succeeding  life.  My 
father  was  a  very  decided  Federalist.  All  my  family  associations 
were  earnestly  devoted  to  the  same  line  of  thought  and  party.  I 
was  thus  always  really  at  school  at  home  as  well  as  abroad. 

The  "  infidelity  "  of  that  day,  was  also  pronounced  and  decided. 
I  well  remember  a  conversation  at  my  father's  table  which  im- 
pressed me  much.  A  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  a  venerable- 
looking  old  man,  said  in  a  very  positive  tone,  in  the  course  of  a 
religious  discussion:  "  I  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  was  a  man  like 
Dudley  Tyng,  but  not  in  all  respects  as  good  a  man  as  Dudley 
Tyng."  The  utterance  struck  my  youthful  mind  with  horror. 
My  father  rose  from  his  seat  with  great  emotion,  and  said: 
"  Judge,  no  man  can  be  permitted  to  indulge  in  such  remarks  at 
my  table,  in  the  midst  of  my  family."  The  impression  of  these 
words  and  of  the  silence  which  followed,  I  cannot  forget.  Such 
were  the  influences  under  which  my  youthful  years  were  passed  at 
home.  They  made  an  indelible  impression  on  my  mind  and  char- 
acter. 

Our  church  in  Boston  was  Trinity,  in  Summer  Street,  a 
plain  wooden  buLldiug  erected  in  1735.     The  He  v.  Dr.  Gardiner 


26  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyjig,  D.D, 

was  our  rector,  to  whom  I  said  my  catechism  in  the  vestry-room. 
From  my  earliest  days  I  learned  to  love  my  Chm-ch  and  all  its 
services.  My  father's  strictness,  for  us,  in  the  observance  of  relig- 
ious worship  sometimes  made  a  heavy  day  ;  and  yet  the  value  of 
such  an  early  education  I  have  never  ceased  to  estimate  highly. 

My  dear  mother  was  taken  from  us  in  1808.  My  recollections 
of  this  beloved  woman  are  very  distinct,  and  they  have  been  Hfe- 
long  with  me.  When  she  was  taken  from  me  I  had  been  at  my 
first  boarding-school  more  than  two  years.  I  was  then  eight  years 
of  age. 

My  home  was  a  very  different  place  for  me  after  she  was  gone. 
I  missed  her  tenderness  and  love,  and  was  distressed  with  many 
sad  wants  and  feelings  connected  with  her  departure.  I  still  make 
no  visit  to  Boston  without  making  my  first  point  of  observation 
my  mother's  grave  on  the  Common.  There  have  I  often  stood,  in 
sohtude  and  silence,  while  crowds  have  passed  all  unconscious  of 
the  one  controlling  fact  which  led  me  there.  My  father  subse- 
quently married  my  mother's  younger  sister,  who  survived  him  as 
his  widow.     This  was  in  1809. 

I  have  spoken  of  my  education  at  Quincy  as  superficial.  But 
when  I  remember  that  I  had  studied  there,  before  I  was  twelve 
years  old,  all  the  books  which  were  then  required  in  an  examina- 
tion for  college,  it  would  seem  that  in  the  surface  of  books  I  was 
not  deficient. 

Thus  my  appointed  time  in  Quincy  passed  away.  The  remem- 
brance of  it,  and  of  the  many  pleasant  acquaintances  then  made, 
and  the  attractive  families  among  whom  my  father's  character 
made  me  entirely  at  home,  have  made  my  whole  remembrance  of 
the  town  and  the  time,  one  of  the  most  agreeable  recollections  of 

my  life. 

In  September,  1811,  I  left  my  home  again  to  commence  a  new 
effort  for  education  in  Phillips'  Academy  at  Andover.  Here  I  was 
thrown  wholly  upon  my  own  personal  responsibility;  I  lodged  by 
myself  in  a  farm-house  about  half  a  mile  from  the  academy  ;  stud- 
ied all  the  lessons  in  my  own  room  out  of  school  hours,  and  went 
to  the  academy  at  regular  hours  for  recitation.  There  were  in  this 
academy  at  that  time  more  than  a  hundred  pupils  of  all  ages,  from 
childhood  to  manhood.  They  all  boarded  at  different  houses  round 
the  town,  perhaps  within  the  circle  of  a  mile  from  the  academy. 
The  means  for  education  were  doubtless  appropriate  for  the  elder 
scholars;  but  the  younger  were  necessarily  neglected.  I  was 
turned  back  to  the  beginning  of  my  studies  again,  and  started  upon 


Early  Life,  i*] 

a  system  entirelj^  new  and  strange.  My  whole  year  was  to  an  im- 
portant degree  lost,  leaving  me  but  little  farther  advanced  in 
attainment  than  it  found  me. 

But  there  were  other  influences  there,  which  the  gracious  provi- 
dence of  God  prej^ared  for  me,  most  abiding  and  important.  The 
Theological  Seminary,  which  was  near  the  academy,  had  been  but 
a  short  time  in  operation.  But  the  religious  influence  which  was 
exercised  in  its  connection  was  very  decided,  and  operated  strongly 
upon  members  of  the  academy.  The  various  religious  meetings 
and  lectures  which  were  held  in  the  seminary  were  open  to  the 
students  of  the  academy,  and  were  gladly  attended  by  many  of 
them.  There  were  also  a  large  number  of  older  youth  of  a  decided 
religious  character  and  purpose  in  the  academy,  whose  influence 
was  very  effective.  Some  of  these  boarded  in  the  same  house  with 
me,  and  their  personal  influence  upon  my  character  and  habits  was 
a  permanent  blessing.  I  felt  myself  to  be  in  a  new  and  religious 
atmosphere  ;  and  I  was  enabled  to  welcome  its  influences  upon  my 
own  life  and  purpose.  I  was  not  then  converted,  but  I  found  the 
utmost  welcome  in  my  heart  for  religious  thought  and  religious 
occupation.  I  often  walked  a  distance  of  miles  in  an  evening  with 
some  of  the  older  students  to  attend  a  religious  meeting  in  some 
school-house  or  other  public  room. 

I  will  relate  one  important  instance  which  is  indelibly  impressed 
upon  my  memory. 

This  occurred  on  a  public  national  fast-day  in  1812.  Our  public 
worship  at  the  meeting-house  had  an  intermission  between  the 
meetings  for  the  public  worship  of  an  hour  at  noon.  On  that 
occasion  I  joined  five  other  students  of  the  academy,  who  were 
much  my  seniors,  in  a  walk  across  the  river.  I  was  the  only  boy 
in  the  company.  We  wandered  into  a  neighboring  wood,  and 
came  to  an  open  space  around  the  stump  of  a  tree  which  had  been 
cut  down.  Some  one  proposed  that  we  should  hold  a  prayer-meet- 
ing there  ;  and  we  i^assed  that  hour  in  united  prayer.  All  the 
young  men  who  were  thus  engaged  were  afterwards  distinguished 
ministers  of  the  gospel.  They  were  Samuel  Green,  minister  of 
Essex  Street  Congregational  Church  in  Boston  ;  Daniel  Temple,  a 
missionary  of  Christ  in  Malta,  in  the  Mediterranean;  Asa  Cum- 
mings,  Congregational  minister  in  North  Yarmouth,  Maine;  Alva 
Woods,  Professor  in  Brown  University,  Providence,  and  President 
of  the  University  of  Alabama;  William  Goodell,  for  more  than  forty 
years  a  faithful  missionary  in  Constantiuoj^le.  Of  these  all  have 
departed  to  be  ^\^th  Christ,  except  Dr.  Woods  and  myself.     There 


2  8  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

were  no  unusual  circumstances  which  led  us  thus  together  on  that 
day.  But  the  fact,  united  with  our  subsequent  history,  was  very  re- 
markable. 

So  decided  was  this  religious  influence  upon  all  the  students, 
that  there  was  probably  no  boarding-house  in  which  the  students 
abiding  there  did  not  maintain  united  prayer  as  part  of  their  privi- 
lege. 

Thus  my  Andover  year  went  by.  I  cannot  say  that  it  left  me 
with  a  character  divinely  changed  or  with  a  heart  converted.  But 
it  much  reversed  all  the  mischievous  influences  of  the  previous 
years.  It  imparted  to  me  a  knowledge  of  the  gospel,  an  under- 
standing of  true  religion,  and  a  taste  and  love  for  its  instruction, 
which  I  had  never  before  received.  It  brought  me  into  relations, 
in  that  period  of  youth,  which  were  of  imperishable  value  in  my 
subsequent  life.  I  may  truly  say  that  it  settled  the  principles  of  my 
character  and  life,  as  they  were  afterwards  divinely  brought  out.  I 
was  a  mere  boy,  but  all  the  associations  in  which  I  was  placed  were 
mature,  and  my  own  habits  and  tastes  became  conformed  to  them. 
It  was  a  large  growth  of  individual  experience  for  a  single  year, 
without  one  prank  of  boyish  crime  or  mischief,  and  with  many 
deep  and  precious  convictions  of  religious  obligation,  and  many 
attractive  impressions  of  religious  truth. 

In  September,  1812,  my  father  removed  me  from  Andover  to 
Brighton,  near  Boston,  my  last  and  far  my  happiest  place  of  school 
education.  During  this  past  year  Dr.  Benjamin  Allen,  a  very  dis- 
tinguished teacher,  who  had  been  a  professor  in  Union  College  and 
in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  afterwards  the  preceptor  of 
Dummer  Academy,  near  Newburyport,  had  removed  to  Brighton, 
and  had  there  opened  a  large  private  boarding-school  for  boys. 
He  had  about  thirty  bo^^s  who  lived  in  his  house,  and  were  taught 
by  him  in  person.  They  were  mostly  from  Boston,  from  famihes 
of  high  standing,  and  w^ere  very  agreeable  companions. 

Dr.  Allen  was  a  determined  and  severe  master  to  rebellious 
boys.  But  never  was  the  hand  of  punishment  laid  on  me.  Such  a 
teacher  I  have  never  seen  beside.  He  had  the  most  remarkable 
faculty  of  attracting  youthful  minds  to  study,  and  of  drawing  out 
the  tastes  and  habits  of  boys.  To  me  he  made  all  the  books  of 
study  full  of  life  and  pleasure ;  Latin  and  Greek  authors  became  a 
delight  to  me.  In  the  mere  letter  of  these  I  was  already  sufficiently 
advanced  to  enter  college.  He  reviewed  all  these  studies  with  me, 
and  also  taught  me  the  rudiments  of  French  and  Spanish. 

By  his  immense  personal  information  he  made  every  branch  of 


Early  Life,  29 

learning  equally  living.  I  was  conscious  of  no  weariness  in  study. 
Nine  hours  a  day  he  spent  with  us,  in  three  sessions.  Days  and 
evenino-s  were  given  with  equal  alacrity  to  the  work.  There  were 
no  difficulties  or  drawbacks.  Every  day  was  passed  and  every  day 
was  anticipated  with  the  joy  of  emulation  and  impatience. 

When  I  went  to  Dr.  Allen's  I  was  considered  prepared  for  col- 
lege examination.  But  twelve  years  of  age  was  too  youthful  for 
college  life  ;  and  this  year  was  passed  in  refreshing  my  whole 
career  and  enlarging  my  stores  on  every  side. 

Dr.  Allen's  personal  conversation,  and  his  relations  to  us  individ- 
ually, were  charming.  We  felt  perfectly  happy  and  at  home  with 
him.  He  joined  in  all  our  games  and  every  side  contended  for  him 
as  a  partner. 

He  belonged  to  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  my  sympathies  were 
drawn  to  him  in  this  relation.  I  went  back  to  the  regular  worship 
of  my  paternal  church  with  increasing  attachment.  My  young 
heart   was    more  and  more  drawn  to  all  its  ordinances  and  ways. 

In  September,  1813,  my  last  year  of  school  was  finished,  and  I 
was  to  be  presented  by  Dr.  Allen  for  admission  to  Harvard  College, 
in  Cambridge.  I  left  my  dear  and  faithful  teacher  with  the  most 
sincere  regret,  and  with  earnest  gratitude  for  his  unfailing  care,  as 
well  as  with  the  highest  estimate  of  his  skill  and  wisdom.  The 
years  of  perhaps  as  happy  a  youth  had  been  completed  as  any  one 
has  ever  found.  I  look  back  upon  it  from  my  old  age  with  a  grate- 
ful sense  of  the  goodness  of  my  gracious  Lord,  which  had  thus  pro- 
vided for  me  so  abundantly,  and  had  laid  up  such  happy  memories 
of  youth  for  the  enjoyment  of  the  many  years  to  come. 


CHAPTER  III. 

COLLEGE  LIFE,    1813  TO   1817;   COMMERCIAL    LIFE,   1817    TO    1819. 

The  daj  of  my  examination  for  college  can  never  be  forgotten. 
It  was  the  special  examination,  at  the  close  of  the  summer  vacation 
and  the  opening  of  the  autumn  term.  And  thus  began  a  new  series 
of  my  j)^^sonal  exj)erience,  and  a  new  era  in  my  life. 

I  entered  with  a  class  in  which  there  was  a  large  proportion  of 
youth  near  my  own  age.  There  were  eighty-six  who  entered  with 
this  class.  Some  of  them  were  full-grown  men.  I  was  the  young- 
est but  one  in  the  class.  Many  of  them  about  my  own  age,  like 
Caleb  Cushing  and  George  Bancroft,  have  since  become  distin- 
guished men. 

The  education  of  that  day  assigned  a  preponderance  to  classical 
study,  for  which  such  youth  were  fully  adequate.  My  first  year 
was  one  of  continued  triumph  for  me.  In  the  languages  I  was 
thoroughly  instructed.  But  when  we  came  to  the  higher  and  more 
abstruse  branches  of  mathematical  and  mental  study,  there  were 
difficulties  in  my  way  which  made  for  me  an  inevitable  falling  off 
in  my  standing  as  a  scholar.  But  the  four  years  of  my  college  life 
were  a  very  joyous  and  happy  period.  They  were  filled  with  a  suc- 
cession of  facts  which  are  very  distinctly  remembered,  but  would  be 
a  tedious  relation  in  their  details.  I  shall  attemj^t  nothing  beyond 
a  general  descrij)tion. 

My  brother  Dudley  had  been  in  college  at  Harvard  one  year 
before  me.  And  now,  to  give  us  both  our  dwelling  at  home,  my 
father  had  removed  from  Boston  to  Cambridge. 

I  have  always  looked  upon  this  removal  as  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable proofs  of  my  father's  interest  in  his  children's  welfare, 
and  also  as  one  of  the  most  remarkable  divine  protections  of  my 
youth  fi'om  the  peculiar  temptations  of  a  college  life.  I  had  com- 
paratively little  exposure  to  the  evil  influences  around  me,  and  was 
much  sheltered  from  associations  adapted  to  overwhelm  and  de- 
stroy  me.     My   study  was   at   home,    generally  at   a  desk  in   my 

30 


College  Life,  31 

father's  office.  And  my  vacations  were  always  devoted  to  addi- 
tional studies,  chiefly  in  the  languages,  under  the  tuition  of  some 
college  instructor  whom  my  father  sj)ecially  engaged  for  this 
l^urpose. 

In  this  way  I  went  through  several  Greek  and  Latin  authors, 
which  were  not  demanded  in  the  public  course.  I  also  studied 
Hebrew  and  Syriac  with  the  jDrofessor  of  Oriental  languages,  and 
even  commenced  the  study  of  Arabic.  These  studies  in  vacation 
were  not  regarded  by  me  as  a  hardship.  My  taste  and  active 
habits  led  me  to  occupation,  and  this  class  of  studies  was  attractive 
to  me.  How  little  I  imagined  for  what  my  gracious  Lord  was  pre- 
paring me  as  my  appointed  work  for  mature  life  ! 

The  influence  of  my  father's  wish  was  always  a  sujDreme  authority 
with  me.  I  had  a  sincere  and  earnest  desire  in  every  thing  to  meet 
his  plans  and  views.  And  yet  I  was  merely  a  boy.  There  was  in 
me  a  volatile  and  ungovernable  spirit  which  he  could  not  under- 
stand, and  over  which,  as  if  it  were  intentional  rebellion,  he  fre- 
quently mourned.  My  natural  temper  was  marked  by  extreme 
determination  and  eagerness  in  my  pursuit,  which  would  3'ield  to 
no  difficulties  or  opposition  'where  my  purj^oses  were  really  en- 
gaged. My  father  deemed  this  a  headstrong  and  rebellious  spirit, 
which  ought  to  be  overcome,  instead  of  a  most  important  gift, 
which  required  only  a  proper  direction  and  encouragement  in  right 
paths  and  for  approved  ends.  I  have  often  thought  how  little  he 
comprehended  the  degree  in  which  he  was  loved  and  reverenced 
by  me. 

An  illustration  of  this  state  of  mind  occurred  in  connection  with 
a  class  rebellion  which  took  place  in  my  third  year  in  college. 

The  Faculty  refused  to  yield  the  customary  recitations  of  our 
class  on  a  day,  which  the  Junior  class  had  been  accustomed  to 
receive  as  a  holiday ;  and  the  whole  class  refused  to  attend 
recitations  for  three  days.  The  refusal  was  attended  with  all 
the  circumstances  of  class  meetings  and  turbulence  which  were 
usual  in  such  connections.  From  a  regard  to  what  I  knew  would 
bo  my  father's  desire,  I  determined  to  take  no  part  in  the  rebel- 
lion. I  attended  every  recitation,  some  of  them  entirely  alone, 
and  passed  through  the  crisis  without  shrinking  or  fear.  Such 
was  the  respect  of  my  class  for  my  motives  and  conduct  that  I  met 
with  no  insult  or  reproach  in  the  course  of  the  trial. 

I  have  often  heard  since  from  members  of  my  class  that  they 
truly  respected  and  admired  my  decision  and  perseverance.  It  was 
indeed  a  heavy  trial  of  affection  and  principle  for  a  boy  of  fifteen 


32  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyiig,  D.D. 

years.     But  its  endurance  brought  with  it  its  own  reward,  and  I 
lost  nothing  by  my  fidelity  to  my  father's  wish. 

Another  very  important  element  in  my  personal  protection 
through  my  college  life  was  my  love  for  my  Church;  the  students 
had  the  privilege  of  worshipping  on  Sunday  with  their  own  families 
while  dwelling  with  them.  I  was  never  in  the  college  chapel  on 
Sunday  during  my  whole  college  life.  The  Episcopal  Church  in 
Cambridge  was  then  without  a  minister,  and  was  served  by  lay- 
readers,  who  were  candidates  for  orders,  generally  among  the  resi- 
dent graduates  of  the  college.  But  its  worship  was  always  dear  and 
attractive  to  me,  and  I  was  never  absent.  I  took  lessons  in  music 
that  I  might  play  the  organ;  and  my  interest  in  every  thing  connected 
with  the  welfare  of  the  Church  was  unceasing.  I  was  never  without 
religious  convictions  or  religious  desires.  The  habit  of  private  per- 
sonal prayer  I  maintained.  And  I  cannot  doubt  that  I  was  then 
under  the  divine  teaching,  as  well  as  the  divine  care  and  restraint,  httle 
as  I  knew  of  the  power  which  was  leading  me  on,  in  God's  own 
appointed  way,  for  my  life-long  work.  I  had  been  under  no  rehgious 
ministry  which  was  especiall}^  adapted  to  awaken  and  control  me  since 
I  left  Andover.  In  the  Junior  year  of  my  college  life.  Bishop  Griswold 
visited  the  church  in  Cambridge,  and  I  presented  myself  for  con- 
firmation, according  to  the  order  of  our  Church.  I  had  no  author- 
ized pastor,  and  I  was  left  to  judge  for  myself.  It  was  an  occasion 
to  me  of  truly  serious  thought  and  feeling.  This  holy  rite  so 
solemnly  performed  by  him,  was  adapted  to  impress  my  mind  with 
very  serious  thought,  and  so  I  seriously  and  earnestly  received  it. 
The  day  of  visitation  from  the  Lord  in  my  new  creation  for  His  ser- 
vice had  not  yet  come  to  me. 

During  this  period  of  college  life  I  found  great  deHght  in  occa- 
sional visits  to  Newburyport.  I  had  become  so  accustomed  to  long 
walks,  together  with  my  brother  Dudley,  that  a  walk  of  thirty  or 
forty  miles,  to  Newburyport,  was  not  considered  by  us  an  excessive 
day's  journey.  These  were  illustrations  of  our  vigorous  constitution 
and  habits,  the  product  of  a  New  England  education. 

In  the  year  1814  I  made  a  very  interesting  and  important  visit 
to  Newburyport.  During  this  visit,  the  Rev.  Gardiner  Spring,  of 
New  York,  also  a  native  of  that  town,  was  making  a  visit  to  his 
father,  an  aged  minister  there.  I  heard  him  preach  on  two  even- 
ings in  his  father's  pulpit  with  the  deepest  interest  and  impression. 
They  awakened  very  serious  impressions  in  my  mind.  So  well  did 
I  remember  those  sermons  that  since  my  dwelling  in  New  York  I 
mentioned  to  Dr.  Spring,  on  one  occasion  of  visiting  him,  the  pas- 


College  Life,  33 

sages  of  Scripture  on  which  he  preached  on  the  occasions  of  my 
hearing  him.  He  said  he  still  had  the  two  sermons.  This  influence 
constituted  another  element  in  my  secret  reUgious  training  under 
the  teaching  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  came  to  its  issue  in  my  sub- 
sequent Ufe. 

Thus  the  college  years  passed  by,  and  their  many  scenes  of  pleas- 
ure and  of  disappointment  were  completed.  The  recollection  of 
them  aU  is  most  vivid  and  agreeable. 

In  August,  1817,  my  four  years  of  college  hfe  were  completed, 
and  I  was  graduated  as  a  responsible  man,  to  be  launched  in  my  little 
bark  upon  an  untried  sea.  I  had  thus  far  been  enriched  with 
every  privilege  of  social  life,  and  endowed  with  every  opportu- 
nity of  education  which  our  country  could  present.  And  now  that 
sixty  years  have  been  completed  since  that  eventful  day,  I  would 
praise  my  gracious  God  for  all  his  kindness  and  watchful  care  and 
bounty  through  all  those  youthful  years  of  trial  and  tempta- 
'  tion.  Little  could  I  have  imagined  His  gracious  designs  concerning 
me,  or  the  hfe  of  usefulness  and  unmerited  honor  which  He 
laid  out  before  me. 

When  that  Commencement  day  was  over,  the  place  which  had  so 
lono-  known  us  was  to  know  us  no  more  in  our  united  relations. 
But  while  it  necessarily  separated  us  as  companions,  it  did  not 
break  our  mutual  bonds  of  interest,  sympathy  and  respect.  Dur- 
ing the  next  forty-six  years  we  were  scattered  abroad,  and  rarely 
met  even  as  individual  companions.  I  was  not  present  at  any  Com- 
mencement at  Harvard  in  that  whole  period. 

In  July,  1863,  we  celebrated  in  Boston  the  semi-centennial  anni- 
versary of  our  entrance  upon  a  college  life.  We  had  graduated 
with  sixty-seven  members.  At  the  period  of  which  I  speak  thirty- 
three  were  still  living.  Of  these  twenty-two  dined  together,  and 
letters  were  received  from  the  remainder.  It  was  a  strange  sight 
to  me  when  ushered  into  the  presence  of  so  many  old  and  gray- 
haired  men.  I  was  unable  to  recognize  the  greater  portion  at  our 
meeting.  But  after  a  general  conversation  the  youthful  aspect  of 
all  returned.  I  saw  them  as  if  we  had  lately  parted,  and  we 
welcomed  each  other  with  much  enjoyment.  We  gave  in  turn  our 
separate  histories  and  all  rejoiced  in  listening  to  the  welfare  and 
happiness  of  each.  I  was  the  youngest  person  at  the  table.  But  I 
was  received  with  a  respect  and  kindness  which   gratified  me  in  a 

high  degree. 

This  class  meeting  was  again  renewed  in  18(»7,  a  semi-centennial 
of  our  graduation.       And  it  has  been  again  repeated  in  1873  and 


34  R^"^*  Stephen  Higginso7t    Tyjig,  D.D, 

1877  as  the  sixtieth  anniversary,  at  which  I  was  unable  to  be  pres- 
ent from  a  confinement  in  a  long  and  severe  sickness,  from  which 
at  the  time  of  my  present  writing  I  have  not  entirely  recovered. 

In  the  summer  of  1817,  when  my  college  life  approached  its 
conclusion,  the  question  arose.  What  shall  succeed  it  ?  My  father 
had  always  hoped  for  my  entrance  into  the  ministry  of  the  Episco- 
pal Church.  My  outward  aspect  of  attendance  upon  all  religious 
services  within  my  reach  seemed  often  to  furnish  him  encouragement 
that  I  might  be  led  that  way.  I  had  never  a  question  in  my  mind 
about  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel;  I  truly  loved  my  Church,  and 
never  failed  in  my  attendance  upon  its  service,  or  in  my  sincere 
union  in  the  utterance  of  its  responses  in  j)ublic  worship.  I  was 
perfectly  sincere  in  my  religious  consciousness  and  purpose.  But  I 
did  not  feel  myself  to  be  worthy  of  any  such  position  or  responsibility 
as  a  minister  of  Christ.  No  other  employment  presented  any  attraction 
to  my  view.  But  to  enter  upon  such  a  ministry,  or  to  undertake 
a  distinct  course  of  preparation  for  it,  with  a  heart  so  little  ready 
for  it,  and  an  outward  character  so  little  accordant  with  it,  seemed 
to  me  a  step  which  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  take.  What  could 
be  done  I  knew  not.  I  saw  no  light  before  me  in  any  quarter. 
And  yet  my  gracious  God  was  even  then  preparing  the  way  for  me 
in  a  scheme  which  I  could  not  have  imagined.  In  the  midst  of  all 
this  bewildering  hesitation  He  graciously  opened  for  me  a  new  and 
unimagined  path  by  His  own  wisdom  and  goodness. 

My  uncle  Perkins,  whose  wife  was  sister  to  my  mother,  and  who 
was  a  large  East  India  merchant  in  Boston,  proposed  to  me  to  enter 
his  counting  house  for  a  commercial  life.  Samuel  G.  Perkins  &  Co. 
were  a  very  large  East  India  firm  on  India  Wharf  in  Boston.  The 
partner  was  Edward  A.  Newton,  who  became  the  husband  of  my 
elder  sister,  many  years  after  this.  At  this  time  Mr.  Newton  was 
residing  in  Calcutta  as  the  agent  of  the  firm.  The  proposal  to  me 
was  to  become  practically  familiar  with  the  full  knowledge  of  the 
business  in  the  home  employment,  and  then  to  succeed  Mr.  Newton 
and  to  spend  five  years  or  more  in  Calcutta  in  his  place.  It  was  a 
most  honorable  and  attractive  proposal,  and  far  beyond  any 
imagination  I  could  have  formed.  It  opened  to  me  an  immediate 
active  occupation,  and  gave  me  the  prospect  of  a  future  high 
position  and  probable  wealth.  This  proposal  was  made  to  me  in 
August,  1817,  just  before  our  Commencement  and  graduation. 
When  my  father  opened  it  to  me  I  was  astounded.  But  I  accepted 
the  offer  without  hesitation,  and  with  sincere  thankfulness  and 
pleasure.     Thus  far  my  mind  was  at  rest;  my  way  seemed  to  be 


Commercial  Life,  35 

opened  by  a  far  higher  i^ower  than  human  wisdom;  and  I  had  no 
doubt  that  the  future  would  justify  my  decision.  On  the  morning 
after  Commencement  I  walked  into  Boston  to  enter  upon  my  new 
sphere  of  duty.  My  brother  Dudley  was  at  the  same  time  studying 
medicine  in  Boston,  and  we  thus  made  our  daily  morning's  walk 
together  until  my  father  removed  his  family  again  to  Boston.  This 
removal  was  accompKshed  in  a  few  weeks,  and  gave  me  my  last 
home  in  Boston. 

During  this  whole  period,  from  1806,  my  father  had  been  the 
Reporter  of  Decisions  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Massachusetts.  In 
this  office  he  had  been  obliged  to  attend  the  court,  in  all  its  sessions, 
which  for  several  years  included  also  "  the  District  of  Maine,"  now 
a  separate  state.  He  was  thus  absent  from  home  for  many  weeks 
in  every  year,  in  his  attendance  upon  these  circuits.  In  September, 
1814,  I  accompanied  him  on  one  of  these  journeys  through  the 
western  counties  of  the  state.  The  journey  was  a  very  deUghtful 
one.  It  gave  associations,  acquaintance,  and  information  which 
have  been  useful  to  me  to  this  day.  The  judges  and  chief  officers 
of  the  court  generally  took  some  ladies  of  their  families.  And  we 
thus  visited  Northampton,  Pittsfield,  Lebanon  Springs,  Hartford, 
and  Litchfield,  in  separate  rests  for  some  days  each. 

My  father  was  a  man  of  great  economy  and  wonderful  management 
in  his  expenses.  He  was  also  pecuharly  free  and  generous.  How  he 
so  completely  educated  us,  and  maintained  the  comfort  and  elegance 
of  the  living  which  he  gave  us,  I  have  never  ceased  to  wonder.  Indeed 
his  whole  character  and  method  were  very  noble  and  exemplary  in  all 
the  relations  of  life.  From  my  observation  of  his  example  I  gained  the 
substance  of  all  the  practical  directions  and  principles  which  have 
governed  my  whole  life.  How  much  I  owe  to  him,  even  to  this  day,  I 
have  no  power  to  recount.  And  the  hope  of  a  practical  usefulness 
and  gratitude  to  him  was  a  constraining  motive  in  my  willingness  to 
enter  upon  a  commercial  life. 

And  now  upon  this  new  field  I  entered  with  an  active  interest 
and  pleasure.  I  rapidly  gained  general  commercial  knowledge  and 
habits,  and  particular  intelligence  of  the  extensive  correspondence 
of  the  house,  and  soon  understood  their  whole  field  of  mercantile 
adventure  and  enter^^rise. 

The  years  which  I  thus  passed  were  years  of  groat  enjojTnent 
and  personal  gain.  Boston  was  then  in  every  thing  attractive  and 
delightful  to  me.  I  was  in  the  midst  of  a  largo  circle  of  family 
connections,  with  many  houses  to  visit,  and  many  attractive  young 
friends  of  both  sexes  for  companions.    My  commercial  prospects  were 


^6  Rev.   Stephen  Higginsofi    Tyng,  D.D, 

supposed  by  others  to  be,  as  they  really  were,  niost  attractive  and 
satisfactory.  Every  thing  was  mine  that  this  world  can  give  to  a 
reasonable  young  man.  My  mind,  my  hopes,  my  plans  were  all  in 
the  affairs  and  prospects  of  my  worldly  engagements  and  anticipa- 
tions. I  imagined,  indeed  at  that  time  I  desired,  no  change  of 
character  or  of  condition,  in  the  plans  of  occupation  which  had  been 
laid  out  before  me.  I  was  too  much  engaged  to  anticipate  any  thing 
but  the  jDrospective  ripened  fruits  of  my  present  employment, 
and  with  them  I  was  perfectly  satisfied. 

Thus  I  was  unceasingly  occupied,  and  more  than  contented  with 
my  condition,  and  with  the  fi'uits  which  it  reasonably  promised,  when 
my  gracious  Lord  visited  me  with  His  pecuhar,  conquering  grace. 

The  facts  of  this,  to  me  wonderful,  occurrence  I  will  relate  as 
they  occurred.  They  made  up  an  important  part  of  my  commercial 
Ufe,  for  they  made  its  close  a  necessity,  and  opened  to  me  a  new 
field  of  thought  and  motive  and  action  w^hich  it  was  im]30ssible  to 
avoid.  There  was  nothing  in  my  condition,  my  occupation,  or  any 
weariness  of  the  world  in  which  I  was  laboiing,  to  account  for  the 
remarkable  change  of  my  whole  career  thus  accomplished. 

On  the  morning  of  the  19th  of  July  I  awoke,  as  my  habit  was, 
before  any  of  the  family,  that  I  might  have  an  hour  of  leisure  before 
I  went  down  to  my  day's  work  at  the  store.  While  lying  awake  in 
my  bed  an  impression  was  made  suddenly  on  my  conscious  mind, 
sounding  in  my  ear  as  if  a  voice  had  spoken  to  me  from  the  ceiHng 
in  actual  audible  words. 

It  said  to  me,  calling  me  by  name,  "  What  a  wasteful  life  you  are 
leading."  The  power  of  the  utterance  reached  my  conscience  and 
my  heart  at  once.  I  replied  without  a  moment's  hesitation,"  Lord! 
I  will  live  so  no  longer.  "  And  I  immediately  threw  myself  out  of 
bed  and  knelt  down  upon  the  lloor  and  prayed.  I  implored  divine 
forgiveness.     I  was  overwhelmed  with  astonishment. 

There  was  a  practical,  secret  power  which  worked  upon  me  and 
within  me,  bringing  me  at  once  to  a  new  choice,  and  a  new  deter- 
mination for  my  life  to  come.  This  impression  and  choice  were  not 
attended  with  strong  emotions.  I  had  no  distressing  convictions  of 
guilt.  I  had  no  clear  views  of  a  Saviour.  Indeed  I  had  but  little 
knowledge  of  Him.  What  would  be  called  a  true  conviction  of  sin 
had  not  been  reached  by  me. 

I  had  a  simple,  indelible  impression  that  my  life  had  been 
wholly  wrong,  and  that  without  any  room  for  defence  or  excuse. 
And  I  had  the  most  distinct  and  earnest  determination  to  jield  to  that 
impression  and  to  start  immediately  upon  a  better  course.    Not  five 


CoTumercial  Life.  37 

minutes  perhaps  elapsed  between  my  first  awakened  thought  and  my 
prayer  upon  my  knees.  I  was  never  more  calm,  more  self-possessed 
or  more  considerate.  But  this  was  the  hour  of  the  divine  power  and 
purpose,  and  the  work  of  the  Spirit  of  Grod  in  me.  It  was  the 
turning  point  of  my  life.  I  arose  from  my  knees  with  a  fixed  deter- 
mination, and  without  a  single  hesitation  or  doubt.  I  was  con- 
verted. 

The  whole  outward  aspect  and  manner  of  my  life  were  suddenly 
changed,  and,  to  human  and  worldly  eyes,  without  cause  or  reason. 
Many  of  my  worldly  friends  said  I  was  crazy — I  have  no  doubt 
they  really  thought  so.  My  father  and  the  family  looked  upon  me 
with  silence,  perhaps  with  amazement,  certainly  with  sorrow  and 
distrust.  They  scarcely  spoke  to  me  at  all.  Perhaps  they  pitied 
me.  But  no  one  took  me  by  the  hand.  No  voice  of  human 
encouragement  reached  me.  No  welcome  of  Christian  kindness 
was  extended  to  me.  "  I  had  no  earthly  place  to  flee  unto.  No 
man  cared  for  my  soul." 

Thus  the  days  passed  by  me  in  those  first  wrecks  of  my  new  life. 
I  went  back  and  forth  to  the  house  and  to  the  store  in  an  entii'e 
solitude  of  spirit. 

The  rehgion  of  my  father's  house  was  but  the  more  serious 
aspect  of  the  religion  of  that  day  among  my  connections.  It 
was  a  mere  serious  formalism,  correct  in  all  the  moralities  of 
life,  but  with  no  heart  experience  of  the  divine  power.  It  was 
really  an  orthodox  Christianity,  but  without  a  Christ.  To  this  I 
had  been  accustomed  in  the  circle  around  me,  and  but  in  the  excep- 
tions which  I  have  related,  I  knew  nothing  above  it. 

Our  rector  was  a  man  of  remarkable  powers  in  eloquent  utterance, 
and  with  great  attractions  in  personal  conversation.  I  was  individu- 
ally extremely  fond  of  him.  But  as  I  have  since  looked  back  upon 
his  personal  intercourse,  and  his  public  ministry  with  us,  I  can  recall 
nothing  which  was  in  the  least  degree  adapted  to  lead  a  sinner  to 
the  Saviour,  or  to  edify  the  people  of  God  in  their  knowledge  of  the 
truth.  Not  many  weeks  after  the  day  and  the  change  which  I  have 
described,  I  went  up  from  the  store  to  his  residence  expressly  to 
visit  him.  I  was  alone  and  I  was  sad.  I  found  no  sympathy  in 
others;  I  hoped  I  should  find  it  in  him.  But  he  received  me  as  if 
my  emotion  were  a  mere  pretence  or  an  absurd  excitement.  I  left 
him  and  walked  back  to  my  desk,  in  the  sad  feeling  that  I  was  with- 
out one  sympathizing  friend  on  earth.  All  were  sliocked  with  what 
they  called /flwa//c/sm,  and  all  seemed  to  repel  and  shun  me  as  being 
unreasonably  -a  fanatic.    Thus  was  my  way  perplexed.    The  guiltiness 


38  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

of  my  own  life  oppressed  me,  but  I  knew  no  comforter.  I  longed 
to  be  a  servant  of  God,  but  I  had  no  one  to  show  me  the  way  of  life. 

The  Lord  did  not  forsake  me.  Some  of  my  female  cousins  had 
given  an  account  of  my  strange  condition  to  an  old  lady  of  our 
acquaintance,  with  the  specific  statement  that  "  Stephen  Tyng  was 
out  of  his  mind."  She  asked  them  to  bring  me  to  her.  This  old 
lady  was  a  pensioned  nurse  of  a  wealthy  family  of  my  acquaintance, 
and  had  been  long  a  Methodist.  I  accepted  her  invitation,  and 
called  to  see  her.  This  old  lady  was  the  first  person  who  entered 
into  my  want.  Her  kind  and  humble  instructions  were  suited  to 
my  condition  and  wants.  In  her  I  found  the  first  really  sym- 
pathizing friend  in  Boston.  She  was  the  first  person  who  under- 
stood me,  believed  me,  and  talked  to  me  practically  of  a  Saviour 
and  His  salvation.  I  have  always  remembered  her  with  gratitude 
and  affection  as  one  of  the  Lord's  true  people,  and  as  illustrating 
how  useful  the  humblest  piety  may  be  when  it  is  real  and  expe- 
rienced. 

Immediately  after  my  conversion  my  thoughts  were  earnestly 
drawn  to  the  ministry  of  the  gospel.  My  few  weeks'  reading  dur- 
ing this  period  was  wholly  in  works  of  a  spiritually  religious 
character.  I  had  no  taste  for  any  other  books  or  any  other  employ- 
ment, and  my  mind  was  every  day  more  intensety  drawn  to  this 
one  great  purpose  as  the  work  of  my  life.  This  alone  seemed  a 
real  and  adequate  object  for  the  education  which  my  father  had  so 
generously  given  me.  The  one  thought  was  impressed  upon  my 
mind,  in  the  most  clear  and  positive  manner,  that  it  was  my  duty 
to  preach  the  Word  of  God.  It  was  impossible  for  me  to  resist 
the  impulse,  though  as  yet  I  saw  no  way  in  which  the  purpose 
could  be  accomplished. 

About  the  1st  of  August  my  conviction  on  this  subject  became 
so  settled  and  entire  that  I  could  hesitate  no  longer.  I  wrote  a 
letter  to  m.y  father,  with  whom  it  was  not  easy  for  me  to  talk  freely, 
giving  him  all  the  reasons  for  my  change  of  purpose,  the  simple 
recital  of  which,  I  hoped,  might  move  him  to  consent  to  my  wish. 
But  my  letter  disturbed  him  extremely.  He  could  not  enter  into 
my  convictions  of  duty.  He  considered  the  proposal  to  be  a  mere 
sudden  and  unreasoning  impulse.  And  in  a  few  days  he  answered 
me  verbally  that  he  could  not  consent  to  my  wish.  He  remon- 
strated with  me  against  any  change,  saying  that  my  business 
prospects  were  the  finest  of  any  young  man  in  Boston;  my  habits 
of  business  and  acquaintance  with  mercantile  life  were  now 
thoroughly  formed;  my  certainty  of  wealth  and  independence  was 


Commercial  Life,  39 

complete.  And  now  all  these,  after  all  his  efforts  for  me,  I  hastily 
wished  to  throw  away.  He  thought  I  had  no  talents  or  quahfica- 
tions  for  the  ministry,  and  said:  "  You  will  spoil  a  first-rate  merchant 
to  make  a  very  poor  parson." 

I  answered  him  with  an  acknowledgment  of  all  my  defects. 
But  I  said  that  I  was  convinced  I  was  called  to  preach  the  gospel, 
and  I  felt  compelled  to  relinquish  all  my  earthly  prospects  to  under- 
take the  preparation  for  this.  He  asked  me  where  I  would  go.  I 
answered  I  could  not  tell.  But  I  knew  that  I  was  called  to  preach  the 
gospel,  and  there  was  some  place  for  me,  between  Boston  and  the 
Kocky  Mountains,  and  I  would  go  until  I  found  it.  I  have  no  doubt 
that  my  father  thought  me  so  excited  as  to  be  really  insane.  I 
was  compelled  to  do  that  which  trained  me  for  much  in  my  succeed- 
ing life,  to  act  upon  my  own  conviction  and  responsibihty  alone. 
Thus  my  determination  became  absolute  and  fixed. 

My  purpose  was  in  some  way  to  support  myself  while  I  pursued 
my  necessary  studies.  And  as  my  first  step,  I  decided  quietly  to 
leave  the  store  and  to  commence  my  study  in  my  own  chamber  at 
home.  Like  all  educated  New  England  boys,  I  knew  that  I  could 
take  care  of  myself,  and  I  was  in  no  degree  anxious  about  the 
risk  of  the  effort.  The  earthly  aspect  was  no  subject  of  concern  to 
me.  I  had  never  wanted  I  believed  that  I  should  never  want. 
And  I  was  satisfied  and  at  rest. 

Thus  one  great  step  in  life  had  been  accomplished.  This 
period  of  my  commercial  engagement  I  have  always  regarded  as  of 
high  value  to  me.  It  gave  me  a  knowledge  of  men  and  of  the 
business  of  the  world,  of  commercial  relations  and  occupations, 
and  also  personal  habits  and  qualifications  which  have  been  of  great 
use  to  me  through  my  whole  life.  It  was  as  real  and  valuable  a 
part  of  my  preparation  for  the  ministry  as  any  portion  of  my  studies; 
and  as  my  gracious  Lord  has  been  pleased  to  lay  out  my  career  in  His 
service,  ihese  were  years  in  some  respects  really  more  important  and 
profitable  than  any  beside. 

I  have  now  been  for  more  than  fifty  years  a  city  rector  over  large 
churches.  The  cares,  the  calculations,  occupations,  and  various  en- 
gagements which  are  involved  in  the  experience  of  such  a  Ufe  no 
one  can  understand  who  has  not  been  personally  occupied  in  it.  In 
my  personal  ministry  a  multitude  of  questions  of  every  kind,  and 
involving  all  the  relations  of  human  life,  have  been  referred  to  me, 
calling  for  all  those  habits  of  precision  and  activity  which  my  edu- 
cation in  a  large  commercial  house  was  adapted  to  give  me.  This 
is  an  illustration  of  the  gracious  and  minute  providence  of  God. 


40  Rev.   Stephen  Higgiiison    Tyng,  D.D. 

'  The  autumn  of  1819  was  the  time  specified  in  which  I  was  to  go 
to  Calcutta  in  the  employ  of  the  firm.  All  my  past  expectations 
and  preparations  were  connected  with  this  anticipated  occupation. 
My  withdrawal  made  it  necessary  that  some  other  one  should  go. 
The  young  man  who  occupied  the  same  desk  with  me  was  appointed 
and  embarked  upon  the  voyage.  Strange  as  it  appears,  the  ship 
in  which  he  sailed  was  burned  at  sea,  off  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
and  he  was  heard  of  no  more. 

Thus  wonderfully  was  my  way  hedged  around  by  the  gracious 
providence  of  God,  and  I  was  spared  for  the  work  which  has  filled 
up  my  long  Hfe  in  the  ministry  of  the  gospel.  Thus  my  prepara- 
tion for  this  great  work  was  divinely  arranged  and  most  mercifully 
wrought  out  for  me  in  the  fulness  of  wisdom  and  love.  Thus  far 
has  the  Lord  led  me  on  in  His  own  way,  opening  my  path  as  the 
time  arrived  in  which  I  was  to  enter  it,  removing  all  obstacles  from 
it,  but  in  a  way  which  humbles  me  with  the  deepest  self-renuncia- 
tion, and  fills  me  with  entire  confidence  in  the  permanency  of  His 
plan  and  the  certainty  of  its  accomplishment  in  His  own  way  and 
at  His  own  time. 


CHAPTER   lY. 

THEOLOGICAL   STUDENT  LIFE,    1819  to  1821. 

I  FINALLY  left  the  counting-house  in  the  latter  part  of  August, 
1819.  This  act  of  necessity  led  to  an  explanation  in  which,  though 
my  father  was  not  angry,  he  was  really-  much  disheartened  and 
distressed.  The  whole  feeling  of  the  family  was  unhappy.  This 
state  of  association  continued  for  several  days,  when,  to  avoid  un- 
necessary contest,  I  asked  permission  to  visit  Newburyport.  This 
my  father  willingly  granted.  In  connection  with  this  a  little  inci- 
dent occurred  which  was  not  without  important  results  upon  my 
father's  mind. 

The  office  for  the  Newburj^port  stage  was  in  Ann  Street,  quite 
across  the  centre  of  the  town,  and  a  mile  from  our  house.  There  Avas  no 
one  within  reach  to  cari-y  my  trunk,  and  I  quietly  took  it  myself  on  a 
wheelbarrow,  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  and  whee'led  it  through  the 
crowded  streets,  and  brought  the  barrow  back.  I  probably  passed 
many  in  the  streets  who  knew  me,  but  I  felt  no  concern  for  that. 
I  was  entering  on  a  new  course  of  life ;  it  might  be  a  very  self-de- 
nying one;  I  had  laid  aside  the  fancies  which  might  contend  with  it. 
My  father  was  looking  at  me  from  the  window  of  his  study  when  I 
returned  with  the  barrow.  I  did  not  know  that  he  saw  me.  But  it 
was  an  incident  which  won  his  heart.  When  I  returned  to  the 
house  he  called  me  in,  and  asked  me  where  I  had  been,  and  for 
what.  I  frankly  told  him.  "  Stephen,  that  was  noble,"  was  his 
reply.  This  was  the  first  expression  of  satisfaction  or  kindness 
which  I  had  received  from  him  during  this  trying  j^eriod  of  my 
life;  and  it  was  the  close  of  all  the  censure  and  the  unkindness 
which  I  was  to  bear.  From  this  hour  my  path  was  easy,  success- 
ful and  pleasant.  In  Newburyport  I  passed  a  month  with,  great 
enjoyment.  I  felt  inexpressibly  relieved  by  my  father's  parting 
kindness,  and  I  was  welcomed  by  many  loved  and  loving  friends 
who  animated  mo  with  universal  approbation  and  oncouragrment. 

The  Rev.  James  ^lorss,  the  rector  of  the  church  in  Newbury- 

41 


42  Rev,   Stephen  Higgijison    Tyng,  D,D, 

port,  had  been  from  my  childhood  the  pastor  of  my  grandmother 
and  my  aunt.  He  was  my  first  welcoming  friend  in  the  ministry  of 
our  Church.  He  received  me  with  much  kindness  and  encourage- 
ment as  a  young  Christian  brother  whom  he  gladly  welcomed  to 
the  work  which  he  desired  for  him.  The  value  of  such  Christian 
sj-mpathy  none  can  know  but  they  who  have  gone  through  some 
similar  crisis.  This  was  the  Lord's  gracious  provision  for  me  in 
this  new  opening  of  my  experience. 

On  the  first  Sunday  in  September  I  presented  myself  for  the 
first  time  at  the  Lord's  table,  in  the  church  in  which  I  had  been 
baptized  and  among  the  people  who  had  known  me  from  my  earli- 
est youth.  I  had  comparatively  little  religious  knowledge.  Con- 
scious sinfulness  and  ^accepted  salvation  were  the  two  simple 
thoughts  within  me.  I  was  entirely  at  rest.  I  was  perfectly 
happy.  I  was  unspeakably  grateful.  And  my  loved  and  precious 
Saviour  was  the  object  of  the  whole. 

In  this  visit  to  Newburyport  I  became  quite  intimate  with  a 
young  man  from  Amesbury,  who  was  entering  upon  a  similar 
course  with  myself.  This  was  Benjamin  Dorr,  afterwards  for  many 
years  the  rector  of  Christ  Church,  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  His 
friendship  and  conversation  were  very  agreeable  to  me,  and  our 
mutual  esteem  lasted  with  his  life. 

In  the  leisure  of  this  visit  I  took  occasion  to  j^lan,  if  it  were 
possible,  some  scheme  for  my  future  occupation  and  support.  Two 
attractive  offers  were  made  to  me,  through  personal  friends,  of  em- 
ployment as  a  private  tutor,  and  I  kept  them  under  consideration 
until  my  return  to  Boston. 

In  the  last  week  of  October  I  returned  to  Boston,  by  water. 
We  had  a  long  trip,  and  I  arrived  in  Boston  at  nine  o'clock  on 
Sunday  evening.  No  laborers  were  about  the  wharf,  and  I  shoul- 
dered my  trunk  and  carried  it  from  the  wharf  to  my  father's  house, 
about  the  same  distance  as  I  had  wheeled  it  before,  fatigued,  but 
determined,  and  not  ashamed.  And  thus  I  was  established  again  in 
quietness  to  wait  for  some  further  opening  of  my  way.  How  little 
I  could  have  imagined  what  the  gracious  Lord  had  prepared  for  me ! 

My  father  received  me  with  the  most  generous  kindness.  He 
had  provided  a  desk  for  me  in  his  own  study  and  prepared  for  me 
all  the  books  adapted  to  my  purpose  in  my  preparation  for  my 
work.  There,  with  a  most  grateful  heart,  I  sat  down  to  my  daily 
study.  I  had  been  regularly  admitted  as  a  "  candidate  for  orders," 
and  was  most  industriously  occupied  in  my  studies,  encompassed 
with  every  comfort  and  mercy. 


Theological  Student  Life,  43 

My  father  and  I  were  thus  one  morning  seated  quietly  at  our 
separate  work,  when  he  said,  "  Stephen,  how  would  you  like  to  go 
and  spend  a  year  with  the  Bishop  at  Bristol  ?  "  I  answered,  "  It 
would  be  to  me  like  opening  a  door  into  heaven."  He  then  said, 
"  I  have  written  to  the  Bishop  about  you,  and  he  agrees  to  receive 
you  as  a  student,  and  you  may  get  ready  to  go  at  once."  My  out- 
ward difficulties  seemed  to  have  vanished  completely.  And  now  a 
new  and  most  effectual  door  was  opened  before  me.  I  was  to  go  to 
Bristol,  where  every  thing  in  example,  in  study,  and  in  personal 
attractions,  was  to  become  realized  and  enjoyed  in  actual  fact  and 
experience.  God  had  graciously  heard  the  very  prayers  of  my  silent 
heart,  and  had  wonderfully  and  completely  answered  them  all. 

The  importance  of  this  new  arrangement  for  me  could  not  be 
magnified.  The  influence  attendant  upon  it  governed  my  whole 
subsequent  life.  It  opened  the  fountain  from  which  every  succeed- 
ing blessing  of  my  life  has  flowed.  I  have  been  all  that  I  have 
been,  simply  and  wholly,  from  and  because  of  this  new  dwelling 
which  was  now  laid  open  for  me  with  Bishop  Griswold  in  Bristol. 
My  arrangements  for  this  change  were  soon  made,  and  on  the  9th 
of  November  I  went  in  the  stage  to  Bristol,  more  than  fifty  miles.  I 
was  welcomed  and  made  at  home  in  the  family  of  the  Bishop,  not 
only  in  my  relation  as  a  student,  but  on  account  of  my  father  and 
his  family.  In  a  few  days  I  was  comfortably  established  in  my  ap- 
pointed boarding-house,  and  thoroughly  engaged  in  my  appointed 
course  of  study.  My  room-mate,  about  my  own  age,  is  still  living 
in  the  ministry  as  the  Rev.  Samuel  Brenton  Shaw,  D.D.,  now  at  Bar- 
rington,  R.  I.  He  was  a  very  agreeable  companion,  and  we  pursued 
our  studies  together  with  much  harmony  and  mutual  aid. 

Bristol  was  filled  with  intelligent  and  attractive  society,  among 
which  I  found  the  most  agreeable  acquaintance.  The  elements  of 
my  advantage  there  were  numerous  and  pecuhar.  The  one  great 
fact  was  the  Bishop  himself.  The  religious  opportunities  and  ser- 
vices which  were  supplied  to  the  church  were  much  dependent  on 
the  Bishop's  personal  residence.  He  was  often  absent  for  several 
weeks  together,  in  his  diocesan  visitations,  and  he  had  no  perma- 
nent assistant.  His  fidelity  in  the  parochial  ministry,  when  he  was 
at  home,  was  "  in  season  and  out  of  season."  He  generally  main- 
tained three  services  on  the  Sabbath^  and  conducted  several  relig- 
ious meetings  in  the  intervening  week.  His  preaching  was  quiet 
in  manner,  but  it  was  earnest  and  peculiarly  instructive  and  simple. 
To  me  his  whole  style  of  ministry  was  perfectly  new,  and  in  the 
highest  degree  attractive  and  exemplary.     No  one  whom  I  have 


44  ■^^^-   Stephen  Higginson    Tyngy  D.D. 

ever  seen  lias  walked  more  trulj  and  faithfully  in  the  steps  of  his 
Heavenly  Example  w^ho  "i^ieased  not  Himself."  No  ministry  of 
equal  usefulness,  or  of  greater  power  and  wisdom,  has  ever  passed 
before  my  observation. 

I  had  been  settled  in  my  new  home  but  a  single  week  when  the 
Bishop  invited  me  to  accompany  him  to  an  evening  meeting  in  the 
country.  At  the  hour  appointed  he  called  for  me,  and  we  walked 
together  a  mile  out  of  the  town  to  a  farm-house.  Here  a  congre- 
gation of  neighbors  was  collected  which  entirely  filled  the  rooms 
and  entry  on  the  first  floor.  The  Bishop  sat  down  at  a  table,  on 
which  were  laid  the  Bible  and  Prayer-book,  and  the  dim  light  of  a 
single  candle  had  been  prepared.  After  singing  and  i)rayer  he 
read  a  portion  of  Holy  Scripture,  and  expounded  and  applied  it  in 
a  very  simple  and  delightful  way.  The  whole  scene  was  entirely 
new  to  me.  I  had  been  familiar  with  the  meetings  at  Andover. 
But  I  had  never  attended  a  familiar  meeting  like  this  in  connection 
with  the  EjDiscojDal  Church.  Such  simple,  appropriate  teaching  I 
had  never  heard  from  any  minister  of  this  Church.  When  I  thus 
look  back  and  recall  the  incidents  and  associations  of  that  evening, 
they  appear  to  me  in  an  aspect  so  solemn  and  so  impressive  as  to 
be  little  less  than  sublime.  This  gracious  walk  of  that  tall  and 
venerable  man,  v/ith  a  mere  stripling  at  his  side,  and  the  meekness 
and  dignity  of  his  whole  aspect  and  ministration,  so  apostolic  in  its 
appearance  and  so  exalted  in  its  influence,  gave  me  such  a  view  of 
the  Christian  ministry  as  was  adapted  to  be  a  perfect  23attern  for 
my  life. 

When  I  have  surveyed  the  wonderful  combination  of  learning 
and  piety,  of  dignity  and  simplicity,  of  gentleness  and  seriousness, 
in  this  remarkable  man,  as  he  appeared  before  me  day  by  day,  my 
heart  has  sincerely  blessed  God  for  all  the  gracious  influences  under 
which  he  placed  me,  in  that  temporary  abode  for  study  for  my 
appointed  work,  of  which  this  first  meeting  might  be  considered  the 
type  and  the  introduction. 

It  was  not  long  after  this  meeting  that  the  Bishop  called  for  me 
at  my  room,  in  an  afternoon,  to  accom^^any  him  in  some  visits  which 
he  intended  to  make  among  his  poor  families.  We  walked  through 
some  of  the  back  streets  of  the  town,  and  called  at  the  habitations 
of  several  of  these  families.  In  one  house  dwelt  an  aged  couple  of 
the  highest  personal  respectability,  though  they  were  very  poor. 
They  were  venerable  in  aspect,  as  in  religious  character.  The 
Bishop's  gentle  conversation  with  the  aged  matron  affected  me  much, 
and  when  he  knelt  upon  their  humble  floor  and  prayed,  in  a  manner 


Theological  Stude7it  Life.  45 

so    tender  and    so  simple  and  so  truly  Christian,  it  was  a  lesson  to 
me  never  to  be  forgotten. 

In  a  few  weeks  after  my  establishment  in  Bristol,  the  Bishop  was 
called  away  upon  one  of  his  visitations,  and  the  care  of  the  church 
in  all  its  services  was  left  to  the  students,  of  whom  there  were  at 
this  time  four  residing  at  Bristol.  In  the  service  of  Sunday  we 
were  readers  only.  But  in  the  more  social  assemblies  of  the  week 
we  were  under  no  obligation  to  read,  and  our  ministry  became  in 
all  respects  our  own. 

Here  was  my  first  attempt  in  conducting  public  meetings,  and 
my  first  efforts  in  extemporaneous  speaking.  To  a  youth  like  me, 
with  all  the  disadvantages  of  my  education  and  habit,  the  trial  was 
great.  My  first  efforts  were  very  discouraging.  All  of  practical 
religious  truth  and  teaching  was  new  to  me.  All  of  public  commun- 
ication of  thought,  wholly  untried.  I  cannot  forget  the  over- 
whelming terror  of  my  first  attempt.  But  I  soon  succeeded  so  well 
and  learned  to  sjDeak  with  so  much  facility,  that  my  fellow-students 
left  the  work  almost  wholly  to  me.  Thus  I  became  installed  as  the 
regular  sup2)ly  in  the  absence  of  the  Bishop.  "  Little  King  David," 
1  was  familiarly  called,  "a  youth  with  a  ruddy  countenance." 

Thus  commenced  my  life's  career  of  public  preaching,  in  three 
months  after  my  conversion,  at  nineteen  years  of  age;  and  I  prob- 
ably preached  as  often  in  the  two  succeeding  3'ears  as  I  have  done 
in  any  subsequent  period  of  two  years  in  my  whole  ministry.  When 
the  Bishop  returned  from  the  visitation,  of  which  I  have  just 
spoken,  instead  of  assuming  again  the  regular  conducting  of  these 
weekly  meetings,  he  left  them  to  the  students,  and  the  others  quietly 
turned  them  over  to  me,  and  they  thus  became  part  of  my  regu- 
lar work.  When  the  Bishop  j^ersonally  attended,  he  restricted 
himself  to  a  closing  address  to  the  people  assembled. 

Thus  the  remainder  of  the  year  1819  passed  away,  my  private 
studies  and  my  public  efibrts  keeping  me  fully  occupied.  It  was  in 
these  daily  visitations  to  the  poor,  that  the  interesting  case  of 
Daniel  "VValdron  occurred  to  me,  the  substance  of  which,  in  many 
of  the  incidents  involved,  I  have  given  in  "  The  Spencers,"  only 
substituting  "  Mary  "  for  myself  in  the  forming  of  the  story.  That 
sailor  boy  was,  so  far  as  I  know,  the  first-fruits  of  my  ministry  in 
the  salvation  of  souls.  He  has  always  been  a  very  precious  object 
of  memory  to  me. 

In  the  opening  of  the  year  1820  a  new  and  very  wonderful  scene 
and  experience  was  presented  to  me  in  this  work  of  my  youthful 
ministrv.     Bristol  was  visited    with  a    verv   remarkable   revival    of 


46  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

religion,  t'le  manifest  work  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  It  was  the  first  of 
such  gracious  disphiys  of  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  the  Church 
of  God  which  I  had  seen.  Of  such  a  divine  interposition  in  its-, 
influence  and  results  I  could  have  formed  no  conception.  There 
had  been  but  little  in  the  previous  autumn  to  indicate  it.  Our 
weekly  meetings  had  not  been  largely  attended,  partly  perhaps  ow- 
ing to  the  weather,  but  more  to  the  spirit  of  worldliness  which  had 
been  sj^reading  abroad. 

On  the  last  precedent  Friday  eyening,  the  regular  week  night, 
not  twenty  persons  were  present  in  the  school-room  in  which  the 
meetings  were  held.  The  aspect  was  very  discouraging.  On  the 
succeeding  Sunday  evening  the  Bishop,  after  preaching  twice  in  the 
day,  was  taken  ill  in  the  evening  service,  and  was  unable  to  complete 
his  sermon.  The  effect  of  this  sudden  interruption  of  the  service 
was  very  solemn  and  impressive.  He  was  assisted  slowly  to  his 
house  by  some  friends.  The  residue  of  the  congregation  were 
gathered  in  small  companies  for  mutual  expression  around  the 
church. 

As  I  came  out  of  the  church,  I  stopjDed  where  one  such  company 
was  assembled  around  a  young  woman  as  if  she  were  sick.  On 
approaching  the  j)lace,  I  was  called  to  her  as  one  in  deep  spiritual 
distress.     This  proved  to  be  the  first  drop  of  a  gracious  shower. 

The  next  morning  to  this  Sabbath,  was  probably  occupied  in 
every  family  with  thought  and  conversation  about  the  events  which 
had  occurred  on  this  evening.  The  day  revealed  an  extensive,  almost 
an  universal  influence  and  interest  awakened  among  the  people. 
The  general  conversation  became  directed  to  the  one  subject  of 
religious  truth  and  teaching.  As  we  mingled  in  our  common 
acquaintance,  this  change  of  general  feehng  among  the  people  was 
displayed  in  a  very  remarkable  manner.  Succeeding  days  indicated 
the  same  feeling  still  increasing  and  extending.  This  widespread 
earnestness  among  the  church  people  demanded  an  assembling  for 
the  special  consideration  of  the  subject,  and  made  them  unwilling 
to  wait  until  the  regular  weekly  meeting  on  Friday  evening.  We 
therefore  appointed  one  for  Thursday  evening,  in  a  private  house 
opposite  the  church. 

It  was  with  unbounded  surprise  that  I  went  into  this  house  at 
the  hour  appointed.  It  was  crowded  in  every  room,  staircase,  and 
entry,  as  if  some  unusually  crowded  funeral  were  there.  But  for 
ministering  to  this  people,  hungry  for  the  bread  of  life,  I  was  there 
alone.  They  had  placed  a  table  with  a  Bible  and  Prayer-book  on 
the  first  landing  of  the  stairs.     And   there  I  stood,    to   speak   for 


Theological  Student  Life.  47 

Jesus^my  Lord,  in  the  oj)ening  of  this  wonderful  season.  The 
people  were  crowded  above  me  and  below  me,  as  far  as  my  eye  could 
reach,  in  the  most  eager  attention  to  the  word.  My  utter  incompe- 
tency for  such  a  work  I  deeply  felt.  But  I  had  no  earthly  aid.  It 
was  the  most  solemn  assembly  I  had  ever  seen,  and  its  impression 
upon  my  mind  and  memory,  was  overwhelming    and  abiding. 

But  this  was  the  commencement  of  months  of  work  of  a  similar 
description  ;  and  from  this  day  we  had  a  similar  meeting  appointed 
for  every  evening.  We  added  afterwards  other  meetings  for  every 
afternoon  and  morning.  These  were  held  in  various  rooms  and 
houses  throughout  the  town.  My  whole  time  for  about  three 
months  was  given  up  to  this  one  work.  Three  times  every  day  I  was 
engaged  in  addressing  different  assemblies,  in  various  parts  of  the 
town  and  of  the  surrounding  countiy,  and  in  conversing  with  awak- 
ened and  anxious  persons  connected  with  these  various  meetings. 
My  fellow-students  had  become  otherwise  employed ;  some  of  them 
had  left  Bristol,  and  for  the  chief  portion  of  the  work  I  was  alone, 
so  far  as  any  stated  ministry  was  concerned. 

This  was  a  season  of  great  labor  and  responsibility  for   a  youth 
like  me.     But  it  was  also  a  season  of  the  most  valuable  instruction. 
I  was  growing  and  improving  for  my  future  work,  under  the  influ- 
ence of   this  experience,  far  more  rapidly  and  really  than  I  could 
have  done  under  any    system    of  private    intellectual   study.     The 
knowledge  which  I  gained  of  the  Lord's  work,  andof  the  experience 
of    awakened  and  converted  souls,  under  tlie  divine  teaching,  was 
to  me  inestimable.     God  was   pleased  to  bless  me  through  it  all, 
with  a  mind  constantly  delighting  in  the  employment,  and  A\'ith  a 
growth  of  grace  in  my  own  heart  continually  encouraging.      He 
also  gave  me  adequate  bodily  strength  for  all  the  work  I  had  to  do 
and  a  remarkable  success  in  a  work,  so  entirely  new,  so  far  above 
all  knowledge  and  powers  of  mine,  and  so  foreign  from  any  advan- 
tage from  my  previous  education.     Such  a  scene  in  human  society 
as  Bristol  then  displayed  I  have  never  imagined.     The   whole   time 
was  given  up  to  this  one  work.     The  business  of  the  world  was  for 
a  time  suspended.      The  stores  were  in  many  instances  closed,  as  if 
the  wliole  week  were  a  Sabbath.      The  general  thought  of  the  people 
seemed  to  be  devoted  to  the  one  great  purpose  of  the  soul's  salva- 
tion.    The  reality  and  depth  of  tlie  impression,  were  jirovod  by  the 
large  number  of  persons  who  became    truly   the    followers  of  the 
Lord  Jesus. 

During  the  most   of  this  period  the    Bishop  was  confined  to  his 
house  by  sickness.     Many   weeks  of  this  remarkable  rcNnval    had 


48  Rev,   Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

passed  before  lie  was  well  enough  to  receive  our  visits  or  to  counsel 
us  in  his  own  house.  And  we  were  made  happy  indeed,  when  ho 
was  so  far  restored  to  health  that  we  might  consult  him  in  regard 
to  the  important  interests  which  were  left  upon  our  hands. 

It  was  an  occasion  of  intense  delight,  when  I  was  permitted  to 
bring  an  assembly  of  the  subjects  of  this  wonderful  work  of  grace 
to  the  Bishop's  house.  It  was  an  afternoon  in  the  early  spring. 
He  received  us  in  his  dining-room,  sitting  in  his  easy-chair,  robed  in 
his  dressing-gown.  Near  fifty  23ersons  thus  converted  were  gathered 
there  around  him,  to  hear  the  gracious  words  of  counsel  and  en- 
couragement  which  he  was  enabled  to  give  to  them. 

As  soon  as  the  Bishop  was  able  to  be  abroad,  a  confirmation 
was  appointed  in  the  church.  A  very  large  number  of  the  convert- 
ed subjects  of  this  revival  were  received  to  the  public  communion 
of  the  church.  Thus  this  whole  amazing  and  interesting  season 
jDassed  by.  My  memory  is  filled  with  the  incidents  and  persons 
connected  with  it.  Many  of  these  would  be  jDrecious  in  their  worth 
as  a  recital.     But  they  do  not  belong  to  my  personal  narrative. 

At  this  period,  my  father  desired  me  to  return  to  Boston  and 
pursue  my  studies  with  the  Bev.  Dr.  Jarvis,  who  had  lately  removed 
from  New  York  to  Boston,  as  the  rector  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  then 
just  completed.  Such  a  change  was  in  all  respects  undesirable  to 
me.  But  I  could  not  refuse  to  meet  my  father's  wish,  when  he  had 
so  generously  and  kindly  supported  me  in  Bristol,  and  in  the  month 
of  May  I  returned  to  my  home  in  Boston. 

The  Bishop  gave  me  a  commission  to  assume  the  charge  of  the 
small  ancient  church  in  Quincy,  Mass.,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Bos- 
ton, at  which  place  I  have  already  described  my  early  dwelling  as 
a  boy.  The  Rev.  Edward  R.  Lippitt,  of  Providence,  had  been  there 
during  the  previous  year,  and  was  about  removing.  I  accordingly 
removed  my  home  to  the  house  of  my  eldest  sister,  who  was  then 
living  in  Quincy,  and  undertook  this  prescribed  duty. 

There  were  very  few  families  or  persons  who  were  then  attend- 
ing this  church.  But  some  of  these  were  very  zealous  and  earnest, 
and  made  the  place  and  labor  very  agreeable  to  me.  I  was  merely 
a  lay-reader  on  the  Sabbath,  and  I  desired  to  accomplish  more  than 
this  formal  service.  There  had  never  been  a  public  Sunday-school 
in  the  town  of  Quincy,  and  I  determined  to  accomplish  this  ad- 
vance. Two  ladies  and  two  young  men  united  with  me  in  this 
work.  Thus  I  established  the  first  Sunday-school  in  this  ancient 
town.  "We  were  very  successful  in  this  attempt,  and  gathered 
more  than  fifty  children  at  the  first  opening.     This  school  became 


Theological  Studeiit  Life,  49 

the  foundation  of  the  permanent  restoration  of  this  old  church, 
which  at  this  time  is  a  large  and  flourishing  congregation.  I  was 
permitted  to  preach  at  the  consecration  of  a  new  and  very  beautiful 
edifice  for  this  transmitted  church  in  1875,  and  it  now  stands  in  a 
position  of  relative  importance  among  other  churches  around  it. 
The  summer  of  1820  passed  very  pleasantly  in  my  appointed 
work,  but  not  satisfactorily  in  my  studies.  I  was  therefore  glad  to 
receive  an  invitation  to  return  to  Bristol  on  a  salary,  to  succeed  ia 
a  vacancy,  as  an  instructor  in  the  academy.  This  position  made  me 
independent  in  my  means,  and  gave  me  ability  to  finish  my  studies 
in  Bristol.  I  thankfully  accepted  the  proposal,  and  returned  to 
Bristol  in  July.  Thus,  with  great  delight,  I  was  once  more  inde- 
pendently settled  in  my  old  quarters.  The  influences  of  the  revival 
of  the  previous  winter  were  very  manifest.  And  the  religious  at- 
mosphere which  I  now  met  and  enjoyed  in  Bristol  was  most  remark- 
able and  refreshing. 

My  personal  labors  became  now  very  heavy.  The  duty  of  six 
hours'  teaching  every  day,  and  the  necessity  of  adequate  study  be- 
side, occupied  me  completely'.  I  toiled  on  with  industry  and  self- 
deniaL  My  nights  were  largely  passed  in  study.  It  was  sometimes 
four  in  the  morning  before  I  could  go  to  my  rest.  Yet  my  health 
did  not  sufi'er.  There  was  scarcely  an  evening  in  the  week  without 
some  oj^portunity  of  preaching  the  word  of  God  ;  and  I  might 
almost  say  1  was  at  work  the  whole  of  every  day  and  night.  But  I 
was  perfectly  hapj^y  in  my  work,  and  in  all  the  attendants  and  en- 
couragements which  came  with  it. 

Thus  passed  before  me  the  winter  of  1820-21.  The  month  of 
March,  1821,  arrived.  I  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  ;  I  had  com- 
pleted my  course  of  study  as  prescribed  by  our  canons,  and  I  was 
readv  for  mv  examination  for  deacon's  orders.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Jar- 
vis  came  from  Boston  to  preach  at  my  ordination.  The  Bishop  had 
superintended  all  my  studies,  yet  he  examined  me,  with  Dr.  Jarvis 
to  assist  him,  for  more  than  eight  hours,  in  the  most  thorough  man- 
ner. And  in  the  morning  of  the  4th  of  March,  1821, 1  was  ordained 
a  deacon,  in  St.  Michael's  Church,  Bristol.  My  ministry  had  been 
attained. 

Thus  the  first  groat  chapter  of  my  rehgious  history  had  passed. 
I  was  now  to  enter  upon  new  relations  and  new  prosj^ects.  To  say 
bow  deeply  I  was  impressed  and  affected  by  tlio  occurrences  of  that 
period,  would  now  be  vain.  My  earliest  sermons  were  as  dis- 
tinct and  settled  in  principle  as  my  later  ones.  My  mind  was  thor- 
oughly awake,  and  thoroughly  established  in  i\iQ  great  scheme  of 


5o  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

grace  which  I  had  received,  and  which  since  that  time,  through  my 
Saviour's  power,  I  have  never  failed  to  preach.  From  the  mere 
business  of  the  world  I  had  been  led  most  remarkably  to  the  minis- 
try of  the  gospel,  which  I  had  thus  received  and  embraced.  I 
seemed  to  have  lived  a  long  hfe  in  these  two  years. 

On  Monday  morning,  the  5th  of  March,  I  arose  to  look  upon  the 
world  before  me  with  new  views.  Whither  should  or  would  my 
course  be  turned?  I  had  still  to  say,  "The  world  was  all  before 
me,  and  Providence  my  guide."  My  little  bark,  loosed  from  its 
previous  moorings,  floated  upon  the  waters,  waiting,  hox^ing,  look- 
ing out,  for  the  revelation  of  that  something  before  me,  which  the 
Lord  had  appointed  for  me,  and  to  which  He  would  graciously  di- 
rect me  in  His  own  time.  But  who  could  tell  me  the  way  in  which 
I  was  to  be  led.  On  the  succeeding  Wednesday,  which  was  Ash- 
Wednesday,  I  preached,  in  the  Bishop's  pulpit,  my  first  sermon  in 
deacon's  orders.  The  next  morning  I  went  to  Boston,  and  thence 
to  Newburyport,  where  I  passed  my  first  Sunday,  preaching  for  my 
friends  there  in  the  church  in  which  I  was  baptized. 

More  than  forty  years  afterward,  I  met  in  New  York  with  an  old 
lady  who  gave  me  an  account  of  that  Sunday  and  the  pleasure 
which  she  had  received  from  it.  She  had  then  just  been  married 
in  Hartford,  and  was  on  her  wedding  tour.  They  passed  that  Sun- 
day in  Newburyport.  This  lady  had  never  forgotten  the  preach- 
ing of  that  day,  though  she  had  not  imagined  that  she  should  ever 
see  me  again,  and  still  less,  as  the  result  proved,  as  her  own  rector, 
with  her  grandchildren  under  my  pastoral  care. 

After  a  visit  of  a  few  days  to  my  father  in  Boston,  I  returned  to 
Bristol.  There  seemed  no  opening  for  me  in  the  diocese  of  Bishop 
Griswold,  and  I  was  not  of  a  nature  to  sit  down  in  idleness  and 
wait  for  something  to  "  turn  up."  Precious  as  were  the  personal 
associations  which  I  had  been  permitted  to  establish  there,  I  could 
not  afford  to  waste  my  time  for  duty  in  the  most  dehghtful  idleness. 
Accordingly,  gathering  up  all  my  little  stock,  I  left  Bristol  on  Mon- 
day morning  in  a  regular  packet  sloop  for  New  York.  Thirty-six 
hours  brought  us  to  the  harbor  of  this  great  city. 

I  arrived  at  New  York  in  a  snow-storm.  I  was  amazed  by  the 
crowded  shipping  which  filled  the  harbor  and  the  docks  as  we 
sailed  round  the  East  Kiver.  Familiar  as  I  was  with  the  commerce 
of  Boston,  I  had  never  imagined  an  exhibition  of  shipping  in  such 
numbers  and  such  variety.  It  looked  like  a  forest  of  masts,  as  if 
the  shipping  of  the  world  might  be  assembled  there.  The  inroads 
and  revolution  of  steam  had  not  then  commenced.     I  landed  among 


Theological  Student  Life,  5i 

the  coasting  sloops  near  the  lower  part  of  South  Street.  I  was  a 
stranger  in  a  strange  place.  Neither  London  nor  any  city  of  Europe 
which  I  have  since  seen  has  appeared  to  me  so  new,  so  strange,  or 
so  wonderful  as  did  New  York  on  that  day. 

I  took  my  lodging  in  a  house  in  Whitehall  Street,  then  in  the 
midst  of  the  fashionable  residences  of  the  city,  all  of  which  were 
gathered  around  the  lower  part  of  Broadway.  The  only  person 
whom  I  knew  in  this  city  was  the  liev.  Dr.  Wainwright,  then  living 
in  Rector  Street,  in  the  rear  of  Grace  Church,  of  which  he  was  rec- 
tor. After  establishing  myself  in  my  new  lodging,  I  went  up  at 
once  to  call  upon  him.  ]  was  received  by  him  with  the  utmost 
affection.  He  had  been  very  intimate  as  a  visitor  in  my  father's 
family,  and  he  cordially  invited  me  to  transfer  my  home  to  his 
house;  my  first  night  in  New  York  was  thus  passed  in  his  family. 
He  had  also  been  my  tutor  in  college,  and  unto  the  day  of  his 
lamented  death,  as  the  Bishop  of  New  York,  he  remained  always  to 
me  an  unchanging  friend. 

In  this  visit  I  passed  three  weeks  in  New  York.  I  formed  many 
acquaintances  among  the  clergy  of  the  city,  all  of  whom  have  gone 
to  their  heavenly  home  before  me.  From  Bishop  Hobart,  who  was 
an  acquaintance  of  my  father,  I  also  received  much  attention  and 
kindness.  The  Bishop  very  frankly  said  he  had  nothing  to  offer  me 
in  the  ministry,  and  advised  me  to  go  farther  to  the  south.  I  soon 
found  that  the  Lord  had  not  called  me  to  a  settlement  here.  The 
Rev.  Dr.  Milnor  welcomed  me  as  coming  from  Bishop  Griswold, 
and  offered  me  every  encouragement  in  his  power.  It  was  a  very 
delightful  part  of  my  visit  to  be  with  him  and  to  attend  the  various 
meetings  for  religious  worship  and  instruction  in  St.  George's 
Church,  in  which  also  I  preached  several  times. 

When  I  came  to  New  York  as  my  permanent  home,  twenty-four 
years  after  this,  I  found  many  persons  who  remembered  me  at  this 
visit,  and  recalled  to  me  the  passages  of  Scripture  from  which  I 
had  preached  at  this  time.  How  little  could  I  have  imagined  that 
1  should  be  the  a])pointed  successor  of  Dr.  INIilnor,  in  this  great 
and  responsible  field  of  labor,  and  thus  selected  to  carry  on 
the  work  which  he  had  so  successfully  inaugurated  and  maintained. 

Dr.  jNIilnor  had  received  from  a  friend  in  Virginia,  an  invitation 
for  some  young  clergyman  of  his  views  and  acquaintance,  to  take 
charge  of  two  contiguous  parishes  in  that  state.  Ho  presented  the 
opening  to  me,  and  I  at  once  determined  to  embrace  it.  Witli 
letters  from  Dr.  ^lilnor,  addressed  to  different  clergymen  on  ray 
route,  I  left  New  York  for  Virginia  in  the  last  week  of  March- 


52  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng^  D.D. 

Journejings  in  our  country  were  then  long  and  slow.  A  very  long 
day's  work  carried  me  to  Philadelphia.  And  on  this  day,  for  the 
first  time  in  my  life,  I  was  on  board  a  steamboat.  This  was  the 
boat  from  New  York  to  New  Brunswick,  with  Captain  Vanderbilt, 
since  so  famous,  as  her  commander.  A  stage  took  me  to  Trenton, 
and  another  steamboat  on  the  Delaware  to  Philadelphia.  There  I 
now  passed  a  few  days  of  rest  and  observation.  I  was  anxious  to 
finish  my  journey  and  find  my  abiding  home,  and  I  therefore 
pressed  on  to  Baltimore.  There  I  made  no  delay,  but  went  on  to 
Georgetown,  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  where  I  had  an  appoint- 
ment to  meet  the  gentleman,  to  whom  I  was  consigned  in  Virginia, 
and  from  whom  my  further  instructions  were  to  be  received.  In 
Georgetown  I  made  my  final  stop.  This  was  the  end  of  public 
travelling,  and  from  this  point  I  was  to  go  forward  in  a  private 
conveyance  to  my  Virginia  home. 


The  incident  of  Daniel  Waldron  was  related  as  follows  by  Dr. 
Tyng  in  one  of  his  lectures: 

"  I  was  called,"  he  said,  "  to  visit  a  poor  sailor  boy  who  was  ill  in 
a  consumption.  He  had  been  a  wild,  wandering  youth  from  his 
childhood.  When  I  first  saw  him,  he  seemed  to  me  as  spiritually 
ignorant  as  the  Greenlanders  among  whom,  in  his  whaling  voyages, 
he  had  been.  I  questioned  in  my  own  mind  whether  he  was  com- 
petent to  be  taught  the  precious  truths  of  the  gospel.  How  won- 
derful was  the  lesson  which  God  had  graciously  prepared  for  me 
at  that  bedside  of  poverty  and  distress.  I  daily  read  to  him,  the 
precious  word  of  God.  I  told  him  of  the  love  of  Jesus  for  the  lost 
and  the  wretched.  I  prayed  by  his  bedside  every  day.  My  whole 
heart  went  out  to  him  in  loving  sympathy  and  earnestness.  Divine 
light  from  the  Saviour's  countenance  soon  burst  upon  him  and  upon 
me  with  heavenly  brightness.  This  poor  outcast  boy  was  filled  with 
the  Holy  Ghost,  '  with  all  joy  and  peace  in  beheving.'  The  gracious 
Spirit  in  teaching  him,  was  every  day  teaching  me  yet  more  and 
more  abundantly. 

"  The  poor  youth  partially  recovered,  and  in  the  opening  Spring 
was  able  to  be  out.  Some  months  after,  I  was  conducting  one  of 
the  meetings  of  the  church.  In  the  dim  light,  in  the  extreme  part 
of  the  hall,  a  man  arose  and  asked  permission  to  give  an  account 
of  the  Lord's  deahng  with  him.  He  told  his  story  with  a  deep  hol- 
low voice,  but  in  language  of  singular  simplicity  and  beauty.    Every 


Theological  Student  Life,  5$ 

heart  was  moved;  every  eye  wept  in  grateful  sympathy.  It  was  my 
poor  sailor  boy  whom  I  had  thought  too  ignorant  to  be  taught. 
But  h3  had  become  under  the  blessing  of  God  my  teacher.  Soon 
after  this,  he  departed  with  the  clearest  hope  in  Jesus,  and  with  an 
intense,  absorbing  love  for  his  divine  Redeemer. 

"  The  history  and  experience  of  that  sailor  boy,  have  been  to  me  a 
perennial  comfort  and  joy  in  my  constant  remembrance  of  him.  I 
have  never  since  doubted  the  power  or  the  fulness  of  that  exacted 
Saviour  to  raise  the  most  sunken,  or  to  transform  to  an  angel  of 
light,  the  most  darkened  and  ignorant  of  the  lost  children  of  sorrow 
and  sin.  The  torch  of  divinely  imparted  hope  and  confidence,  which 
was  hghted  at  that  poor  boy's  bed,  has  never  fallen  from  my  hand, 
in  a  ministry  since  so  largely  demanded  and  tried." 

The  letters  written  by  Mr.  Tyng  to  his  father,  during  these  two 
years  in  Bristol,  exhibited  his  constant  desire  to  be  governed  in 
every  action  by  his  father's  wish,  while  they  evince  the  earnest  and 
determined  spirit  which  actuated  him. 

His  father's  great  desire  was,  that  he  should  have  every  oppor- 
tunity of  education  and  that  no  anxiety  as  to  his  support  should  inter- 
fere with  his  studies.  It  was  with  this  object  that  he  desired  him  to 
return  to  Boston,  to  be  under  the  instruction  of  Dr.  Jar  vis,  and  again, 
later,  to  remain  another  year  in  Bristol  previous  to  his  ordination. 

All  the  comforts  and  advantages  thus  offered,  were  however 
freely  abandoned  in  the  desire  to  be  at  work,  and  the  additional 
labor  which  this  choice  involved  was  cheerfully  undertaken. 

The  fact,  that  he  had  become  engaged  to  marry  a  daughter  of 
Bishop  Griswold,  was  of  much  influence,  too,  in  this  decision. 

Writing  to  his  father,  after  his  return  to  Bristol,  in  August,  1820, 

he  says: 

"  I  have  delayed  writing  to  you  till  this  time,  my  dear  father, 
because  I  wished  to  tell  you  more  particularly  of  my  situation.  I 
have  now  been  here  for  a  fortnight.  My  occupation  at  school  I 
find  rather  a  relaxation  than  a  labor.  :Mr.  Tuft  has  given  me  the 
Latin  and  Greek  scholars,  and  I  am  soon  to  teach  a  few  French. 
This  revives  my  knowledge  of  the  minutice  of  all  these  languages 
and  will  be  rather  an  advantage  to  me.  Little  as  you  credit  me,  I 
do  not  hesitate  still  to  say  that  I  can  do  much  more  work  here  than 
in  Boston,  and  I  am  determined  to  let  nothing  stand  in  the  way  of 
the  main  object  of  my  pursuit.  If  labor  and  application  will  make 
me  useful  and  respectable,  I  will  insure  to  myself  both." 

In  a  succeeding  letter,  in  which  he  refers  to  an  opportunity  for 
a  settlement  in  the  ministry  at  Pawtuckct  R.  I.,  he  writes: 


54  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyug,  D.D, 

"  As  you  have  my  promise  not  to  leave  Bristol  till  March,  '22,  I 
should  not  think  of  it  upon  any  consideration  contrary  to  your 
wishes.  I  shall  not  go  from  here  until  that  time,  unless  you  place 
me  at  liberty  to  do  so Upon  all  these  ac- 
counts, it  would  be  to  me  a  very  desirable  situation,  still  as  it  does 
not  meet  your  approbation,  I  shall  give  up  all  idea  of  it. 

"  I  suppose  the  wish  I  have  to  be  settled  in  hfe,  is  natural  to  all  young 
men,  and  so  far  am  I  from  looking  forward  to  the  duties  of  my  profes- 
sion as  a  reason  for  diminished  diligence  in  study,  that  I  shall  con- 
sider it  as  affording  me  more  opportunity  for  improvement  in  knowl- 
edge. My  present  engagements,  with  the  hours  I  choose  to  apply  to 
study,  take  up  most  of  the  four  and  twenty;  this  I  am  satisfied  will 
not  be  long  consistent  with  my  health,  and  I  shall  never  feel  myself 
at  liberty  to  relinquish  my  present  situation  till  I  find  another  that 

will  support  me. 

"  This  is  not  from  a  wish  to  be  my  own  master,  but  from  a 
knowledge  of  the  continued  increasing  demands  upon  your  purse. 
I  believe  no  one  of  your  children  can  feel  more  truly  grateful  for 
your  kindness  and  care,  than  I  do,  and  it  is  only  a  belief  that  it  is 
my  duty,  that  could  make  me  give  my  health  to  my  desire  for  exer- 
tion  It  is  far  from  my  wish  to  take  any,  and 

especially  so  important  a  step  in  my  life  without  your  advice.  I 
consider  myself  as  fixed  here  till  a  year  from  March,  let  what  will 
happen,  unless  removed  by  your  advice.  My  duties  here  are  very 
arduous,  but  I  trust  that  the  divine  Providence  will  preserve  me  as 
long  as  I  shall  be  useful  to  the  world." 

In  a  further  letter,  informing  his  father  of  the  arrangements  for 
his  ordination,  he  writes  : 

"  My  life  has  afforded  me  too  much  evidence  to  allow  me,  were 
I  disposed  to  doubt  your  entire  willingness  to  take  care  of  me;  but 
I  know  the  shortness  of  your  circumstances,  and  that  about  to 
increase,  and  I  cannot  consent  to  remain  at  home  idle.  There  will 
be,  I  trust,  opportunity  to  support  myself  by  my  profession,  and 
shall  you  not  be  willing,  under  the  circumstances,  to  relinquish 
your  plan  of  study  for  me  and  allow  me  liberty  to  get  along  if  pos- 
sible in  my  profession? 

"  I  beheve  you  have  confidence  sufficient  in  my  desire  for  im- 
provement, readily  to  believe  that  I  shall  not  shrink  from  any  labor 
in  my  duty.  I  believe  that  one  chief  cause  of  my  unhapp;y  feelings 
of  late  is,  that  I  see  my  school  faihng  and  have  so  little  prospect  of 
being  able,  and  so  great  a  dread  of  being  obliged,  to  support  my- 
self for  a  year  to  come  by  a  school. 


Theological  Student  Life.  55 

"  I  trust  to  your  constant  kindness  and  affection  to  me,  upon 
reflection,  to  grant  me  the  liberty  I  ask,  and  am  your  truly  affec- 
tionate son." 

The  desired  consent  having  been  thus  obtained,  he  allowed  no 
delay  to  occur  in  the  execution  of  his  plans. 

In  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  Charles  P.  Mcllvaine,  in  Georgetown, 
D.  C,  Dr.  Milnor  thus  commended  Mr.  Tyng  to  him: 

"  I  am  happy  now  to  have  it  in  my  power  to  reciprocate  your 
kindness  in  making  known  to  me  your  friend,  Mr.  Robinson,  by 
presenting  to  you  one  of  mine,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Tyng,  a  recent  pupil  of 
Bishop  Griswold,  who  is  anxious  to  be  employed  without  delay  in 
the  work  of  an  evangelist.  I  have  thought,  my  dear  friend,  that 
God  has  given  me  an  opportunity  in  him  of  gratifying  all  Mr.  Rob- 
inson's wishes. 

"  He  is  a  young  gentleman  of  good  talents  and  acquirements; 
of  personal  piety  and  agreeable  manners  ;  of  decidedly  evangelical 
views;  a  moderate  Churchman,  who  loves  our  communion,  but  does 
not  exclude  from  his  affections  any  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
in  sincerity,  and  a  pleasing  speaker. 

"  I  am  persuaded  that  Mr.  Tyng's  heart  is  so  much  in  the  work 
as  to  promise  great  success  to  his  exertions;  and  that  should  he  be- 
come an  inmate  of  our  friend's  family,  he  will  commend  himself  to 
their  friendship  and  esteem." 


CHAPTER   V. 

MINISTRY  IN   GEORGETOWN,    D.  C,  1821  to  1823. 

In  the  tliree  cities  of  the  District  of  Columbia  there  were  five 
Episcopal  churches,  with  as  many  earnest  EvangeUcal  clergymen 
settled  in  them.  This  was  a  remarkable  instance  of  such  a  gather- 
ing in  the  United  States.  In  Georgetown  there  were  two  churches. 
In  one  of  these  Mr.  Mcllvaine,  afterwards  the  eminent  Bishop  of 
Ohio,  had  been  established  for  a  year.  He  was  one  year  my  senior 
in  age  and  in  orders.  At  the  other,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Addison,  an  aged 
clergyman,  had  just  resigned,  and  the  place  was  vacant.  The  Rev. 
William  Hawley,  was  in  St.  John's  Church,  Washington.  Dr.  Mil- 
nor  had  given  me  letters  to  all  these  brethren.  And  on  the  morn- 
ing after  my  arrival  I  called  upon  them,  and  was  received  with 
much  kindness,  and  the  welcome  of  a  friendship  which  afterwards 

never  failed. 

Mr.  Hawley  carried  me  immediately  to  his  house,  I  looking  at 
it  as  a  short  stay  before  I  went  on  to  Virginia.  There  I  remained 
for  three  weeks,  thus  commencing  a  friendship  which  lasted  un- 
broken by  a  single  word  through  his  whole  hfe.  During  this  visit 
I  ministered  my  first  baptism,  to  his  daughter,  now  dwelling  in 
Philadelphia.  In  Alexandria,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wilmer  and  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Norris,  were  the  pastors  of  the  two  churches  there,  and  were 
equally  kind  and  affectionate  in  all  their  relations  to  me.  It  is  a 
delightful  privilege  to  reflect  upon  them,  and  to  be  grateful  for  them, 
and  for  the  influence  which  they  have  exercised  for  me  through  the 
whole  of  my  life. 

During  the  weeks  which  I  passed  with  Mr.  Hawley's  family,  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Addison,  who  had  been  the  rector  of  St.  John's  Church, 
Georgetown,  resigned  his  cure  on  account  of  his  own  failing  health; 
and  to  my  astonishment,  without  any  previous  notice  to  me,  upon 
his  recommendation,  I  was  elected  as  his  successor.  This  appeared 
to  me  a  providence  so  remarkable  and  so  entirely  unsought,  that  I 
could  deem  it  no  less  than  a  divine  direction.     I  had  no  engage- 

56 


Ministry  in   Georgetown^  D.  C,  Sy 

ment  with  the  people  whom  I  was  on  my  way  to  visit  in  Vh'ginia. 
They  were  in  no  expectation  of  my  coming,  and  I  was  at  perfect 
liberty  to  stop  where  I  deemed  it  desirable.  It  was  time  that  I 
should  be  at  work.     I  therefore  accepted  the  invitation. 

Thus,  in  six  weeks  after  my  ordination,  I  was  most  gra- 
ciously settled  in  a  home,  which  proved  to  be  a  very  congenial 
and  happy  one.  On  the  Sunday  before  Lent,  I  was  ordained  in  St. 
Michael's  Church,  in  Bristol,  in  Rhode  Island,  and  on  the  Sunday 
after  Easter,  I  was  estabhshed  in  my  own  home,  in  St.  John's 
Church,  Georgetown,  in  the  District  of  Columbia. 

Georgetown  was  an  old  continental  town,  and  still  remained  a 
thriving  and  beautiful  place.  It  was  the  head  of  navigation  on  the 
Potomac,  and  was  still,  also,  a  place  of  extensive  trade.  Washington 
was  at  this  time  but  a  collection  of  widely  scattered  edifices  and 
population.  The  merchandise  which  it  required  and  used  was 
larought  by  water  to  Georgetown,  and  the  stores  and  shops  for  the 
two  cities  were  still  chiefly  there.  The  upper  part  of  Georgetown 
was  occupied  by  large  and  elegant  private  dwellings,  which  were 
encompassed  with  groves  and  shrubbery. 

St.  John's  Church  being  the  first  Episcopal  Church  in  George- 
town, was  chiefly  composed  of  the  old  and  leading  families  of  the 
town,  constituting  a  society  highly  intelligent  and  agreeable.  I  was 
a  mere  youth,  but  I  was  received  with  a  kindness  which  left  me 
nothing  to  desire.  One  of  the  most  influential  and  agreeable  of 
the  mothers  in  the  church  said  to  me :  "I  do  not  see  that  you  have 
more  than  one  defect,  and  that  is  mending  every  day."  Their 
hospitality  was  unbounded,  and  their  means  of  exercising  it  were 
abundant.  No  young  minister  could  be  employed  amidst  circum- 
stances more  attractive,  or  relations  more  agreeable.  The  opening 
spring  and  summer  brought  a  new  world  of  beauty  to  my  eyes  in 
this  southern  climate.  And  whether  at  home  or  abroad,  for  the 
things  of  the  present  life  I  really  had  no  wants. 

I  entered  upon  my  ministry  with  an  earnest  desire  to  do  my 
Master's  work  and  will,  faithfully  and  usefully.  I  set  myself  to  edify 
the  church  committed  to  me  in  every  way  within  my  reach.  The 
memory  of  all  my  experience  and  observation  at  Bristol  was  my 
unceasinfT  guide.  My  venerated  Bishop  and  father  there  was  the 
pattern  whom  I  tried  in  every  thing  to  follow.  My  j^reaching  was 
certainly  very  slender  and  youthful.  But  it  proved  acceptable  not 
only  to  my  own  congregation,  but  to  others  also  far  beyond  any 
expectations  of  mine. 

Mr.  Mcllvaine,  the  minister  of  Christ  Church,  was  a  preacher 


58  Rev,  Stephen  Higghison    Tyng,  D.D, 

of  great  eloquence  and  power  for  a  young  man,  and  I  could  main- 
tain no  comparison  with  him.  It  was  a  great  surprise  and  gratifi- 
cation to  me,  that,  with  a  contrast  so  discouraging,  I  found  myself 
at  all  acceptable. 

I  was  as  popular  as  in  my  own  conviction  was  safe,  and  I  was 
perfectly  satisfied.  My  study  was  my  constant  joy.  The  clergy 
around  me  were  most  friendly  in  their  encouragement,  and  united 
to  give  me  every  incentive  and  inducement  to  advance  in  knowledge 
and  usefulness.  And  as  I  now  survey  my  condition  at  that  period, 
I  can  only  ask  with  gratitude,  how  could  any  one  so  young  be  more 
favorably  established,  in  the  affairs  of  outward  life,  for  usefulness  to 
others  or  for  happiness  to  himself  ? 

I  entered  upon  my  work  without  fear,  and  preached  and  spoke 
with  a  self-confidence  and  self-j)ossession  which  experience  and  age 
certainly  have  not  increased.  One  written  and  one  extemporaneous 
sermon  in  each  week  were  adequate  employment,  and  not  burden- 
some or  unreasonable  labor.  A  cheerful  and  hopeful  heart  made 
every  thing  which  was  required  of  me  easy  and  agreeable ;  but 
filled  me  with  astonishment  at  the  success  which  followed  me. 

My  last  visit  to  Georgetown  was  in  February,  1870.  I  then  re- 
ceived a  message  from  the  congregation,  through  their  rector,  that 
they  were  about  to  remodel  the  old  church,  and  they  wished  me  to 
spend  one  Sunday  in  it  before  the}-  destroyed  it.  I  went  with  much 
pleasure,  and  preached  for  them  twice  ;  it  was  forty-nine  years  from 
the  year  in  which  I  began  my  work  with  them.  My  memory  repeo- 
pled  the  place,  when  I  began  to  s^Deak,  w^ith  the  families  of  former 
days.  Of  all  those  families  I  saw  none  remaining  now.  I  pointed 
to  the  various  pews  and  designated  their  occupants  in  that  day. 
But  when  the  service  was  concluded,  many  came  to  me  and  recalled 
themselves  as  the  children  and  grandchildren  of  my  old  friends.  A 
new  generation  had  arisen,  and  I  felt  that  in  reality  1  was  num- 
bered among  the  past. 

Bishop  Mcllvaine  was  preaching  on  that  day  also,  for  a  simi- 
lar occasion  in  Christ  Church,  his  own  former  parish.  Neither  of 
us  was  aware  of  the  presence  of  the  other  until  the  work  was  over, 
and  each  had  been  speaking  particularly  of  the  ministry  of  the 
other.  The  visit  was  filled  with  added  pleasure,  when  in  the  after- 
noon we  met  together  to  recall  a  friendship  of  fifty  years'  duration. 
Returning  to  my  own  history, — the  opening  summer  of  1821 
opened  to  me  new  i^lans  and  relations  in  other  respects.  I  was 
now  independently  established  in  my  work,  and  there  seemed  nq 
obstacle  to  my  marriage.     I  therefore  hastened  to  make  arrange- 


Ministry  in  Georgetow7i,  D.  C,  59 

ments  for  this  happy  anticipation.  My  church  building  was  to  be 
renewed  in  this  summer,  and  I  could  readily  have  an  absence  for  a 
visit  to  my  friends  at  home.  My  journey  to  Bristol  met  with  im- 
pediments upon  the  road,  and  it  was  the  fourth  day  before  I  arrived 
there.  More  than  a  week  of  my  visit  elapsed  before  the  day  ap- 
pointed for  our  marriage. 

On  Sunday  evening  the  5th  of  August,  before  the  com- 
mencement of  the  public  service  in  the  church,  the  ceremony 
was  accomplished  in  the  presence  of  the  whole  congregation. 
We  went  from  our  pew  to  the  chancel,  and  returned  from  the 
chancel  to  our  pew  for  the  public  worship.  This  was  an  instance 
of  the  solemn  method  of  performing  such  a  service  in  those  days. 
So  my  married  life  began. 

On  Thursday,  the  9th,  we  left  Bristol  and  made  a  visit  to  my 
father's  family  in  Boston,  and  in  Newburyport;  and  then  returned 
for  a  few  weeks'  final  visit  in  Bristol.  And  in  the  latter  part  of 
September,  I  returned  to  my  church  and  to  my  work,  with  my  new 
and  most  precious  addition  to  my  household  and  my  home. 

There  had  already  been  some  improvement  in  the  mode  of  trav- 
elling since  I  first  went  from  Bristol  to  New  York.  A  new  stage 
road  and  line  had  been  opened  from  Providence  to  New  London, 
and  two  steamboats  placed  upon  the  Sound,  one  between  New  Lon- 
don and  New  Haven,  and  the  other  between  New  Haven  and  New 
York,  reducing  the  journey  from  Providence  to  New  York  to 
thirty-six  hours.  We  went  up  to  Providence,  and  passed  the  night 
in  the  house  of  our  friends,  and  took  the  stage  the  next  morning  to 
New  London,  and  the  steamboat  Fulton  in  the  evening  for  New 
Haven.  We  had  scarcely  cleared  the  harbor,  about  nine  p.m.,  when 
we  were  met  by  a  violent  storm,  which  drove  us  back  to  New  Lon- 
don before  midnight,  disabled  and  needing  repairs.  Here  we  were 
detained  for  two  days.  This  delay  led  to  an  acquaintance  with  the 
Rev.  Bethel  Judd,  rector  of  the  church  in  New  London,  who  took 
us  to  his  house.  For  him  I  preached  on  each  of  the  two  evenings. 
We  left  New  London  again  about  ton  o'clock  in  tlie  evening  of  the 
second  dav.  While  with  Mr.  Judd,  I  received  an  invitation 
to  visit  the  church  in  Norwich,  just  vacant  by  the  resignation 
oi  an  aged  clergyman,  tlie  Rev.  Mr.  Tyler,  who  had  been  long 
its  rector.  My  lot,  however,  had  now  been  cast  with  the  South, 
and  I  declined  considering  it. 

Our  time  came  for  the  i)ursuit  of  our  journey.  But  our 
second  attempt  in  the  steamer  was  as  unsatisfying  as  the  first. 
M'e    met    another    and   a   heavier    storm    at    this   time;    we   just 


6o  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

escaped  shipwreck  on  Fisher's  Island,  entirely  out  of  our 
course;  and  after  contending  with  the  storm  through  the  whole 
night,  we  found  ourselves  at  the  dock  in  New  London  on  the  next 
morning.  The  third  attempt  was  in  the  day.  We  arrived  at  New 
Haven  late  in  the  evening;  and  in  the  other  regular  boat  finished 
our  journey  to  New  York  the  next  evening.  The  next  morning  we 
went  on  to  Philadelphia,  and  arrived  at  that  city  on  Sunday  morn- 
ing, while  our  fiiends  were  at  church.  In  the  latter  part  of  the 
week  we  pressed  on  through  Baltimore,  and  arrived  at  our  new 

home. 

We  passed  about  two  months  in  our  first  home  in  the  dwell- 
ing of  a  family,  whose  watchful  kindness  never  failed  us,  while  we 
had  our  home  in  Georgetown. 

But  we  soon  longed  for  a  home  of  our  own,  and  I  hired  a  house 
of  moderate  character  and  cost,  but  sufficiently  large  for  all  our 
wants.  I  soon  found  that  to  meet  the  demands  of  this  moderate 
expenditure  would  require  a  larger  income  than  my  church  could 
yield,  and  I  determined  to  open  a  private  school  for  boys.  My 
success  in  teaching  at  Bristol  made  me  perfectly  confident  in  this 
undertaking.  My  house  was  convenient  and  suitable,  and  I  re- 
ceived about  twenty  boys,  varying  in  all  the  stages  of  an  English 
and  classical  education,  some  of  whom  are  living,  and  personal 
friends  to  this  day.  I  received  a  few  as  boarders  in  my  family,  and 
found  additional  pleasure  in  their  society.  These  boys  were  the 
children  of  famihes  around  me.  Many  of  them  have  since  become 
distinguished  in  public  life. 

The  labor  of  preparing  for  my  Sabbath  preaching  while  thus  oc- 
cupied with  teaching  was  great.  I  know  not  howl  endured  it. 
My  habit  of  extemporaneous  speaking,  acquired  in  Bristol,  in- 
creased my  ability  to  accomplish  the  work  which  I  had  undertaken. 
This  habit  I  endeavored  to  maintain  and  cultivate.  It  became  the 
more  important  to  me  in  consequence  of  my  loss  of  the  use  of  my 
right  eye  from  an  accident  in  my  childhood.  My  whole  life's  work 
has  been  accomplished  with  one  eye.  I  wish  I  could  say  in  its 
figurative  application  with  "  a  single  eye."  I  have  thus  been  com- 
pelled to  study  much  in  thought  and  quietness;  but  as  I  have  ad- 
vanced in  age  my  eyes  have  improved  in  strength  and  for  practical 
usefulness. 

In  the  spring  of  1822  I  removed  to  another  house,  smaller  and 
more  manageable.  The  friend  who  was  my  landlord  here  built  for 
me  a  small  school-house  opposite  to  my  new  dwelling,  in  which  I 
was  able  to  carry  on  my  school,  in  larger  numbers  and  with  more 


Ministry  in  Georgetown^  D.  C.  6i 

convenience;  thus  my  income  was  abundant,  though  my  salary  was 
small.  We  were  both  managing  and  industrious,  and  all  things 
succeeded  happily  with  me  and  to  my  constant  satisfaction. 

In  sneaking  of  my  extemporaneous  preaching  I  may  record  a  lit- 
tle anecdote  which  I  have  often  heard  referred  to  by  others.     My 
father's   name   and   position    had   given    me    many    acquaintances 
among  the  members  of  Congress,  who  on  his  account  frequently 
attended  my  church  on  Sunday.     On  one  morning  there  was  a  very 
conspicuous  number  of  distinguished  men  at  church,  and  I  had  no 
written  sermon.     I  had  designed  to  speak  extemporaneously.     The 
aspect  of  such  a  congregation  frightened  me  extremely;  and  after 
proceeding  a  few  minutes,  I  stumbled  on  until,  in  entire  confusion  of 
mind  and  feeling,  I  was  obliged  to  stop,  and  I  left  the  pulpit  with 
excessive  mortification.     As  we  were  returning  home,  my  dear  wife 
entreated  me   not  to    attempt  extemporaneous   preaching    again. 
She   said:    "You    remember   that   father   said,    'Extemporaneous 
preaching  would  always  be  crude  and  unconnected.' "     I  replied, 
"This  very  failure  has  made  me  more  determined;  I  will  acquire 
the  power,  if  by  any  effort  I  can  do  it."     More  than  forty  years  after 
that   day   I  saw  a  distinguished  Senator   from    New  York,  in    St. 
George's  Church,  who  was  one  of  my  congregation  on  that  trying 
occasion.     He  stopped  after  the  service  was  over  and  spoke  to  me, 
with  the  friend  whom  he  was  visiting.     I  asked  him  if  he  remem- 
bered that  occasion.     He    replied,   "O  yes;  but  you  have   never 
failed  since."     This  habit  of  speaking  has  been  with  me  the  result 
of  unflinching  effort  and  determination,  and  whatever   success  I 
have  attained  may  be  just  so  much  an  encouragement   to   other 

young  men. 

On  the  9th  of  December,  1822,  the  gracious  Lord  gave  us  our 
first-born  child  in  my  dear  Anna.  This  made  a  new  interest  and 
joy  in  our  little  home.  It  opened  to  me  a  father's  love  as  ray  new 
experience,  and  made  my  life  still  happier  than  before.  I  looked 
upon  my  dear  young  wife,  a  mother  at  seventeen  years  of  age,  with 
new  reverence  and  affection.  And  I  more  than  ever  desired  to  live 
with  my  household  to  the  glory  of  a  pardoning,  forbearing,  and 
bountiful  Lord. 

The  winter  of  1822-3  went  by  in  a  succession  of  calm  and 
tranquil  prosperity.  All  things  seemed  to  be  combining  to 
make  our  wliolc  condition  desirable  and  our  prospects  encourag- 
ing. I  had  no  imagination  and  no  desire  which  presented  to  me  a 
change  of  dwclHng,  but  the  pressure  of  my  twofold  work,  which 
seemed  to  increase  in  its  power  as  the  winter  passed. 


62  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

In  February,  1823,  a  very  unexpected  change  of  residence  was  pro- 
posed to  me.  I  was  earnestly  invited  to  take  charge  of  the  parish  of 
Queen  Anne,  in  Prince  George's  County,  Maryland.  This  was  one  of 
the  largest  and  most  wealthy  parishes  in  the  state.  Many  of  the 
families  were  connected  with  Washington  and  Georgetown  families. 
Their  stores  for  family  suj^ply  and  their  market  for  their  crops,  were 
both  in  these  two  j)laces.  At  the  invitation  of  one  of  the  gentlemen  of 
the  parish  I  made  them  a  visit  of  a  single  Sunday,  and  received 
still  more  j)i'essing  invitations  to  accept  their  authorized  election. 
I  had  never  seen  this  portion  of  the  country  before.  It  is  about  half- 
way between  Washington  and  Annapolis.  It  was  called  the  "  Forest  of 
Prince  George's,"  from  the  splendid  growth  and  collection  of  forest 
which  originally  occupied  it,  though  now  supplanted  by  large  and 
splendid  plantations,  having  tobacco  as  their  chief  marketable 
crop.  Other  openings  had  been  presented  to  me,  and  had  solic- 
ited my  consideration.  But  this  came  to  me  unsought  and  unex- 
pected, and  with  such  unanimity  among  the  people,  that  I  was  led 
to  consider  and  accept  it;  and  I  agreed  to  remove  at  Easter,  in  1823. 
I  left  my  Georgetown  friends  with  great  regret.  But  the  first 
years  of  a  young  minister's  life  are  very  wearing;  unfurnished  and 
ignorant,  he  is  obhged  to  grapple  with  the  whole  work  of  the  min- 
istry as  if  he  were  thoroughly  mature.  He  plunges  into  the  deep 
sea  at  full  tide.  His  first  parish  and  his  first  experiments  in  labor 
wear  him  out.  Thus  I  had  found  it.  I  therefore  most  thankfully 
accepted  so  favorable  an  opportunity  to  remove,  and  gladly  embraced 
the  new  position  thus  unexpectedly  offered  to  me. 

Thus  my  two  years  were  completed  in  Georgetown.  Perhaps  I 
gained  more  of  information  and  practical  ability  here  than  in  any 
other  equal  period  of  my  life.  I  was  in  the  very  centre  of  observation 
and  influence  in  our  land,  and  always  within  reach  of  some  valued 
brother  in  the  ministry  for  consultation  and  spiritual  gain,  giving 
me  a  privilege  which  for  years  I  had  not  again. 


It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  Dr.  Tyng  should  have  confined 
his  personal  record,  so  exclusively  to  the  incidents  of  his  own  paro- 
chial ministry.  His  reminiscences  of  the  times  in  which  he  lived; 
of  the  many  interesting  events  which  occurred  during  his  ministry; 
of  the  men  with  whom  he  was  so  intimately  associated,  and  of  the 
important  questions  in  which  he  took  so  prominent  a  part,  would 
now  be  of  great  interest  and  value.     All  these,  however,  he  deemed 


Ministry  iri   Georgetown^  D.  C.  63 

irrelevant  to  a  record  prepared  for  those  for  whom  this  was  designed, 
and  its  pages,  therefore,  included  those  facts  only  which  seemed  of 
special  interest  to  them. 

No  mention  is  made  of  many  circumstances  with  which  he  was 
closely  identified  and  which  are  memorable  in  the  history  of  the 
Church,  and  it  is  impossible,  from  other  sources,  to  supply  this  defi- 
ciency satisfactorily.  It  is  important,  however,  that  some  reference 
should  be  made  to  some  of  these,  in  order  to  make  the  record  of 
his  life  in  any  wise  complete. 

Contemj)oraneous  with  the  beginning  of  his  ministry  was  the  origin 
of  the  organized  missionary  and  educational  work  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States.  To  these  important  afi'airs 
in  their  beginnings,  he  gave  his  most  earnest  efforts,  as  through  hfe 
they  continued  to  be  objects  of  his  unceasing  interest. 

As  the  condition  of  the  Church,  in  different  sections  of  the 
country,  became  more  settled,  a  missionaiy  spirit  was  gradually  de- 
veloped, and  at  the  General  Convention  in  1820,  this  took  form  for 
co-operating  action  in  the  organization  of  a  missionary  society. 
Minor  details  in  its  organization,  however,  were  unsatisfactory  to 
many,  and  to  meet  the  objections  to  these,  the  Domestic  and  Foreign 
Missionary'  Society  was  organized  in  November,  1821.  This  society, 
aided  by  its  different  auxiliary  associations,  carried  on  the  mission- 
ary operations  of  the  Church  in  succeeding  years. 

The  first  of  these  auxiliary  societies  to  be  formed  was  "  the  Diocesan 
Missionary  Society  for  Maryland,"  organized  at  the  Convention  of  the 
Diocese  of  Maryland  held  in  1822,  and  Mr.  Tyng's  hearty  interest  in 
the  cause  was  evinced  by  the  resolution  which  he  offered,  recommend- 
ing this  new  society  to  the  earnest  support  of  the  different  parishes 
and  urging  them  to  exertion  in  the  collection  of  funds  for  its  uses. 
Thus  his  enlistment  in  the  missionary  work  of  the  Church  dates 
from  the  first  3'ear  of  his  ministry,  and  his  active  connection  with 
it  remained  unbroken  until  the  end.  By  his  efforts,  in  later  periods, 
enormous  amounts  were  contributed  to  the  extension  of  this  work, 
which  was  always  a  favorite  object  of  the  benefactions  of  the 
churches  under  liis  care. 

The  educational  work  of  the  Church  was  the  necessary  accom- 
paniment of  its  missionary  effort.  Men  were  as  necessary  for  its  jjros- 
ecution  as  means  for  their  support,  and  the  need  of  properly  quali- 
fied ministers  to  fill  the  vacant  places  in  the  Church,  gave  this  work 
additional  importance.  In  no  section  was  this  need  greater  than  in 
Maryland  and  Virginia,  and  the  efforts  of  the  clergy  of  those  dioceses 
to  meet  it  make  an  interesting  chaj^ter  in  the  history  of  the  Church. 


64  R^'^*  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng^  D.D, 

The  connection  wliicli  Mr.  Tyng  had  with  these  efforts  makes 
this  also  a  notable  period  in  his  life,  and  exhibits  him,  when  scarcely 
past  maturity,  in  a  bold  stand  against  Episcopal  assumption  and  in 
defence  of  principles  and  the  liberty  of  the  clergy  to  maintain  them. 

The  [General  Seminary  of  the  Episcopal  Church  had  already 
been  established  and  removed  to  New  Haven  from  New  York, 
where  Bishop  Hobart  had  organized  a  diocesan  school  in  accord 
with  his  own  plans  and  under  his  own  control.  The  bequest  of  a 
legac}^  however,  which  by  its  terms  was  to  be  paid  to  the  seminary 
*'  to  be  established  in  New  York  by  the  General  or  Diocesan  Con- 
vention "  brought  up  at  once  the  discussion  to  which  of  the  two 
seminaries  it  properly  belonged. 

A  special  session  of  the  General  Convention  was  called  in 
the  fall  of  1821,  to  decide  this  question.  At  this  a  compromise 
was  effected  between  the  friends  of  the  two  institutions,  and  a 
General  Theological  Seminaiy,  to  be  located  at  New  York,  was 
established,  that  in  New  Haven  being  again  removed  and  be- 
coming a  part  of  the  new  school.  Thereupon,  under  the  zeal- 
ous lead  of  Bishop  Hobart,  the  Episcopal  authority  and  influ- 
ence of  the  Church  was  largely  cast  in  support  of  this  new  sem- 
inary, and  in  opposition  to  all  efforts  to  provide  means  of  education . 
for  the  ministry  elsewhere. 

Distance  from  New  York,  however,  and  the  expense  incurred 
in  a  journey  and  residence  there,  made  it  impossible  for  many 
to  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunities  thus  offered,  and  made 
it  necessary  that  other  provisions  should  be  made  to  meet  this 
need.  Bishop  Chase,  when  organizing  his  work  in  Ohio,  ex- 
perienced it,  and  said:  "We  may  think  of  the  privileges  of  the 
East,  of  the  means  of  education  there,  but  this  is  all,  they  are 
out  of  our  reach."  Finding  it  impossible  to  get  missionaries  from 
the  East,  he  projected  his  seminary  at  Gambler,  but  met  disapproval 
of  his  plans,  from  those  who  looked  upon  it  only  as  a  scheme  of  op- 
position to  the  General  Seminary,  and  was  even  threatened  with 
ruin,  if  he  should  persist  in  his  efforts  to  obtain  the  necessary  funds 
in  England. 

In  Maryland  the  same  state  of  affau's  existed,  and  those 
who  were  in  earnest  in  the  cause  of  education  there  met  the 
same  opposition,  and  even  in  greater  degree,  on  account  of  their 
known  objections  to  the  General  Seminary,  on  the  ground  that  it 
was  and  must  be  necessarily  under  the  special  influence  of  Bishop 
Hobart,  and  inevitably  used  to  propagate  the  doctrines  by  which 
he  was  pecuharly  distinguished.     Bishop  Kemp,  then  the  Bishop  of 


Ministry  in  Georgetown,  D,  C,  65 

Maryland,  earnestly  co-operated  with  Bishop  Hobart  in  the  cause 
of  the  new  seminary,  and  threw  the  weight  of  his  influence  against 
any  efforts  in  any  other  direction,  though  a  large  proportion  of 
both  the  clergy  and  laity  of  his  diocese  were  not  in  agreement  with 

him. 

As  early  as  1818  several  of  the  clergy  of  Maryland  and 
Virginia  had  organized  the  "  Society  for  the  Education  of  Pious 
Young  Men  for  the  Ministry  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church," 
but  its  operations  had  been  very  limited,  and  confined  to  the  assist- 
ance of  a  few  young  men,  pursuing  their  studies  with  individual 
clergymen.  In  1821,  however,  the  Diocese  of  Virginia  proposed  to 
establish  a  seminary  in  that  State,  and  locate  it  at  the  college  at 
Williamsburg.  In  this  plan  they  asked  the  co-operation  of  Mary- 
land, and  at  the  convention  of  that  diocese,  in  that  year,  a  resolution, 
commending  and  approving  the  plan,  was  offered  and  considered, 
but  definite  action  was  postponed  until  the  next  meeting  of  the 
convention. 

At  the  next  session,  in  1822,  the  subject  was  again  brought 
forward,  and,  as  Virginia  had  not  carried  out  its  plan,  a  resolu- 
tion was  adopted  to  establish  "a  local  Theological  Seminary," 
and  a  committee  was  chosen  by  ballot  to  report  a  constitution  for 
its  government.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Henshaw,  afterward  Bishop  of 
Rhode  Island,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hawley,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Johns,  subse- 
quently Bishop  of  Virginia,  were  the  clerical  members  of  this  com- 
mittee, which  soon  reported  a  plan  for  the  organization  of  the 
seminary,  placing  its  management  in  a  board  of  thirteen  trustees,  (8 
clerical  and  5  lay),  the  Bishop  of  the  Diocese  being  ex-officio  Presi- 
dent. The  constitution  so  reported  was  adopted  by  the  convention, 
by  the  large  vote  of  23  out  of  30  of  the  clergy,  and  19  out  of  30  of 
the  laity,  so  strong  was  the  sentiment  in  its  favor.  Of  this  board 
of  trustees  Mr.  Tyng  was  elected  a  member,  and  he  engaged 
actively  in  support  of  the  effort. 

Bishop  Kemp  was,  however,  most  outspoken  in  his  opposi- 
tion to  the  whole  scheme,  and  soon  after  issued  a  pastoral  let- 
ter in  which  he  inveighed  against  it  in  strong  terms.  In  this 
letter,  after  reciting  the  action  of  the  General  Convention  in 
reference  to  the  General  Seminary,  and  claiming  that  such  ac- 
tion was  binding  upon  the  whole  Church,  he  said:  "The  pres- 
ent plan  of  erecting  a  Theological  Seminary,  iTulri)ondent  of  the 
General  Convention,  I  view  as  counteracting  that  authority,  and 
opening  fl  door  for  errors  and  divisions  of  the  most  destructive  kind. 
That  the  intentions  of  those  who  planned  and  promoted  this  scheme, 


66  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D,D, 

was  rebellious  I  am  not  prepared  to  say,  with  their  motives  I  have 
nothing  to  do,  they  must  be  tried  by  the  searcher  of  hearts,  but 
their  conduct  is  a  fair  subject  of  examination  and  judgment." 
Much  correspondence  ensued,  in  the  course  of  which,  the  Bishop 
made  an  attack  upon  the  clergy  who  were  directly  engaged  in  this 
movement,  censuring  them  not  only  for  the  course  which  they  had 
pursued  in  this  connection,  but  as  well  for  the  doctrines  which  they 
held  and  taught.  He  dechned  to  act  in  any  way  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  seminary,  and  it  was  due  to  his  opposition  that  the  effort 
failed.  In  the  following  year  the  trustees  reported  success  in  the 
collection  of  funds,  but  recommended  the  suspension  of  further 
proceedings  "until  greater  unanimity  among  members  of  the 
Church  may  induce  the  convention  to  pass  further  orders  on  the 
subject. " 

The  most  active  agents  in  the  organization  of  this  seminary  and 
in  the  attempt  to  establish  it  in  Maryland,  were  the  clergy  of  the 
District  of  Columbia,  "  the  District  clergy,"  as  they  were  called. 
These  were  six  in  number,  Messrs.  Wilmer  and  Norris,  in  Alexan- 
dria, Hawley  and  Allen,  in  Washington,  Mcllvaine  and  Tyng,  in 
Georgetown.  They  were  the  most  numerous  body  of  Evangelical 
clergymen,  who  lived  contiguous  to  each  other  in  any  part  of  the 
Church  territory,  and  were  in  constant  association  in  the  editing 
of  a  monthly  paper  entitled,  "  The  Theological  Reportory."  At 
the  meetings  held  by  them  for  this  purpose,  they  were  frequently 
joined  by  others  of  the  clergy  from  more  distant  places,  and  every 
question  of  importance  in  regard  to  the  Evangelical  party  in  the 
Church  was  habitually  discussed.  It  was  against  them  particularly 
that  the  censures  of  the  Bishop's  pastoral  letter  were  directed,  and 
it  ehcited  from  them,  individually,  immediate  replies. 

In  the  letters  which  Mr.  Tyng  addressed  to  the  Bishop,  in  the 
course  of  their  correspondence  upon  this  subject,  the  character  of  the 
charges  made  is  sufficiently  indicated.  As  soon  as  he  came  into  the 
diocese,  as  he  states  in  one  of  his  letters  to  his  father,  he  became  the 
subject  of  "  Episcopal  proscription,"  and  during  the  first  week  he  was 
at  Georgetown  received  a  letter  containing  a  violent  attack  upon 
him,  from  the  Bishop,  whom  he  had  not  then  seen.  The  treatment 
which  he  was  called  upon  to  bear  even  caused  him  to  desire 
removal,  notwithstanding  all  the  circumstances  of  advantage  and 
comfort  in  which  he  was  otherwise  placed.  His  letters  to  the 
Bishop  express  clearly,  as  follows,  the  views  and  the  position  which 
Mr.  Tyng  maintained,  as  well  as  his  independence  of  nfind  and 
action. 


Ministry  in   Georgetown,  D.  C,  6y 

Georgetown,  July  2Sd,  1822. 

Right  Rev.  and  Dear  Sir — I  acknowledge  with  pleasure  tlie 
receipt  of  a  pastoral  letter  addressed  by  you  to  your  diocese,  and 
should  have  written  to  you  before  upon  the  subject,  but  I  have 
thought  it  expedient  to  delay. 

In  this  letter  I  am  surprised  to  find  a  general  censure  upon 
the  clergy  of  the  District,  for  preaching  doctrines  in  many  points 
opposed  to  the  generally  received  doctrines  of  the  Church, 
and  for  practicing  and  countenancing  dangerous  departures 
from  the  Liturgy  and  usages  of  the  Church.  I  am  not  account- 
able for  the  conduct  of  my  brethren,  but  I  should  say  gener- 
ally of  the  clergy  of  the  District,  that  I  know  of  no  aberrations, 
either  in  doctrine  or  practice,  which  are  peculiarly  practised 
by  them.  I  say  peculiarly  practised  hy  them,  because  it  must 
ever  remain  a  matter  of  opinion  merely  what  doctrines  are  correct 
and  what  are  otherwise.  For  my  own  conduct  I  am  responsible 
and  I  am  willing  to  answer. 

It  is  most  undoubtedly  your  province  to  examine,  and,  when  it  is 
necessary,  to  censure  the  conduct  of  your  clergy,  and  whenever 
I  am  found  open  to  reproof  I  shall  receive  it  with  humility, 
and  am  perfectly  willing  that  my  conduct  as  a  clergyman  of  the 
Church  should  be  narrowly  scrutinized;  but,  sir,  you  must  allow 
me  to  say  respectfully,  that  I  consider  the  charges  of  your  letter 
upon  me  as  a  clergyman  of  the  District  to  be  in   every   respect 

unjust. 

It  is  my  pride  as  it  is  my  duty  to  comply  in  every  respect  with 
the  established  usages  of  the  Church  of  which  I  am  a  member,  and 
I  feel  perfectly  satisfied  that  I  am  liable  to  no  censure  for  any 
violations  of  those  usages.  I  should  avoid  as  scrupulously  as  your- 
self anything  which  might  have  the  appearance  of  deviation  from 
constituted  rules,  and  I  have  ever,  in  all  my  ministrations,  been  ob- 
servant of  them.  With  regard  to  the  doctrines  I  preach,  it  is,  as  I 
have  before  said,  a  matter  of  opinion  whether  they  are  correct  or 
not.  I  do  trust  that  I  have  not  deviated  from  my  sole  purjKise  of 
preaching  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  and  I  have  no  desire  ever  to 
declare  anvthing  to  mankind  but  that.  From  the  charge  of  Calvin- 
ism,  I  believe,  however,  I  am  entirely  clear,  at  least  I  know  of  none 
of  the  peculiarities  of  Calvin  that  I  suppoii;,  and  certainly  none 
that  I  ever  preach. 

I  should  not  perhaps  have  been  so  willing  to  write  to  you  upon 
this  subject  but  for  the  complaints  which  are  made  by  my  people 
of  the  injustice  of  the  charges  of  your  letter  as  applied  to  me.     If 


68  Rev,  Stephen  Higginso7i    Tyng,  D.D, 

my  language  is  anything  but  perfect  respect,  it  does  not  express 

the  feehngs  of 

Your  servant  in  Christ, 

Stephen  H.  Tyng. 


Geokgetown,  July  l^tli,  1822. 

Bight  Kev.  and  Deak  Sir — ^I  am  gratified  to  have  received  from 
you  your  favor  of  the  26th  inst.  So  far  as  my  own  feeUngs  are  con- 
cerned, it  is  perfectly  satisfactory,  and  I  assure  you  I  will  never 
voluntarily  become  unworthy  of  the  good  feelings  and  opinion  you 
manifest  towards  me.  This  letter  has  afforded  to  me  an  entire 
rehef  from  susj)icion  that  I  was  included  in  the  censure  of  your 
charge,  and  had  the  accusations  been  also  private  it  would  have 
been  amply  sufficient.  But,  sir,  we  must  consider  it  in  another 
point  of  view. 

Your  pastoral  letter  was  given  to  the  world,  and  being  in  print 
everj'^body  may  become  acquainted  with  it.  The  subject  of  it  is  a 
censure  of  the  Theological  Seminary  established  by  the  Convention, 
when,  in  the  coursa  of  it,  you  hint  at  the  faults  of  your  clergy  in 
the  District,  and  censure  some  of  them.  To  what  shall  your  people 
recur  for  a  more  particular  demarkation  of  the  offending  individ- 
uals ?  Will  they  not  at  once  refer  to  the  Journals  of  the  Convention, 
and  there  find  which  of  them  voted  contrary  to  your  opinion,  and 
in  favor  of  an  institution  which  you  have  declared  you  consider  as 
systematizing  Calvinism  in  your  diocese. 

The  impression  fi'om  your  pastoral  letter  is  gone  abroad  that  three 
of  the  District  clergy,  Mr.  Hawley,  Mr.  Mcllvaine  and  myself  are 
Calvinists  and  are  censurable  for  their  conducting  of  the  Liturgy. 
We  are  considered  as  the  objects  of  reproof  in  your  public  communica- 
tion to  your  diocese.  We  are,  of  course,  throughout  the  country 
wherever  your  letter  is  seen,  thought  to  be  leagued  in  opposition  to 
your  views.  I  have  at  the  North  many  friends,  and  highly  respect- 
able in  the  Church,  persons  whose  opinion  is  of  great  importance 
to  me,  and  how  unfavorable  must  be  the  impression  on  their  minds 
of  a  young  man  who  came  from  them  to  commence  his  ministry  in 
3'our  diocese,  and  in  little  more  than  a  year  laid  himself  open  to  such 
marked  reproof.  In  your  letter  you  acquit  me  of  the  censure,  it  is 
true,  but  your  letter  can  go  no  farther  than  myself,  and  the  acquittal 
should  be  as  public  as  the  charge. 

These  considerations,  sir,  have  induced  me,  notwithstanding  our 
private  correspondence  upon  the  subject,  to  unite  with  my  brethren 


Minisby  171   Georgetown,  D.  C.  69 

in  the  District,  in  a  public  letter  to  yourself,  correcting  what  we 
conceive  mistaken  charges  against  our  doctrines  and  our  practice. 
I  regret  exceedingly  the  occasion  of  this.  I  regret  that  I  particu- 
larly, when  I  have  endeavored  in  every  respect  to  preserve  unbroken 
the  bond  of  peace,  and  have  followed  my  own  unbiased  opinion  in 
all  my  conduct,  should  be  considered  as  leagued  in  any  opposition 
against  one,  whose  situation  and  office,  I  have  ever  so  highly  vene- 
rated as  that  of  a  Bishop  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  Be  assured,  sir, 
that  whatever  others  may  be,  the  character  of  a  party  man  is  one 
which  from  my  soul  I  despise,  and  I  shall  never  engage  in  any 
measure  in  the  Church,  but  from  deliberate  persuasion  that  it  is 
my  duty,  and  though  now  I  appear  in  opposition  to  you,  ascribe 
it,  I  pray  you,  sir,  to  the  circumstances  in  which  I  am  necessarily 
placed,  and  not  to  any  want  of  respect  or  affection  in 

Your  servant  and  friend, 

S.  H.  Tyng. 


Georgetown,  August  1st,  1822. 

Right  Bev.  and  Dear  Sir — I  have  just  received  yours  of  the  31st, 
in  answer  to  mine  of  the  29th  inst.,  and  I  must  beg  permission  to 
answer  it  in  the  same  candid  spirit  with  which  it  was  evidently 
written.  I  shall  first  say  with  the  utmost  sincerity,  that  if,  during 
our  present  correspondence  or  upon  any  other  occasion,  I  have  been 
in: a  single  point  wanting  in  that  respect  which  will  be  ever  due 
from  my  situation  to  yours  and  from  myself  to  you,  I  am  extreme- 
ly sorry,  and  with  unfeigned  humility  do  ask  to  have  it  forgotten. 
With  regard  to  my  conduct  in  the  present  business,  I  have  pursued 
what  I  did  conceive  and  what  I  still  conceive  to  be  the  strict  princi- 
ples of  duty.  I  have  in  my  last  letter  spoken  sufficiently  of  the 
manner  in  which  I  have  acted.  I  need  therefore  to  say  no  more.  I 
said  not  that  I  had  ''joined  in  any  remonstrance  against  your  pastoral 
letter,''  but  that  ^^  I  had  united  tvith  my  brethren  in  a  public  letter  correct- 
ing n-hai  we  conceive  to  bemistaJcen  cJiarges  against  our  doctrine  and  our 
practice. "  In  doing  this,  whatever  may  be  the  "  consequences  "  by  which 
I  "  must  abide,"  I  hope  I  shall  not  have  subjected  myself  to  your 
displeasure.  What  J  have  done  or  said  I  am  convinced  was  required 
of  me  by  my  situation  as  a  minister  of  the  gosi^el,  and  as  an  indi- 
vidual, and  if  the  manner  of  it  has  implied  the  least  disrespect,  I 
now  repeat  tliat  it  was  entirely  unintctitional. 

I  am  utterly  at  a  loss  to  discover  your  mcaniug  in  saying, 
"in   this    business  I  will    not    deny   that    I   think    there  is  more 


JO  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

intended  than  avowed."  I  know  of  nothing  whiuh  is  kept  se- 
cret. Was  this  observation  meant  to  be  applied  to  me  or  others  ? 
If  to  myself,  I  do  say  decidedly  that  I  think  my  conduct  in  every 
resi)ect  in  "  this  business, "  and  always  toward  you,  sir,  should 
have  saved  me  fi'om  such  a  charge.  I  do  with  solemnity  say  that 
I  know  of  nothing  with  regard  to  "  this  business  "  that  I  would 
not  with  perfect  willingness  declare  to  you.  If  the  observation  be 
meant  for  others,  I  can  only  say  that  I  know  nothing  about  it.  I  have 
never  been  made  one  of  any  cabal,  nor  have  I  been  consulted 
upon  any  subject.  If  there  is  intentional  secrecy,  I  have  no  part  in 
it,  neither  do  I  know  anything  of  it.  In  every  matter,  and  most  of  all 
in  one  connected  with  religion  and  the  Church,  I  am  desirous  to 
act  openly  and  decidedly,  as  I  think  duty  prompts  me,  without  acqui- 
escing designedly  in  the  opinion  of  any  man  on  earth.  I  do  most 
sincerely  regret  the  occasion  of  our  correspondence,  but  I  hope  by 
it  I  shall  not  forfeit  your  esteem  and  good  will.  Be  assured,  sir, 
that  I  am  with  sincere  affection  and  respect, 

Your  son  and  servant, 

Stephen  H.  Tyng. 

Upon  the  failure  of  the  effort  to  establish  a  seminary  in  Mary- 
land a  renewed  effort  was  made  in  Virginia.  The  Rev.  Reuel  Keith, 
then  Professor  in  William  and  Mary  College  at  Williamsburg,  was 
induced  to  remove  to  Alexandria,  and  there,  in  the  lecture  room  of 
St.  Paul's  Church,  in  1823,  the  Theological  Seminary  of  Virginia, 
familiarly  known  as  "  the  Alexandria  Seminary  "  was  opened. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Wilmer  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Norris,  both  of  whom 
had  been  accustomed  to  take  theological  students,  were  as- 
sociated with  Dr.  Keith  in  the  Faculty  of  the  Seminary.  Of 
all  its  founders.  Dr.  Wilmer  was  perhaps  the  most  earnest  and 
efficient,  and  the  influence  of  "  the  District  clergy  "  was  most  instru- 
mental in  its  organization.  Thus  interested  and  active  in  its  for- 
mation. Dr.  Tyng  continued  the  life-long  friend  of  the  Seminary, 
and  by  his  efforts  contributed  greatly  to  its  prosperity  and  useful- 
ness. He  alone  of  all  its  founders  remained  to  unite  in  the  celebra^ 
tion  of  its  Semi-centennial  Anniversary,  in  1873,  and  on  that  occasion 
to  bear  his  testimony  in  memory  of  those  who  had  stood  with  him 
in  efforts  for  its  establishment,  and  to  narrate  "  the  Maryland  side" 
of  its  history. 


CHAPTER  yi. 

MINISTRY  IN  PRINCE  GEORGE'S  CO.,   MARYLAND,    1823  to  1829. 

This  period  of  my  ministry  commenced  with  May,  1823.  My 
cordial  and  unanimous  invitation  to  Prince  Georges  occasioned 
much  surprise.  Their  past  ministry  had  been  of  a  very  different  stamp 
from  mine.  A  clergyman  whom  I  esteemed  highly,  remarked  to 
me  that  he  would  give  me  six  months  for  that  experiment  ;  by  that 
time  I  should  be  compelled  to  leave  them. 

I  passed  there  six  most  happy  and  useful  years.  I  encountered 
some  opposition.  But  it  always  yielded  to  my  quiet  pursuit  of  manifest 
duty.  And  I  found  many  faithful  and  steady  friends  who  never 
failed  me.  Their  children  and  grandchildren  keep  me  in  their  re- 
membrance with  affectionate  interest  to  this  day. 

I  was  indeed  supported  there  during  my  whole  period  of  ser- 
vice as  their  rector  most  kindly  and  liberally.  And  when  I  felt 
that  my  duty  in  my  Lord's  work  called  me  elsewhere,  it  was  against 
their  united  desire,  and  their  earnest  wish  that  I  would  spend  my 
whole  life  with  them. 

At  Easter,  1823,  I  removed  my  little  family  to  Prince  George's. 

To  understand  our  position  in  this  parish,  it  must  be  remember- 
ed that  the  whole  territory  of  Maryland,  was  originally  laid  out  in 
parishes,  in  all  of  which  the  Church  of  England  claimed  to  be  the 
established  religion.  The  bounds  of  these  parishes  were  the  terri- 
torial limits  recognized  by  law.  Queen  Anne  Parish  was  a  stretch 
of  territory  about  thirty  miles  in  length  and  perhaps  twenty  in  width. 
Its  eastern  boundary  was  the  Patuxent  River.  It  was  occupied  by 
large  plantations,  of  from  500  to  1000  acres.  Its  plantations  and 
dwellings  were  frequently  in  the  possession  of  families  by  whom  they 
had  been  owned  from  the  first  history-  of  the  State.  Their  chief 
production,  and  that  which  was  familiarly  called  ''  the  crop,"  was 
tobacco.  The  land  was  cultivated  whoUv  bv  slaves,  of  whom  there 
were  about  2500  in  the  parish.  There  were  two  churches  ten  miles 
apart.     The  one  was  the  parish  Church,  the  other  was  the  chapel. 

71 


^2  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

They  stood  about  ten  miles  from  the  north  and  the  south  borders  of 
the  parish. 

The  chapel,  adjoining  which  my  parsonage  was  built,  was  about 
ten  miles  south  of  the  turnpike,  now  the  railroad  from  Baltimore  to 
Washington.  The  church  was  a  large  brick  edifice.  The  chapel 
was  a  small  wooden  one.  I  was  to  preach  in  each  on  alternate 
Sunday  mornings.  There  was  but  one  service  on  each  Sunday,  but 
both  were  well  attended.  Perhaps  an  average  of  fifty  to  one 
hundred  slaves  were  at  each  service. 

This  whole  territory  was  an  extremely  beautiful,  undulating  and 
fertile  country.  The  ministry  of  the  church  was  supx^orted  wholly 
by  subscriptions  obtained  and  collected  by  different  members  of  the 
vestry  in  divisions  of  the  territory,  which  were  called  their  "  rides." 

The  public  duty  demanded  of  the  minister  was  one  service  on 
each  Sabbath.  All  additional  public  labor  was  voluntary.  On  this 
work  and  this  field  I  had  thus  entered.  The  liberality  of  this  peo- 
ple to  me  was  uniform  and  large ;  ever}'  year  the  voluntary  subscrip- 
tions for  my  support  amounted  to  much  more  than  the  salaiy  origi- 
nally proposed  to  me.  My  real  duties  were  all  laid  out  by  myself. 
I  was  accustomed  to  appoint  missionary'  preaching  tours  occupying 
the  two  weeks  from  one  alternate  Sunday  to  another  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, to  which  the  intervening  Sunday  was  central;  preaching  every 
evening  from  house  to  house,  to  the  servants  of  the  plantation  at 
which  I  stopped  for  the  night.  The  neighboring  families  would 
thus  collect,  and  aU  the  slaves  on  the  plantation  would  be  called  up; 
I  thus  had  a  very  large  audience  before  me  on  each  occasion. 

Thus  I  might  be  said  to  have  lived  on  horseback,  travelling  an 
average  of  a  hundred  miles  every  week.  I  extended  these  mission- 
ary rides  far  beyond  the  bounds  of  my  own  parish,  throughout  the 
peninsula  between  the  Patuxent  and  the  Potomac  rivers.  I  often 
crossed  the  Potomac,  extending  my  rides  down  the  peninsulas  of 
Lower  Virginia,  and  across  the  Patuxent,  over  toward  the  Chesa- 
peake Bay.  I  have  frequently  thus  ridden  upon  preaching  tours 
more  than  two  hundred  miles  within  the  week.  I  thus  became  ex- 
tensively acquainted  through  Maryland  and  Virginia,  and  was 
always  welcomed  and  at  home  in  every  house.  I  fi-equently  preached 
also  in  the  villages  of  Queen  Anne  and  Upper  Marlboro'  in  my  own 
county,  in  the  large  rooms  of  the  taverns.  The  people  were  always 
ready  to  hear,  and  they  welcomed  a  preacher  whom  they  fancied  at 
all  times  and  in  all  places. 

This  was  my  customary  method  of  work  in  every  year.  My 
preaching  was  always  wholly  extemporaneous,  and  I  had  no  care  where 


Ministry  i7i  Prince  George  s  Co.,  Md,  73 

it  was  or  to  whom.  I  was  bold  and  earnest  in  my  manner  and  utter- 
ance, and  had  the  reputation  of  an  uncompromising  preacher.  I 
was  perfectly  free  with  the  people;  and  if  at  any  time  they  com- 
plained of  my  strong  expressions,  I  was  accustomed  to  say  to  them, 
"  Come  once  more  and  I  will  try  ^o  make  you  forget  this." 

I  felt  myself  to  have  been  called  to  the  parish  which  I  held,  to 
influence  a  self-indulgent  and  proud  peo^Dle.  I  therefore  never 
withheld  my  testimony;  I  endeavored  to  be  bold  and  faithful  in 
my  warnings.  But  the  people  believed  in  me  and  I  became  more 
acceptable  year  by  year.  God  was  pleased  to  own  and  bless  my 
efforts.  Many  were  awakened.  Many  precious  souls  were  con- 
verted, praising  God  for  His  redeeming  love  and  thankful*  for  the 
ministry  under  which  they  had  been  led  to  seek  a  Saviour's  power 
and  grace.  Syich  blessed  fruits  early  crowned  my  labors  in  this 
beloved  parish,  and  made  the  place  a  truly  happy  home  for  me. 
Friends  were  raised  up  for  us  whose  affection  never  failed,  and 
whose  decision  and  influence  overcame  all  surrounding  hostility 
which  enemies  to  the  truth  might  endeavor  to  excite. 

I  was  able  in  this  place  to  study  much  in  the  winter,  when 
I  was  less  abroad,  and  all  my  studies  were  consecrated  to  the  one  ob- 
ject of  my  hfe.  I  thus  gained  much  as  a  preacher,  aud  with  my 
habit  of  speaking,  obtained  a  reputation  which  I  had  never  antici- 
pated. 

In  my  first  summer  in  Prince  George's,  I  was  laid  by  for  some 
weeks  with  an  attack  of  bilious  fever.  In  all  my  subsequent  years, 
I  enjoyed  constant  and  effective  health,  and  passed  a  most  active 
and  animating,  though  often  a  fatiguing  life,  building  me  up  in 
mind,  body,  and  experience  with  peculiar  effect. 

In  January,  1825,  my  dear  Dudley  was  born,  a  noble  and  beau- 
tiful boy. 

During  this  year  a  trying  event  happened  to  me  which  gave 
me  some  uneasiness  at  the  time,  but  a  far  greater  permanent  bene- 
fit. The  gentleman  who  first  brought  me  to  this  place,  and  one  of 
the  richest  men  in  the  parish,  at  that  time  apparently  a  truly  relig- 
ious man,  then  a  widower,  was  married  by  me  to  his  second  wife. 
The  festivities  of  the  occasion,  and  the  multitude  of  fnends  whom 
he  entertained,  seemed  to  revive  his  early  habits  of  dissipation 
and  excesses,  aud  drew  him  off  from  his  religious  life  to  extreme  indul- 
gence. I  ventured  to  remonstrate  with  him  upon  his  course,  and  he 
became  much  enraged  with  me.  He  withdrew  from  me  his  pecuniary 
support,  and  engaged  in  a  very  bitter  persecution  of  me,  determined, 
if  possible,  to  drive  me  from  the  parish.       His  charges  circulated 


74  R^'^'  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

against  me  were  wholly  unfounded,  but  they  were  so  bold  and  posi- 
tive that  they  created  much  concern  and  inquiry  among  my  friends. 
I  refused  to  take  any  notice  of  them,  and  whenever  I  was  asked  if 
they  were  true,  I  always  answered,  "  Go  ask  Mr.  C."  "  But  he  al- 
ready says  so,"  was  the  reply.  "  Well,  if  I  should  say  they  were 
false,  how  should  I  mend  the  matter?"  Thus  I  endured  his 
reproach  and  hostility  for  five  years.  One  of  Bishop  Griswold's 
rules  for  me  was,  "  Never  vindicate  yourself,"  and  I  have  faithfully 
followed  his  direction  in  this  as  in  other  matters.  This  man  died 
some  time  after  my  removal  to  Philadelphia  in  1829,  and  sent  me, 
by  my  successor,  a  message  from  his  death-bed,  entreating  my  for- 
giveness, declaring  that  he  had  never  really  entertained  any  other 
sentiment  towards  me  than  the  utmost  respect,  and  could  not  die  in 
peace  without  my  forgiveness.  On  the  margin  of ^  the  letter  was 
written:     ''Mr.  C.  died  this  morning  at  four  o'clock" 

This  was  the  only  personal  difficulty  or  opposition  that  I  met 
during  the  six  years  I  was  in  this  parish.  To  recount  the  acts  and 
relations  of  affection  and  kindness  which  filled  up  those  years 
would  be  impossible.  Never  were  a  people  more  kind,  more  atten- 
tive, or  more  sincere.  The  intelligence  and  education  which  I  was 
obliged  to  meet  there  excited  my  utmost  powers,  and  I  gained 
much  from  my  constant  study  and  my  excited  efforts. 

There  was  no  good  school  in  the  reach  of  my  neighbors,  and 
during  a  portion  of  these  years  I  was  persuaded  to  receive  ten  of 
my  young  parishioners  to  be  taught  in  my  own  house.  This  was  an 
amusement,  rather  than  an  employment,  and  while  it  added  to  my 
income,  did  not  encroach  upon  my  other  duties.  I  taught  them  in 
m.y  own  study,  myself  studying  at  the  same  time. 

In  July,  1827,  our  dear  Alexander  had  been  added  to  our  little 
flock. 

During  this  summer  I  was  laid  aside  from  my  work  with  a  putrid 
sore  throat,  which  confined  me  for  several  weeks  and  quite  deprived 
me  of  mj  voice.  In  my  recovery  from  this  attack  my  brother  Dudley, 
a  physician,  visited  me.  He  told  me  that  it  was  impossible  to  proceed 
in  my  ministry,  and  begged  me  to  resign  it.  He  said  "You  are  cer- 
tainly in  a  consumption,  and  cannot  live  two  years  if  you  persist  in 
preaching. "  I  assured  him  promptly,  "  I  will  never  give  up  preach- 
ing, if  I  die  in  the  pulpit."  My  brother  has  now  been  dead  for 
many  years,  and  I  am  still  living  and  still  active  in  my  work. 

But  my  Lord's  appointed  time  for  this  happy  country  life  drew 
near  to  its  conclusion.  I  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  I  ought 
to  find,  if  it  were  possible,  some  more  concentrated  field  of  labor;  in 


Ministry  in  Prince   George  s   Co,y  Md.  75 

which  I  should  not  be  required  to  be  so  much  absent  from  home. 
My  parishioners  pressed  me  to  remain  with  them,  and  for  my  own 
comfort  I  could  readily  consent,  but  I  felt  I  was  accomijlishing 
but  little,  although  I  saw  no  special  opening  towards  any  other 
held. 

Where  I  should  go,  I  little  imagined.  No  place  seemed  to  i^re- 
sent  a  constraining  aspect,  and  it  was  my  duty  and  my  purpose  to 
wait  until  the  Lord  should  clearly  open  my  way.  Several  different 
churches  were  visited  by  me  at  their  request,  but  there  was  no  "  dew 
upon  the  fleece  "  in  any  one  of  them  for  me.  Thus  the  autumn 
of  1828  passed  by. 

In  the  following  winter,  while  reading  our  weekly  papers, 
which  contained  repeated  accounts  of  the  controversies  in  the 
churches  of  Philadelphia,  and  of  the  trials  of  the  Rev.  Benja- 
min Allen  in  St.  Paul's  Church,  in  that  city,  I  used  often  to 
say,  "  Wherever  I  must  go,  I  trust  the  Lord  will  not  send  me  to 
St.  Paul's  Church,"  which  had  become  vacant  by  Mr.  Allen's  death. 
And  yet  the  opening  of  the  sj^ring  of  1829,  proved  that  to  be  the 
very  place  to  which  I  was  appointed  to  go. 

Mr.  Allen  died  at  sea  on  his  return  from  England,  in  March, 
1829.  I  had  scarce  become  informed  of  his  unexpected  decease 
before  a  call  came  from  this  same  St.  Paul's  Church,  in  such  a  form 
that  I  felt  compelled  to  accept  it,  averse  as  I  had  felt  in  the  antici- 
pation to  the  possibility  of  such  a  trial. 

We  had  but  a  weekly  mail,  on  Thursday.  The  post-office  was 
more  than  a  mile  from  my  house.  On  one  Thursday  early  in  April 
I  found  five  letters  for  me  from  Philadelphia.  I  took  them  home 
with  me  to  read.  They  included  a  regular  invitation  from  the 
vestry  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  and  private  letters  from  friends  ui'ging 
me  not  to  decline  it.  I  considered  them  and  talked  over  their  sub- 
ject through  the  ensuing  week,  and  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  I 
could  not  undertake  the  charge  of  such  a  church.  Such  a  re2)ly  to 
them  severally  I  wrote  for  the  next  week's  mail.  When  I  went  with 
my  letters  on  that  day  I  found  several  other  letters  from  Philadel- 
phia which  related  to  the  same  subject,  and  I  took  them  and  my 
own  letters  back  to  my  house.  These  letters  contained  a  communi- 
catmi  from  a  committee  appointed  at  a  meeting  of  professed  pew- 
holders  in  St.  Paul's  Church,  assembled  to  prevent  my  coming  as 
their  rector.  And  this  committee  forwarded  to  me  a  protest  to  that 
effect,  signed  by  seventy-five  persons  professing  to  be  legal  voters  in 
that  church.  I  received  also  at  this  time  other  letters  from  mem- 
bers of  tbe  vcstr)',  denying  the  legal  authority  of  these  persons, 


76  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

and  from  clerical  friends  in  Philadelphia,  begging  me    not  to  be 
moved  by  such  opposition. 

It  was  an  opposition  avowedly  resting  upon  my  professed  evan- 
gelical sentiments  and  character,  and  made  up  of  persons  hostile  to 
such  views,  who  professed  at  the  same  time  the  utmost  respect,  per- 
sonally, for  myself.  This  was  manifestly  an  hostility  for  the  truth's 
sake;  and  I  felt  at  once  the  impossibility  of  shrinking  fi'om  that. 
I  accordingly  determined  to  accept  the  call  at  once,  and  so 
answered  all  the  communications;  and  gave  notice  to  each  party 
that  I  would  be  in  St.  Paul's  as  its  rector  on  the  1st  day  of  May. 

Thus  far  hfe  had  passed  for  me  with  unceasing  comforts.  God 
had  graciously  given  me  a  reputation  in  the  ministry  far  beyond 
any  expectations  of  mine.  Every  thing  in  the  prospect  seemed 
bright  and  encouraging.  "  A  great  and  effectual  door  was  opened 
to  me,  though  there  were  many  adversaries."  The  openings  for  a 
life  of  usefulness  and  faithfulness,  which  were  now  offered  to  me, 
seemed  unlimited.  There  was  no  apparent  obstacle  to  the  gather- 
ing of  an  abounding  harvest,  and  the  disseminating  a  wide  influ- 
ence for  my  dear  and  gracious  Lord. 

I  left  Prince  George's  for  Philadelphia  about  the  1st  of  May. 
In  Baltimore  I  met  a  committee  of  the  vestry  of  St.  Paul's  who 
were  on  their  way  to  conduct  me  to  my  new  home.  With  them  I 
took  the  boat  for  Philadelphia,  sorrowing  to  leave  the  many  friends 
and  brethren  whom  I  had  loved,  and  with  whom  I  had  labored  so 
happily  in  Maryland.  I  had  thus  finished  an  important  portion  of  my 
ministry  as  a  field  of  education  for  all  that  was  to  come,  and  from 
old  age  I  trace  back  its  influence  upon  the  whole  intervening  period 
of  life. 


A  constant  correspondence  with  his  father  was  maintained 
during  all  the  years  passed  in  Maryland,  and  many  of  these  letters 
have  been  preserved.  Though  they  add  but  few  facts  to  those 
already  related,  they  are  of  much  interest  as  revealing  the  spirit 
and  principles  which  governed  Mr.  Tyng  in  these  first  years  of  his 
ministry. 

His  life  in  this  country  parish,  effective  as  it  was  in  its  educa- 
tion for  succeeding  years,  was  attended  by  many  difficulties  and 
trials,  which  often  caused  a  desire  for  removal.  The  treatment 
which  he  received  from  Bishop  Kemp,  and  "the  dreadful  evil 
of  slavery,"  are  at  first  mentioned  as  his  reasons  for  a  change,  but 
others  are  urged  in  later  letters,  and  a  return  to  the  North  was  at 


Ministry  i7i  Prince   George  s   Co.,  Md,  'J'J 

all  times  desired.  Bisliox^  Kemp's  opposition  to  him  does  not  seem 
to  have  been  long  continued,  however,  and  it  is  a  singular  fact  that 
upon  his  death,  Mr.  Tyng  was  considered  as  his  successor  in  the 
church  of  which  he  had  been  rector. 

Writino-  to  his  father  in  March,  1824,  less  than  a  year  after 
removal  to  Prince  George's  County,  he  says : 

"  My  difficulties  with  Bishop  Kemp  are,  I  trust,  forever  put  to 
rest.  I  shall  make  no  attempt  to  revive  them.  He  ordained  me 
the  other  day  and  treated  me  with  marked  complaisance  and  atten- 
tion. His  opposition  to  me  may  have  arisen,  as  you  suppose,  from 
a  suspicion  that  I  was  a  Calvinist.  But  I  assure  you  it  is  a  most 
unfounded  surmise.  It  is  somew^hat  curious  that  my  Calvinistic 
brethren  rate  me  as  a  rank  Arminian,  and  the  others  again  imagine 
that  I  am  a  follower  of  Calvin.  The  truth  is  that  I  am  neither  the 
nor  the  other.  It  is  a  controversy  in  which  I  have  never  interfered, 
nor  do  I  believe  an  attention  to  it  would  be  at  all  advantageous  to 
me.  I  defend  myself  by  turns  from  each  imputation,  and,  without 
paying  attention  to  any  of  these  schemes  of  doctrine,  labor  to 
preach  and  to  practice  as  I  think  the  Word  of  God  directs. 

"  I  beg  you  never  to  hint  again  that  I  am   a  favorer  of  any  pre- 
destinarian  plan,  for  though  I  know  many  Calvinists  whose  character 
I  venerate,  I  can  never  bring  myself  to  a  unity  of  faith  with  them." 
Again,  writing  a  few  weeks  later,  he  says : 

"  Since  I  wrote  you  Bishop  Kem})  has  made  me  a  visit,  and 
manifested  perfect  satisfaction  with  all  my  parochial  concerns.  He 
has  appointed  me  to  preach  one  of  the  regular  convention  sermons. 
His  late  conduct  to  me  has  been  such  that  I  have  no  possible  cause 
for  complaint.  I  am  the  more  pleased  to  state  this  to  you  because 
I  have  mentioned  before  the  difference  which  has  existed  between 

us." 

Of  his  association  with  Bishop  Kemp  at  this  time  Dr.  Tyng  once 
told  the  following  story  : 

•'  He  came  to  visit  me  in  my  country  parish  once,  and  had  been  re- 
buking me  a  great  deal  more  than  I  liked.  I  was  driving  him  in  my 
chaise  from  one  appointment  to  another,  and  I  said,'  Bishop,  there  is 
not  an  old  woman  in  my  parish  who  can  put  her  pot  on  to  boil,  but 
you  must  lift  the  lid  to  see  what  is  inside  of  it.'  Brother  Hawley 
and  Brother  Mcllvaine  were  in  the  carriage  with  us,  and  when  they 
laughed  at  ray  remark,  for  they  too  had  hvon  reproved  by  the 
Bishop,  I  said,  "  My  dear  Bishop,  wo  had  better  move  off  and  let 
yo\jL  get  another  set  of  preachers.'  He  was  an  lionost,  old-fashioned 
kind  of  man,  and  a  very  broad  Scotchman,  and  ho  said,  *  Ah,  if  3'ou 


';^S  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D,D, 

go,  I  will  get  a  worse  set  of  preachers.'  Said  I,  '  It  is  not  likely 
that  you  will,  for  a  worse  set  for  a  Bishop  to  dragoon  it  would  be 
hard  to  find.' " 

In  the  following  letter,  referring  to  a  possible  opening  for  him 
at  Gardiner,  Maine,  his  various  motives  for  removal  are  set  forth  in 
detail,  and  many  of  the  difficulties  of  his  position  are  clearly 
depicted. 

Prince  George's  Co.,  Md.,  Oct.  Zd,  1825. 

"Your  letter  of  the  8th  inst,"  he  writes,  "  was  received,  my  dear 
father,  with  much  thankfulness,  and  aU  its  matters  I  intend  now  to 
treat  of  at  large.  I  am  sincerely  grateful  to  you  for  the  kind  wish 
you  have  expressed  to  help  me  in  my  wants.  I  had  no  expectation 
of  any  assistance,  nor  if  you  were  able  to  help  me  would  it  be  nec- 
essary. With  regard  to  the  matter  of  my  removal,  I  wdsh  now  to 
sum  up  all  the  various  motives  which  bear  upon  my  mind  on  either 
side.  The  situation  Avhich  I  now  hold  is  considered  the  best  coun- 
try parish  in  Maryland.  The  salary  is  in  general  a  good  support 
for  my  family,  and  so  far  as  I  know  my  labors  are  universally  accept- 
able to  the  jDeople.  I  receive  many  marks  of  attachment  and  regard 
from  them,  and  have  reason  to  beheve  that  they  in  truth  esteem 
me  highly  for  my  work's  sake.  We  have  a  most  comfortable  and 
convenient  house  and  have  this  year  enjoyed  uninterrupted  health. 
The  people  probably  have  no  idea  of  my  removing  at  present. 
The  society  in  some  respects  is  pleasant,  and  the  contiguity  to  many 
of  my  brethren  in  the  Church  is  valuable.  So  much,  in  addition  to 
the  general  inexpediency  of  changes,  for  remaining  where  I  am. 

"  On  the  other  hand,  the  parish  is  too  large  for  me  to  perform 
its  duties  properly  or  satisfactorily.  It  extends  twenty-five  miles  by 
eleven,  and  I  have  parishioners  in  the  remotest  corners.  My 
churches  are  nine  miles  apart,  and  all  these  distances  I  am  obliged 
to  ride  on  horseback,  the  only  practicable  way  of  journeying  alone 
in  this  country.  This  perpetual  exposure  is  very  severe.  My 
salary,  arising  from  an  annual  voluntary  subscription,  is  altogether 
uncertain  and  depends  entirely  upon  the  caprice  of  individuals,  by 
which  it  has  more  than  once  been  already  considerably  affected, 
although,  as  I  have  before  said,  it  may  be  probably  calculated  upon 
under  general  circumstances  as  a  reasonable  support.  Then  I  am 
elected  as  the  minister  every  year,  and  can  be  but  for  one  year  at  a 
time.  This  the  law  of  the  State  directs.  This  places  everything 
at  loose  at  the  year's  end,  and  if  three  vestrymen  out  of  five,  which 
by  law  constitutes  a  quorum,  become  dissatisfied,  with  reason  or 


Ministry  in  Prince   Geo7^ges   Co.,  Md,  79 

without,  1  am  liable  to  be  placed  adrift  with  all  my  family  without 
a  day's  warning.  Then  for  the  climate,  although  we  have  been 
perfectly  well  this  season,  it  is  the  valley  of  tJie  sJmdoiv  of  death. 
Every  home  exhibits  yearl}'  its  cases  of  bilious  fever,  more  or  less 
malignant.  The  slavery  system  goads  me  perpetually,  and  the 
jjroud  and  haughty  character  of  the  masters  is  quite  intolerable, 
though  I  believe  I  see  the  system  under  its  mildest  type.  These,  in 
addition  to  my  entire  remoteness  from  my  own  family  and  friends, 
for  my  removal.  Now  it  is  my  intention  to  remove  to  the  North  at 
some  early  period,  at  any  rate.  The  question  is  whether  I  had 
better  take  the  present  opportunity  of  removing  or  wait  another. 
I  can  move  but  at  one  time  in  the  year.  My  engagements 
here  terminate  with  eveiy  March,  and  when  renewed,  must  be  re- 
nevv'ed  for  a  year.  It  is  my  wish  to  get  away  as  soon  as  I  can,  and 
yet  I  can  hardly  tell  whether  in  consistence  with  my  duty  I  ought 
to  go  at  present. 

"  The  situation  at  Gardiner  I  imagine  would  please  me,  whether 
I  should  satisfy  them  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  say.  It  will  be  im- 
possible for  me  to  visit  them  now.  They  must  judge  from  what 
evidence  they  can  obtain  of  my  qualifications,  and  if  they  think  fit 
must  write  to  me  here.  This  is  all  that  can  be  done.  Now  I  wish 
you,  from  a  review  of  all  these  circumstances,  to  advise  me  uj)on 
the  subject  as  it  regards  a  definitive  step.  I  have  heard  that  I 
have  just  been  invited  to  Alexandria,  but  I  have  not  received  the 
communication,  nor  should  I  at  aU  accede  to  it  if  I  did.  I  shall 
never  remove  from  here  till  I  can  make  a  final  settlement  at  the 
North.     "When  I  can  do  that  I  shall  feel  truly  thankful. 

"  I  need  not  tell  you,  I  feel  pleasure  at  your  favorable  notice  of 
my  sermon.  I  care  very  little  for  rank  or  reputation  on  my  own 
account,  compared  to  the  desire  which  I  ever  feel  that  you  should 
realize  something  like  recompense  for  past  trouble  in  whatever  little 
respectability  I  may  be  able  to  obtain.  Notwithstanding  your 
thousand  apprehensions  and  the  contentment  which  you  used  to 
express  with  any  prospect  short  of  the  gallows  for  your  sons,  I 
hope  you  will  live  to  find  that  none  of  them  disgrace  you  in  the 
end.  My  prevailing  and  overruling  desire  is  that  I  ma}'  glorify  His 
name,  whether  by  life  or  by  deatli,  that  I  may  finisli  my  course  with 
joy  and  the  ministry  which  I  have  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus  to 
testify  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God.  I  meet  with  many  difficul- 
ties and  trials  here,  but  I  can  look  forward  in  faith  to  an  hour  wlien 
they  shall  have   gone  forever,  and  when,  through  the  blood  and 


8o  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D,D, 

righteousness  of  God  my  Saviour,  I  sliall  be  made  a  partaker  of  an 
inheritance  which  is  unfading  in  the  Heavens. 

"  Let  me  hear  from  you  soon  about  the  matters  of  this  letter  and 
try  to  excuse  its  length. 

"  Affectionately  your  son, 

"  Stephen  H.  Tyng." 

A  description  of  the  character  of  the  people  in  this  parish  and 
the  boldness  of  his  preaching  to  them,  is  given  as  follows  in  one  of 
Ms  lectures: 

"  I  supj)Ose  in  my  chapel  in  Maryland  I  never  had  over  fifty  per- 
sons, while  my  average  congregation  was  twenty-five.  In  that  con- 
gregation there  were  two  governors  of  the  state,  a  member  of  Con- 
gress and  a  judge  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  and  every 
one  of  them  I  believe  was  skeptical.  I  do  not  believe  that  one  of 
them  had  a  decided  belief  in  Christianity  even.  But  the  Lord  sent 
me  there  to  learn. 

"  I  preached  in  taverns,  and  from  house  to  house,  wherever  I  could 
find  a  room  or  a  gathering  for  the  purpose;  of  some  of  my  sermons 
to  this  people  in  one  of  the  taverns  I  will  repeat  my  texts. 

"  Isaiah  iii.  9,  '  The  show  of  their  countenance  doth  witness 
against  them;  and  they  declare  their  sin  as  Sodom,  they  hide  it  not. 
Woe  unto  their  soul,  for  they  have  rewarded  evil  unto  themselves.' 
"  Isaiah  Y.  11,  'Woe  unto  them  that  rise  up  early  in  the  morning 
that  they  may  follow  strong  drink ;  that  continue  until  night,  till  wine 
inflame  them.  But  they  regard  not  the  work  of  the  Lord,  neither 
consider  the  operation  of  His  hands.  Therefore  hell  hath  enlarged 
herself,  and  opened  her  mouth  without  measure :  and  their  glory,  and 
their  multitude,  and  their  pomp,  and  he  that  rejoiceth,  shall  descend 
into  it.'  " 

"  Ezekiel  xvi.  49,  '  Behold  this  was  the  iniquity  of  Sodom:  pride, 
fulness  of  bread,  and  abundance  of  idleness  was  in  her  and  in  her 
daughters:  therefore  I  took  them  away  as  I  saw  good.' 

"  There  was  at  first  a  good  deal  of  bustling  and  some  threats 
under  these  direct  rebukes  of  their  prevailing  sin.  But  I  yielded 
nothing,  and  the  complaints  ended  under  the  counsel  of  an  old  res- 
ident, who  said,  '  You  had  better  let  that  young  man  alone.  You 
will  not  do  much  with  him  and  you  know  he  is  right.' 

"  God  gave  me  many  precious  souls  among  that  people.  When  I 
left  them  they  gathered  around  me  with  the  appeal,  '  Why  do  you 
leave  us  ?  '  You  might  spend  your  life  with  us.  We  will  do  any 
thing  for  you,  we  shall  never  get  another  minister  that  we  shall  like 


Ministry  in  Prince   Geo7'ges   Co,,  Md.  8 1 

so  much.'  And  yet  by  the  help  of  my  gracious  Lord  I  did  not 
truckle  to  their  habits  of  life." 

In  speaking  of  his  studies  at  this  time,  he  said:  "  I  was  a  poor 
country  minister.  My  salary  one  year  with  a  family  was  $264,  and  I 
doubt  if  any  of  you  will  get  down  lower  than  that.  I  went  to 
housekeeping  in  a  very  small  way.  I  began  living  in  one  room, 
which  was  my  study,  my  bed-room,  my  dining-room.  I  bought  here 
and  there  a  book.  I  well  remember  when  I  got  hold  of  four  vol- 
umes of  Ezekiel  Hopkins,  and  read  them  straight  through  six 
times,  over  and  over  again.     I  had  nothing  else  to  read. 

"  Then  I  went  to  preaching  them  from  memory.  I  may  truly  be 
said  to  have  preached  extemporaneously  Bishop  Hopkins'  sermons 
over  and  over  again.  Then  Bishop  Reynolds'  six  volumes  I  read 
over  and  over  again,  till  I  could  tell  in  which  volume  any  striking 
quotation  could  be  found.  I  did  the  same  with  Leighton's.  These 
three  formed  my  chief  furniture.  I  never  read  Balph  Erskine  till 
going  into  a  store  its  owner  said,  '  I  don't  know  that  you  want  such 
a  book;  it  is  all  Calvin.'  'Well,'  I  said,  *  what  is  one  man's 
meat,  is  another  man's  poison.'  I  got  it,  and  of  all  writings  Ralph 
Erskine  is  fuller,  grander,  more  discriminating,  more  instructive 
than  any  writer  on  the  Gospels  and  the  Acts  that  I  know." 

Constant  reference  is  made  in  his  letters  to  the  affection  with 
which  he  was  regarded  by  his  people,  and  which  bound  him 
so  closely  to  them,  notwithstanding  the  various  motives  which 
induced  him  to  make  a  change.     In  one  he  says: 

'*  More  affection  I  could  not  receive  from  any  people  than  these 
manifest  toward  me.  Kind  assistance  and  attentions  are  sponta- 
neously offered  from  many  quarters  and  every  house  and  family  is  a 
home  to  us." 

Again  he  writes  upon  the  same  subject  as  follows: 

March  27th,  1827. 

My  Dear  Father — After  a  long  period  of  anxiety  I  received  your 
kind  letter  of  the  7th,  a  fortnight  since 

I  have,  yesterday,  made  a  new  engagement  with  my  parish 
under  very  pleasing  circumstances.  Upon  notice  of  the  plans 
which  others  had  formed  for  me  they  have  without  an  exception  ex- 
pressed their  anxious  hope  that  I  should  not  be  induced  to  leave 
them,  and  with  these  gratifying  expressions  of  personal  attachment 
they  have  made  a  considerable  increase  of  my  income.  These  man- 
ifestations of  affection  on  their  part  are  in  a  high  degree  pleasing  to 
me,  both  as  increasing  the  probable  comfort  of  my  future  residence 


82  Rev,  Stephefi  Higginso7i    Tyng,  D.D, 

and  as  indicating  the  value  which  has  been  assigned  to  my  past 
labors.  And  they  present  another  point  of  paramount  importance 
in  laying  open  a  way  for  more  profitable  exertions  among  them  here- 
after. I  hope  I  may  feel  truly  grateful  for  the  high  estimation 
which  God  has  given  to  these  exertions  with  them,  without  vainly 
confiding  in  myself  or  thinking  of  them  more  highly  than  I  ought 
to  think.  My  vigilance  and  my  most  sincere  prayers  have  been 
ever  directed  against  the  power  of  flattery  among  friends.  Every 
clergyman  is  in  some  degree  exposed  to  its  temptations  and  many 
by  them  destroyed.  I  have  never  sought  or  valued  what  is  called 
popularity  as  a  preacher.  But  the  respect  and  esteem  which  result 
from  a  faithful  discharge  of  public  and  private  duties  I  desire  to  be 
always  anxious  to  secure.  My  habits  and  my  disposition  are  re- 
tired. I  meddle  with  no  matters  beyond  my  own  vocation  and  I  sel- 
dom preach  out  of  my  own  pulpit.  I  am  not  absent  from  home 
more  than  three  or  four  Sundays  in  the  year,  and  yet  I  have  never 
repeated  sermons,  nor  have  I  preached  all  that  I  have  written. 
You  will  allow  therefore  that  with  my  constant  calls  from  home  and 
my  habits  of  frequent  visiting  among  my  people,  I  can  seldom 
be  an  idle  man.  But  I  should  hardly  have  been  led  to  say  so  much 
to  you  of  myself,  had  you  not  so  kindly  referred  to  my  habits  of  Hfe 
in  your  last. 

I  feel  gratified  exceedingly,  my  dear  father,  with  that  affection- 
ate reference  which  you  now  so  frequently  make  to  the  high  inter- 
ests and  the  rich  consolations  of  the  gospel.  The  comfort  of  a 
peaceful  prospect  for  another  and  an  unchanging  state,  can  never 
fail  us  and  should  never  be  forgotten  or  put  aside.  Whether  we 
are  young  or  old,  our  present  state  is  but  a  day,  the  only  possible 
value  of  which,  is  that  it  is  a  day  of  salvation.  Not  a  day  has 
passed  me  for  these  several  years  that  I  have  not  upon  my  knees 
presented  to  a  merciful  God  the  wants  of  my  dear  father  and  his 
children. 

We  are  here  widely  separated,  perhaps  we  shall  always  be  so. 
But  we  can  daily  meet  together  before  the  throne  of  grace  and  be 
the  means  even  in  our  bodily  separation  of  bringing  down  the  rich- 
est blessings  upon  each  other.  And  may  I  not  think  that  God  has 
heard  our  mutual  sui^plications  ?  May  I  not  believe  that  my  con- 
tinued and  unspeakable  comforts  are  the  fruits  of  my  father's 
prayers  and  that  even  in  your  behalf  the  petitions,  sincere  and 
affectionate,  of  a  child  once  wandering  but  now  I  trust  brought  back 
and  forgiven,  have  been  heard  and  answered  ?  I  truly  hope  that  you 
will  never    find  yourself  forsaken,  for  an   hour^  by    our  heavenly 


Ministry  in  Prince   George  s   Co.,  Md.  83 

Friend.  I  shall  never  cease  to  pray  that  through  the  precious 
blood-shedding  of  a  Mighty  Redeemer — for  that  is  my  only  ground 
of  confidence — you  may  receive  a  merciful  and  comforting  guidance 
throuo-h  your  remaining  days  and  a  free  and  gracious  pardon  and 
acceptance  when  your  last  conflict  is  finished. 

This  devoutness  of  spirit  and  mind  pervades  all  his  letters,  while 
devotion  to  the  one  aim  of  his  ministry  characterized  him  not  less 
strongly,  than  in  his  later  ministry  in  the   larger  fields  he  then 

occupied. 

The  earnestness  of  his  purpose  and  principle  in  preaching  is 
nowhere  more  fully  or  more  clearly  expressed  than  in  a  letter  to  a 
favorite  aunt  in  Newburyport  when  he  writes: 

Prince  George's  Co.,  Md.,  Novemler  15,  1827. 

I  shall  take  the  opportunity  of  Oapt.  Doles'  return  to  comply 
with  my  promise  to  my  dear  aunt,  in  the  transmission  of  Bishop 
Dehon's  sermons.  They  are  written,  you  will  find,  in  a  polished 
and  beautiful  style,  and  are  certainly  correct  and  orthodox  in  their 
representations  of  the  faith  of  the  gospel.  But  they  are  very  de- 
ficient, in  my  opinion,  in  those  clear  and  forcible  declarations  of 
divine  truth  which  are  alone  calculated  to  carry  conviction  to  the 
heart  of  man. 

The  great  object  in  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  is  the 
awakening  a  race  dead  and  sleeping  in  sins  and  the  converting 
of  them  unto  God.  Now  this  effect  can  hardly  follow  upon  merely 
didactic  preaching,  however  correct  may  be  all  the  points  which  it 
presents.  "We  feel  ourselves,  the  continually  lethargic  dispositions 
of  our  own  hearts,  and  the  necessity  Ihat  we  should  be  frequently 
aroused,  in  order  to  maintain,  with  any  degree  of  life,  the  fervor  of 
religion  within  our  souls.  The  experience  of  my  own  necessities, 
and  the  conviction  that  heart  answereth  to  heart  among  men, 
has  led  me  to  a  style  of  preaching  thought  by  some,  I  am  well 
aware,  too  vehement,  if  not  fanatical.  But  I  am  daily  the  more 
^convinced,  that  it  is  the  only  consistent  way  of  preaching  the  gos- 
'pel.  The  dead  and  careless  way  in  which  4ie  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus 
is  too  often  proclaimed,  hardly  presents  the  idea,  that  the  preacher 
is  sincere  and  earnest  about  the  great  matters  of  judgment  and 
eternity  and  heaven  and  hell  which  he  professes  to  set  before  the 
attention  of  others.  If  we  believe  these  things,  indeed  how  can  we 
help  feeling  them.  I  might  far  more  rationally  be  cool  and  philo- 
sophic, when  pestilence  was  preying  upon  my  body  or  fire  was  de- 


84  R^*  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D. 

stroying  my  habitation,  than  when  I  am  assured  that  "  the  wrath 
of  God  is  revealed  against  every  soul  of  man  that  doeth  evil,"  and 
'•■  that  ail "  have  thus  "  sinned  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God." 
I  am  persuaded,  that  however  earnest  and  excited  any  may  be,  in 
matters  of  salvation,  we  are  still  far  too  cold  and  unmoved.  And 
in  heaven  or  hell  we  shall  see  reason  for  far  greater  earnestness 
and  devotion  than  we  are  now  wiUing  to  feel  or  to  tolerate. 

Excuse  this,  my  dear  aunt,  but  I  well  know  you  think  in  some 
measure  with  me  upon  these  subjects.  I  hope  you  will  be  pleased 
with  the  Bishop,  remembering  this  one  exception. 

Since  my  return  I  have  been  busily  occupied  in  parochial  and 
domestic  cares.  A  most  unusual  degree  of  health  has  been  granted 
me,  which  I  feel  ought  to  be  devoted  far  more  exclusively  and  sin- 
cerely to  the  service  of  the  Great  God  than  it  ever  has  been.  I 
wish  to  become  more  faithful  and  disinterested  in  my  labors  for 
men.  But  alas,  I  see  in  myself,  what  I  hope  few  others  find  in  the 
same  degree,  a  continual  self-seeking  and  wandering  from  the  one 
great  object  of  proper  love  and  adoration,  a  crucified  and  exalted 
Jesus.  I  so  much  need  humbling,  that  I  often  fear,  God  in  His  wise 
goodness,  will  take  severe  and  awful  methods  to  bring  me  down.  I 
hope  His  grace  will  be  found  sufficient  for  me,  for  while  I  live  it 
shall  be  my  labor  to  serve  Him  daily  with  more  fidelity  in  the  gos- 
pel of  His  Son 

You  would  be  delighted,  I  am  sure,  to  see  how  many  mercies 
and  blessings  encompass  us  here.  I  onl}^  hope  we  may  be  made 
more  contented  and  thankful.  Earthly  comforts  after  all  are  but 
trifling  matters.  A  few  more  years,  and  they  will  be  nothing  to  us. 
But  then  are  we  ready  for  the  arrival  of  that  hour  ?  Does  Jesus 
dwell  in  our  hearts  by  faith  ?  And  are  we  laboring  to  drink  more 
deeply  into  His  holy  and  harmless  and  self-denying  Spirit.  These 
are  the  important  matters  for  our  consideration. 

It  is  too  fearfully  true,  my  dear  aunt,  you  may  rely  upon  it,  that 
many  around  us,  around  you,  are  building  upon  a  hope  of  secui'ity 
which  has  no  foundation.  I  cannot  but  tremble  when  I  reflect 
upon  the  mournful  disappointment  of  such  when  Jesus  says,  "  I 
never  knew  you."  I  can  find  no  way  of  salvation  revealed  in  the 
Bible  but  through  a  radical  change  of  heart  by  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  I  am  smiled  at  perhaps  by  some  for  my  insisting 
upon  this.  A  few  years  will  tell  the  truth.  I  feel  sure  there  is  no 
other  way  for  me.  I  hope  God  may  have  mercy  upon  those  who 
reject  this  way.  I  cannot  say,  I  believe  He  will.  Let  us,  however, 
give  all  diligence  and  feel  that  no  exertions  are  too  great,  for  an 


Mhtistry  in  Prince   George  s   Co.y  Md,  85 

object  so  unspeakably  important,  as  our  eternal  salvation.  Let  me 
be  remembered  with  much  love  by  you,  and  be  assured  I  can  never 
cease  to  love  my  Aunt  B.  You  will  hear  from  me  soon  through  my 
father.     Till  then  farewell. 

It  is  alike  expressed  in  the  following  letters  to  his  father,  whose 
health  was  then  gradually  failing: 

Prince  George's  Co.,  Md.,  March  3l5^,  1828. 

I  am  deeply  grieved,  my  dear  father,  to  hear  from  Susan  last 
week  of  your  painful  and  long  indisposition,  and  though  it  is  not  a 
long  time  since  you  have  heard  from  me,  I  felt  a  strong  desire  to 
write  to  you  at  once.  The  situation  of  my  own  family  has  been 
such  for  three  weeks  past,  as  woald  lead  me  to  sympathize  with 
sickness  in  any  one,  and  it  added  peculiarly  to  my  distress  to  hear 
in  the  midst  of  our  sufferings,  of  your  painful  confinement.  How 
painfully  at  such  a  time  as  this  do  I  feel  my  distant  separation  from 
you.  I  would  thankfully  be  with  you,  in  some  measure  to  comfort 
and  support  you,  were  it  not  thus  made  impracticable  by  our  wide 
removal,  preventing  me  even  from  hearing  from  you  as  I  wish. 

I  do  pray  God  most  sincerely  to  be  with  you,  and  strengthen  yon 
in  any  hours  of  trial  through  which  He  may  lead  you,  though  I  trust 
He  will  give  j'ou  yet  a  measure  of  restored  health  and  present 
peace.  The  nearer  divine  providence  brings  us  to  a  world  of 
eternal  recompense,  the  more,  my  dear  father,  must  we  tremble 
with  the  consciousness  of  our  own  sinful,  weak  and  worthless 
character.  What  are  we,  we  are  ready  to  say,  in  the  eye  of  an 
holy  and  heart-searching  God,  but  poor  beings  who  have  abused 
our  privileges,  wasted  our  days  of  grace,  and  returned  ingratitude 
and  negligence  to  the  highest  love  ?  And  what  is  there  in  ourselves 
that  He  can  look  upon  without  aversion  and  abhorrence  ?  Alas, 
if  we  can  see  these  deficiencies  so  plainly,  how  must  they  api3ear  to 
Him  who  cannot  be  deceived,  or  look  upon  transgression  but  with 
displeasure  ?  How  much  in  such  seasons  of  dejection  and  sorrow 
do  we  feel  the  need  of  a  Kedeemer,  who  shall  be  able  to  uphold, 
whose  full  atonement  can  make  provision  for  our  forgiveness  and 
acceptance,  and  who  will  not  forsake  us,  though  all  others  should ! 
Are  we  not  all  dying  sinners,  differing  only  in  that,  in  God's  wis- 
dom, 8(^me  of  us  may  be  nearer  the  end  than  others  ?  And  when 
that  end  conies,  my  dear  father,  is  it  not  a  most  important  matter 
for  consideration,  in  what  is  the  foundation  of  our  hope  of  life  ?  It 
is  quite  evident  that  we  cannot  appear  before  the  throne  of  God  in 


86  Rev.  Stephen  Higginso7i    Ty?tg,  D,D, 

the  confidence  of  our  own  integrity,  because  even  to  our  own 
retrospective  view,  life  has  been  filled  with  transgressions  and  follies, 
with  omissions  of  duty  and  positive  violations  of  law.  If  our  confi- 
dence is  in  the  mercy  of  God,  as  offered  in  Jesus  Christ,  there  then 
comes  to  our  hearts  the  solemn  question,  whether  that  mercy  has 
been  rejected  or  received,  whether  casting  away  all  hope  in  our 
own  obedience,  we  have  been  disposed  only  to  plead  the  value  of 
His  redemption,  praying  God  of  His  promised  goodness,  not  to 
weigh  our  merits  but  to  pardon  our  offenses,  or  whether  we  have 
not  destroyed  the  influence  of  His  intervention,  by  trusting,  partially 
at  least,  in  our  own  righteousness? 

I  often  ask  myself  what  is  a  good  ground  of  hope  in  a  dying 
hour,  and  I  can  see  no  other  than  this,  that  in  the  consciousness  of 
my  own  weakness  and  guilt  I  have  embraced  in  my  heart  that  free 
salvation  which  is  offered  in  the  blood  of  Jesus,  and  by  His  Holy 
Spirit  have  labored  to  glorify  Him  in  a  holy  conformity  to  His  image. 
A  future  day  must  prove  whether  this  is  my  case  indeed,  but  there 
is  no  other  foundation  than  that  which  God  hath  laid  in  Jesus 
Christ-  O  may  we  be  found  to  have  built  upon  this  !^foundation, 
"gold,  silver,  precious  stones,"  that  whether  you  or  I  be  called 
first,  our  rest  may  be  together  in  heaven. 

I  know  not  the  extent  of  your  present  sufferings,  and  my  mind 
is  extremely  distressed  and  anxious.  Let  me  hear  weekly  of  your 
situation,  and  if  it  be  not  improved,  at  whatever  sacrifice,  you  shall 
see  me  this  spring 

In  addition  to  the  frequent  journeys  of  which  he  writes  in  his 
record  and  as  being  required  in  his  own  parish  work,  his  interest 
in  the  Alexandria  Seminary  was  unabated.  In  a  letter  under  date 
of  Dec.  2,  1828,  he  says  : 

"I  have  but  yesterday  returned  from  a  long  journey,  in  an 
agency  for  our  education  society  and  theological  seminary,  and  in 
the  spring  have  agreed  to  undertake  for  a  much  longer  period  the 
same  business.  The  affairs  of  our  seminary  are  highly  prosperous, 
and  the  increased  number  of  students  renders  absolutely  necessary 
a  large  increase  of  funds  and  accommodations.  We  hope  in  the 
course  of  the  ensuing  year  to  be  able  to  place  it  on  as  extensive 
foundations  as  any  school  of  the  kind  in  the  United  States." 

The  following  letter,  while  speaking  of  an  accumulation  of  trials 
as  pressing  him  to  some  change,  is  also  of  interest  as  mentioning 
the  earliest  occasion  on  which  he  took  part  in  "  the  Anniversaries  " 
in  New  York,  in  which  he  was  so  prominent  in  later  years.  j 


Ministry  in  Prince   George  s   Co.,  Md.  ?>J 

Prince  George's  Co.,  Md.,  Feb.  IWi,  1828. 

My  Dear  Father — Your  kind  letter  of  the  llth  of  January  was 
duly  received,  and  I  only  postponed  my  reply  to  it  until  after  I  had 
made  a  visit  to  Baltimore,  whence  I  returned  the  latter  part  of  last 
week.  I  had  received  an  invitation  from  Dr.  Wyatt  to  preach  in 
the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the  death  of  Bishop  Kemp.  The  vestry 
of  the  church,  I  have  repeatedly  understood,  design  to  give  me  a 
call  to  this  place,  but  such  are  the  terms  and  the  character  of  the 
situation  that  to  me  they  would  be  at  present  insurmountable  ob- 
stacles.    Whether  therefore  this  invitation  be  given  or  not,  I  shall 

no  longer  think  of  it  as  a  place  for  me 

Not  from  personal  suffering,  but  materially  from  the  afflictions  of 
those  around  me  I  have  been  much  cast  down  of  late.  During  my 
short  visit  to  Baltimore  two  valuable  members  of  my  parish  were 
called  out  of  this  world,  and  my  chief  and  best  friend  here,  Mr.  Brooke, 
had  his  new  and  valuable  house,  with  all  its  contents,  consumed  by 
fire.  These  losses  to  me  are  afflictive  from  the  many  of  the  same 
kind  which  I  have  been  required  hitherto  to  bear.  By  the  death 
of  some  friends  and  the  losses  of  others,  my  income,  which  depends 
altogether  upon  voluntary  subscriptions,  has  been  much  reduced. 
These  circumstances  sometimes  seem  sufficient  to  drive  me  to 
another  place  of  labor.  But  then  I  reflect,  that  divine  providence 
in  a  remarkable  way  placed  me  here,  and  has  hedged  my  way  from 
all  possibility  of  honorable  removal,  whenever  I  have  thought  of  it; 
that  my  people  are  attached  to  me  and  satisfied  with  me,  and  it  is 
unkind  of  me  to  leave  them,  because  they  are  in  difficulty,  and  this 
satisfies  me.  I  dislike  to  talk  of  removal,  for  I  shall  be  nowhere 
more  happy  than  I  am  here.  But  the  claims  of  my  family  will  soon 
make  it  necessary,  if  my  life  is  spared.  I  wish  to  do  nothing 
hastily  about  it,*at  any  time,  and  I  assure  you  that  as  I  have  com- 
municated to  you  with  the  utmost  freedom  all  my  views  hitherto,  I 
shall  do  nothing  without  your  advice. 

It  pains  me  to  find  you  so  much  complaining  of  age  and  infirm- 
ity. I  pray  God  yet  to  spare  you  to  us  for  many  years.  We  all 
need  your  counsel  and  direction,  and  a  day  of  bitter  mourning  it 
will  be  for  us  when  it  can  no  more  be  had.  But  whether  life  be 
long  or  short  appears  but  of  little  importance.  You  refer  to  your 
worldly  concerns  as  not  depreciating.  I  am  thankful  they  do  not. 
Though  whatever  they  may  be,  for  I  liave  had  no  means  for  know- 
in"-  mv  only  desire  is  that  you  should  make  tliem  minister  to 
your  own  comfort,  even  if,  like  the  good  Archbishop  Leigliton, 
your    days    and    your    last    farthing   of   property    are    expended 


SS  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

together.  I  would  not  have  you  think  of  those  you  leave  behind, 
for  they  can  all  be  well  taken  care  of.  Consult  nothing  but  your 
own  wants  and  comfort,  and  have  no  anxiety  for  the  conclusion. 

I  have  received  a  very  flattering  invitation  to  address  the  Ameri- 
can Tract  Society  in  New  York,  on  the  9th  of  May,  and  should  be 
pleased  to  comply  with  it  if  it  be  jDracticable.  My  wish  is  to  go  on 
from  there  immediately  to  visit  you  for  a  few  days.  It  will  be  a 
powerful  inducement  for  a  journey,  that  I  may  have  the  opportu- 
nity of  seeing  you  all  together  once  more. 

I  have  had  a  kind  and  affectionate  letter  from  Bishop  Chase,  of 
late.  I  suppose  you  may  see  him  in  his  tour  through  New  England 
for  the  aid  of  his  new  college.  I  hope,  indeed  I  know,  he  will  suc- 
ceed, but  I  hope  for  much  prosperity  in  his  behalf.  I  highly 
approve   his   plan   and   the    principles   upon   which   it   has    been 

formed 

I  pray  God  to  be  ever  with  you,  and  abundantly  to  bless  you  all 
with  the  exceedingly  valuable  privileges  and  comfort  of  the  gospel 
of  His  Son. 

Your  truly  affectionate  son, 

Stephen  H.  Tyng. 

Bishop  Clark  of  Ehode  Island,  who  was  a  fellow  townsman  in 
Newburyport,  and  for  more  than  fifty  years  a  warm  personal  friend, 
in  some  reminiscences  of  Dr.  Tyng,  thus  pleasantly  recalls  the  occa- 
sions of  his  visits  to  Newburyport,  and  the  old  church,  so  often  men- 
tioned in  his  record. 

"  As  I  sit  here  to-night  in  my  lonely  study,  I  seem  to  hear  the 
clanging  tones  of  the  old  church  bell  in  Newburyport  as  it  broke 
upon  the  stillness  of  the  evening  once  or  twice  in  the  course  of  the 
year,  in  response  to  the  news  which  had  been  spread  through  the 
little  town  that  our  distinguished  townsman,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Tyng, 
was  expected  to  preach.  The  Episcoj^al  Church  at  that  period  was 
the  home  of  a  select  and  somewhat  limited  circle  of  worshippers, 
and  everything  connected  with  it  presented  a  most  respectable  and 
venerable  appearance.  It  was  the  first  parish  established  in  the 
township;  the  organ  was  the  oldest  instrument  of  the  kind  in  New 
England;  the  organist  was  as  old  as  a  man  could  well  be  and  still 
continue  to  finger  the  worn-out  ivory  keys  ;  his  brother,  the  sexton, 
was  older  still;  the  rector  seemed  to  be  old  because  he  had  been  in 
charge  of  the  church  from  his  youth;  the  people  were  so  staid  and 
precise  and  punctilious  in  their  costume  that  they  also  impressed 
the  beholder  with  an  air  of  antiquity.     I  remember  them,  just  as 


Ministry  in  Prince   George  s   Co,,,  Md,  89 

they  looked,  sixty  years  ago,  but  the  old  familiar  faces  have  all  van- 
ished, all  but  one,  and  that  is  the  face  of  a  man  who  still  goes  round 
as  warden  with  the  plate,  not  much  changed  in  his  appearance,  al- 
though he  has  passed  beyond  the  ninetieth  year  of  his  pilgrimage. 
"  On  the  evenings  when  young  Mr.  Tyng  officiated,  the  whole 
town  was  represented  without  regard  to  denomination,  and  the  most 
rigid  Presbyterians  did  not  hesitate  to  '  go  to  church,'  which  in 
those  days  always  meant  going  to  the  Episcopal  Church,  to  hear 
this  zealous  young  man  set  forth  the  gospel  of  Christ.  He  began 
his  ministry,  preaching  the  same  old  Scripture  truths  which  served 
his  purpose  to  the  end  ;  the  speculations  of  philosophers,  the  intru- 
sions of  science,  the  discussions  of  critics  never  diverting  him  for  a 
moment,  from  the  direct,  plain,  uncompromising  path  in  which  he 
believed  it  was  his  Master's  will  that  he  should  walk.  From  the 
beginning  to  the  end  of  his  ministry,  Christ  as  the  only  refuge  and 
hope  of  the  sinner  was  the  theme  of  discourse,  and  God  only 
knows  how  many  broken  and  contrite  souls,  through  his  ministra- 
tions, were  brought  to  the  Saviour." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

MINISTRY    IN    ST.    PAUL'S   CHURCH,  PHILADELPHIA,  1829  to  1834. 

The  whole  commencement  of  my  ministry  in  St.  Paul's  was  very 
remarkable.  It  was  the  oldest  of  all  the  churches  in  Philadelphia 
but  one,  having  been  built  in  1760.  I  did  not  know  a  single  person 
in  the  congregation.  I  had  preached  in  the  church  several  years 
before;  but  it  was  then  as  an  unknown  stranger. 

The  congregation  had  an  unhappy  reputation  as  a  divided  and 
contentious  body.  The  Rev.  Benjamin  AUen,  my  immediate  pre- 
decessor, had  encountered  great  difficulties  in  his  ministry  there, 
and  had  been  represented  to  me  as  much  persecuted.  I  have 
already  stated  my  aversion  to  a  connection  with  this  church.  But 
until  I  came  there  I  had  no  knowledge  of  the  extent  or  character 
of  the  labors  which  were  required,  or  of  the  extreme  measures 
which  had  been  adopted  to  prevent  my  coming.  Many  of  these 
were  so  riotous  and  disgraceful  that  I  prefer  to  make  no  record  of 
them.  I  was  elected  as  the  rector  according  to  their  charter,  at  a 
meeting  of  the  members  of  the  congregation.  The  controversy 
awakened  by  this  election  disavowed  all  personal  relation  to  me. 
The  offence  was  the  open  and  decided  stand  which  I  had  taken  in 
the  doctrinal  discussions  in  the  Church.  The  hostility  came  from 
the  external  party  influence  which  had  been  at  that  time  very  ex- 
cited in  the  election  of  an  assistant  bishop  for  Pennsylvania.  They 
carried  this  attempt  so  far  that  large  placards  were  placed  upon  the 
posts  of  the  church  gates  warning  against  such  ministers  as  I  was 
alleged  to  be.  It  was  the  knowledge  of  this  attempt  which  made 
me  feel  it  my  duty  to  accept  the  election,  disagreeable  as  were  the 
circumstances  attending  it.  It  was  a  bold  step  in  one  so  young. 
But  I  could  never  yield  to  mere  personal  hostility  or  persecution. 
I  felt  convinced  that  it  was  the  Lord's  controversy  in  which  I  was 
engaged;  and  it  was  not  consistent  with  my  duty  to  flee  or  to  hold 

back. 

On  the  first  Sunday  in  May,  1829,  I  took  possession  of  St.  Paul's 

90 


Ministry  in  St,  Paul's   Church,  Philadelphia,      91 

as  its  rector.  The  congregation  was  very  large  and  very  attentive. 
My  text  was  Paul's  declaration  to  the  Komans,  "  I  am  sure  that 
when  I  come  unto  you  I  shall  come  in  the  fulness  of  the  blessing 
of  the  gospel  of  Christ."  I  had  scarcely  cast  my  eye  round  upon 
the  congregation  before  I  discerned  veiy  clearly  my  opposers  and 
my  defenders.  The  Lord  was  with  me  and  blessed  my  work  in 
proclaiming  His  word.  Monday  morning  brought  me  one  of  the 
most  valuable  members  of  the  congregation,  converted  through  His 
grace  under  that  message  of  His  word.  This  was  His  divine  seal 
upon  my  entrance  among  this  people  that  "it  was  not  in  vain." 
From  that  day  the  chui'ch  was  always  crowded  with  hearers;  and 
the  prospering  of  the  work  of  the  Lord  was  wonderful  during  my 
labors  there.     Of  all  this  I  must  tell  in  its  proper  order. 

The  first  week  of  my  residence  in  Philadelphia  brought  to  me 
the  first  trial  of  my  position,  and  of  my  pur])oses  and  principles. 
It  was  an  adjourned  meeting  of  the  vestry  of  St.  Paul's,  and  I  was 
there  as  its  presiding  officer.  The  chairman  of  the  company  of 
"protesters,"  who  had  written  to  me  in  their  name,  was  one  of  the 
vestry,  but  I  had  never  before  seen  him.  AYhen  the  minutes  of  the 
preceding  meeting  of  the  vestry  were  read  by  the  clerk,  among 
them  was  a  resolution  assigning  the  salary  for  the  rector.  This 
man  violently  interrupted  the  reading  with  a  loud  utterance:  "  That 
is  a  mistake;  the  rector's  salary  is  yet  to  be  fixed."  I  saw  at  once 
the  purpose  of  making  new  difficulty.  And  I  instantly  remarked, 
"Your  by-laws  say  that  no  member  shall  be  allowed  to  speak  until 
the  question  has  been  stated  by  the  chau'.  The  chair  has  stated  no 
question.  The  gentleman  will  take  his  seat."  "  The  chair  is  right," 
resounded  from  several  voices.  The  vestry  was  composed  of 
twenty  meml^ers,  and  perhaps  all  were  present.  The  gentleman 
quietly  took  his  seat.  This  first  incident  settled  my  whole  relation 
to  this  class  of  the  congregation.  That  gentleman  became  one  of 
my  warmest  friends,  and  the  whole  party  whom  he  represented 
yielded  the  ground.  "  Jerusalem  became  a  quiet  habitation."  No 
congi'egation  have  I  ever  seen  more  united  and  affectionate  than 
they  proved  to  me.  A  fixed  purj^ose  in  the  pursuit  of  a  wisely 
selected  end  will  always  be  a  line  respected  and  effective. 

A  similar  incident,  however,  occurred  about  a  year  after,  when 
the  vestry  determined  upon  altering  the  church  building  to  its 
iiresent  aspect.  A  very  bitter  hostility  arose  in  the  vestry,  which 
treated  me  with  much  rudeness  for  presuming  to  advocate  the 
measure.  I  answered  their  personal  rudeness  at  a  meeting  which 
was  very  excited:  "  Gentlemen,  some  one  can  guide  this  house.      If 


92  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

I  cannot  do  it  I  shall  retire.  I  will  not  be  thrown  down  by  vio- 
lence; and  I  will  never  remain  to  be  persecuted  as  I  have  heard  my 
predecessor  was." 

These  two  incidents  made  up  the  whole  of  the  opposition  whicli 
I  met  at  St.  Paul's.  Perhaps  I  was  indiscreet  in  my  defence,  for 
one  so  young.  ,  But  I  had  become  convinced  that  I  had  no  hope  of 
success  there  but  in  the  utmost  decision  of  purpose  and  action. 

In  the  beginning  of  August  of  this  summer  I  was  called  to  New- 
buryport  by  the  extreme  illness  of  my  dear  father.  It  was  a  great 
comfort  for  me  to  pass  ten  days  with  him,  and  to  find  him  perfectly 
happy  and  hopeful.  This  was  the  first  time  he  had  ever  been  laid 
upon  a  bed  of  sickness,  though  he  was  now  sixty-nine  years  of  age. 
He  lived  but  a  few  days  after  I  was  compelled  to  leave  him.  But 
he  was  taken  from  us  in  a  sure  and  blessed  hope.  He  said  to  me 
on  one  occasion:  "  My  dear  son,  I  have  thought  all  my  life,  while  I 
was  trying  to  do  good  to  others,  that  I  was  laying  up  comfort  for 
myself  for  my  dying  hours.  But  I  have  been  trying  in  vain  to  re- 
member any  of  these  things;  they  have  all  gone  from  me."  I  re- 
plied, "My  dear  father,  this  is  what  the  Saviour  has  taught  us. 
The  righteous  whom  He  accepted  could  remember  none  of  all  the 
evidences  of  their  fidelity  which  He  recounted  to  them.  But  He  had 
not  forgotten  them."  At  another  time,  when  I  was  raising  him  in 
his  bed,  he  clasped  me  to  his  bosom  and  said:  "My dear  son, I  have 
a  wonderful  curiosity  to  see  the  world  to  come."  I  have  already 
related  his  removal  from  Boston  in  the  autumn  of  1821.  The 
last  eight  years  of  his  life  he  had  passed  in  the  place  of  his 
birth  in  a  peaceful  retirement,  but  evidently  in  the  want  of  ade- 
quate employment.  He  lived  to  see  me  in  my  honored  ministry 
and  well  settled  in  my  life,  and  he  had  much  happiness  in  thinking 
of  me  and  of  my  little  household.  He  had  kept  all  my  letters  to 
him,  and  they  were  returned  to  me  by  the  family  after  his  depart- 
ure. In  mj'-  grateful  memory  he  still  lives,  though  I  am  now  more 
than  eight  years  older  than  he  was  at  the  time  of  his  death.  His 
life  and  character  are  cherished  by  me  as  one  of  the  most  precious 
heritages  of  my  life.  His  opinion  was  my  constant  authority,  and 
his  exalted  and  upright  life  has  been  my  example'  through  all  my 
vears. 

In  this  same  month  of  August,  1829,  the  General  Convention 
met  in  Philadelphia,  and  Bishop  Griswold  became,  for  the  first 
time,  a  visitor  at  my  house.  He  and  his  wife  passed  two  weeks 
with  us  to  our  great  joy. 

Thus  the  first  summer  and  autumn  of  my  new  rectorship  passed 


Ministry  in  St.  PauVs   Church,  Philadelphia,      93 

by  in  the  midst  of  many  faithful  and  dear  brethren  and  friends, 
with  whom  it  was  a  great  pleasure  to  associate.  Our  association 
in  the  ministry  was  frequent,  and  our  preaching  round  the  neigh- 
boring country  was  an  habitual  work.  We  were  a  very  united 
body  in  all  our  efforts  in  the  gospel,  and  our  labors  were  pros- 
pered and  effective. 

The  congregation  of  St.  Paul's  had  now  become  a  very  large 
one.  The  church  building  was  an  old  one  and  very  uncomfortable. 
Its  aisles  were  paved  on  the  solid  earth,  and  occupied  by  vaults  for 
burial  beneath.  The  pews  were  high,  old  and  very  uncomfortable. 
But  notwithstanding  all  these  repulsive  facts,  the  congregation 
alwaj^s  crowded  the  jDlace.  I  opened  an  evening  service  on  Sun- 
day, thus  preaching  three  times  in  the  day.  I  had  also  a  lecture  on 
every  Wednesday  evening.  I  found  there  a  prayer-meeting  on 
every  Saturday  evening,  which  I  also  habitually  attended  and  con- 
ducted. The  Sunday-scliools  of  St.  Paul's  had  alwaj's  been  flourish- 
ing. They  were  established  in  1816.  Many  of  the  original  teachers 
had  been  steadily  there,  thus  engaged  to  the  time  of  my  rectorship. 
There  were  over  five  hundred  children  instructed  in  them  in  my 
time. 

This  was  my  first  opportunity  to  work  in  so  large  a  field  for  a 
cause  to  which  I  have  since  given  so  much  labor  and  care,  and  I 
entered  upon  this  work  with  very  great  delight.  Since  that  time  I 
may  say  that  my  chief  pleasure  in  the  active  ministry  has  been  with 
the  children  committed  to  me;  and  I  do  not  know  that  I  have  faUed 
on  a  single  Sunday  to  visit  the  schools  belonging  to  my  care.  What 
an  army  of  the  Saviour's  little  ones  have  passed  under  my  ministry 
in  this  relation  !  I  praise  my  glorious  Lord  that  I  may  say  what  a 
household  of  converted  youth  have  been  brought  to  Him  through 
this  blessed  instrument  of  His  power. 

Thus  in  the  very  opening  of  my  work  in  Philadelphia  there  was 
much  to  encourage  and  to  cheer  me.  I  was  happy  in  all  my  rela- 
tions,' and  I  was  prospered  in  all  my  work.  And  thus  passed  the 
first  year  in  Philadelphia  in  peace.  A  ver}'  interesting  and  encour- 
aging fact  occurred  to  me  in  the  early  part  of  this  year.  On  the 
first  Sunday  evening  on  which  I  opened  my  third  seiwice,  amidst 
all  the  outside  hostility  which  I  had  encountered,  just  before  I  be- 
gan the  reading  of  the  sorvice,  the  tall  and  venerable  form  of 
Bishop  White  was  seen  walking  up  our  middle  aisle,  with  his  cane 
in  his  liand,  and  his  green  spectacles  on  his  eyes.  He  came  up  to 
the  chancel,  and  laid  his  hat  and  cane  down  upon  the  cushion,  and 
seated  himself  quietly  in  a  chair.     It  was  a  most  generous  defence 


94  Rev.  Stephen  Hig^insofi    Tyng,  D.D. 

— as  much  as  to  say,  Whosoever  contends  with  this  j^oung  man  must 
also  fight  with  me.  This  he  continued  regularly  on  Sunday  even- 
ings, and  gave  me  the  full  benefit  of  his  paternal  defence,  com- 
pletely protecting  me  and  establishing  me  in  my  work. 

In  the  spring  of  1830,  the  ministry  and  the  congregation  re- 
quired so  much  more  provision  for  our  work  and  convenience  that 
I  proj)osed  to  the  vestry  a  renewing  and  remodelling  of  the  old 
church.  This  old  edifice  was  much  venerated  and  valued  by  a 
large  portion  of  the  congregation,  who  had  been  accustomed  to  it 
from  their  childhood,  and  the  idea  of  altering  it  in  any  way  seemed 
like  sacrilege  to  them. 

I  had  formed  my  own  plans  very  deliberately,  to  take  out  the 
whole  pews,  floor,  and  galleries;  to  dig  the  whole  surface  eight  feet 
deep;  and  then  to  raise  a  floor  six  feet  above  the  former  level,  and 
thus  have  a  complete  basement  story  for  our  lectures  and  our 
varied  church  work  in  the  week. 

I  laid  my  plans  before  Mr.  Strickland,  a  very  eminent  architect 
in  that  day,  who  thoroughly  approved  them  and  drew  them  out  in 
an  attractive  shape.  I  readily  induced  the  vestry  to  agree  to  my 
proposals,  and  to  appoint  a  committee  to  carry  them  out.  The 
scheme  was  then  laid  before  the  congregation;  and  although  there 
was  much  hostility  and  some  very  angry  opposition,  the  whole  pro- 
posal was  adopted  by  a  large  majority.  This  opposition  alienated 
from  me  the  support  of  some  of  my  warmest  friends.  The  hostility 
was  carried  out  in  the  most  aggressive  way.  Efforts  were  made  by 
misrepresentations  to  annihilate  the  credit  of  the  church,  and  thus 
to  frustrate  our  attempts  in  the  practical  execution  of  the  work. 
But  the  Lord  graciously  raised  up  for  us  very  efficient  and  valuable 
friends. 

John  Farr,  a  warden  of  the  church,  and  one  of  the  most  wealthy 
men  in  the  congregation,  and,  more  than  this,  one  of  the  noblest 
and  purest  men  I  have  ever  known,  thoroughly  sustained  my  plan, 
and  personally  assumed  the  whole  resj)onsibility  of  accomplishing 
the  work.  He  advanced  all  the  necessary  funds,  and  enabled  the 
committee  appointed  to  execute  the  plan  to  meet  all  their  engage- 
ments in  cash. 

AYe  commenced  the  actual  work  in  the  spring  of  1830,  and 
transferred  our  public  worship  to  a  hall  which  we  hired  in  Cherry 
Street.  And  on  the  first  day  of  January,  1831,  BishojD  White  con- 
secrated the  new  edifice,  greatly  to  our  joy  completed. 

This  renewal  of  that  aged  building  made  it  what  it  has  since 
remained,  with  the  exception  of  some  later  minor  alterations,  which 


Ministry  in  SL  Paul's   Church,  Philadelphia.      95 

have  been  made  in  tlie  furnishing  within.  With  the  completion  of 
this  work  new  and  extended  prosperity  attended  my  ministry. 
The  church  became  alv/ays  intensely  crowded  from  the  day  of  its 
opening.  I  preached  a  sermon  at  the  consecration,  giving  a  history 
of  St.  Paul's  from  its  first  establishment  in  1760,  in  its  material  and 
its  religious  aspects. 

From  this  time  my  whole  work  at  St.  Paul's  was  unceasing 
prosperity  and  success.  The  aisles  were  habituaUy  filled  at  our 
Sunday  evening  service.  The  people  around  called  the  building 
"  Tyng's  Theatre,"  and  were  accustomed  to  say,  "  He  could  walk 
from  the  pulpit  to  the  door  on  the  heads  of  the  people."  It  was 
indeed  a  period  of  unceasing  blessing  from  the  Spirit  of  God,  some 
aspects  of  which  I  will  relate  as  I  proceed. 

In  the  summer  of  1830^  all  things  being  well  settled  in  my 
parish  and  church,  I  took  my  whole  family  to  make  a  visit  among 
our  friends  in  New  England,  and  made  a  journey  with  my  dear 
wife  through  the  mountain  country  of  New  Hampshire  and  Ver- 
mont. Her  health  had  already  commenced  its  final  failure.  For 
the  whole  year  past,  symj)toms  of  consumption,  her  family  complaint, 
had  apjDcared.  This  mountain  journey  and  our  whole  summer's 
absence  furnished  a  large  measure  of  comfort  and  temporary  relief. 
But  we  returned  from  all  only  to  see  that  the  di'eaded  dispensation 
was  sure  in  its  progress  and  in  its  final  results. 

The  finished  alteration  of  our  church  had  given  us  very  adequate 
and  appropriate  provision  for  our  Sunday  Schools,  lectures  and 
meetings  of  various  kinds  in  a  large  and  well-ventilated  basement, 
and  our  work  was  enlarged  in  every  department  in  like  propor- 
tions. The  church  in  all  its  varied  parts  was  alway  full,  and  never 
appeared  to  be  open  in  vain. 

Bishop  White  had  been  a  friend  and  a  father  to  me  from  the 
time  of  my  first  coming  to  Philadelphia.  His  venerated  and  gener- 
ous countenance  had  been  a  great  comfort  and  help  to  me  amidst 
much  hostility  from  others.  On  the  3d  of  January,  1831,  my  first 
confirmation  was  held  by  Bishop  "White,  and  the  first  fruits  of  my 
work,  in  twenty-eight  new  members  for  the  Lord's  household, 
were  presented.  From  that  time  the  state  of  the  church  in  its 
religious  aspect  was  an  unceasing  encouragement.  During  the 
next  year  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  persons  ratified  their  vows 
to  the  Lord  in  confirmation.  Two  hundred  were  added  as  com- 
municants ;  persons  in  whom  I  could  entirely  confide.  Early  in 
this  year  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  send  us  a  very  remarkable 
revival,  the  blessed  fruits  of  which  were  to  me  a  most  joyful  result. 


g6  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D. 

Its  manifestation  opened  at  our  Saturday  night  prayer-meeting. 
When  the  social  exercises  were  concluded,  and  the  people  were 
retiring,  sixteen  persons  remained  kneeling  on  the  floor,  weeping 
in  deep  emotion.  I  went  round  to  converse  with  each,  and  subse- 
quently prayed  with  all.  It  was  a  refreshing  season  to  me  indeed 
— my  old  experience  in  Bristol  over  again.  There  were  among 
them  young  and  old,  and  some  of  the  best  educated  and  most  intel- 
ligent in  the  congregation.  I  invited  them  all  to  meet  me  on 
Monday  evening  in  the  large  vestry-room.  On  Sunday  I  gave 
raotice  of  this  meeting  for  personal  religious  instruction,  and  ex- 
tended the  invitation  to  others  of  a  similar  experience  and  desire. 
On  Monday  evening  more  than  seventy  persons  were  present  to 
ask  instruction  in  the  way  of  personal  salvation.  It  was  indeed  a 
wonderful  sight.  This  meeting  was  continued  as  a  weekly  inquiry 
meeting  for  many  months. 

As  another  instrument  to  meet  the  enlarging  want,  I  established 
another  meeting  for  prayer  at  six  in  the  morning  of  every  day.  This 
meeting  was  well  attended,  an d,was  maintained  at  this  hour  through 
all  the  seasons  for  more  than  two  years.  The  whole  of  this  period 
was  one  of  continued  and  deep  interest  among  the  whole  congregation. 
The  church  was  crowded  on  all  occasions,  and  the  assemblies  for 
worship  were  exceedingly  solemn  and  earnest.  There  were  many 
special  and  remarkable  incidents  of  persons  and  occasions  connected 
with  this  season  which  I  should  desire  to  record  as  I  have  opportu- 
nity. Never  has  there  been,  under  my  observation,  a  religious 
scene  more  impressive  or  affecting  than  the  condition  of  St.  Paul's 
Church  during  the  period  of  which  I  speak.  "  The  Lord  was  in 
His  holy  temple,  and  the  earth  kept  silence  before  Him."  "The 
dew  of  the  Lord  was  upon  our  habitation,  and  by  His  light  we 
walked  in  darkness."  How  often  have  I  looked  back  on  this  divine 
visitation  and  longed  again  to  see  its  renewal.  But  though  I  have 
received  great  blessings  upon  my  subsequent  ministry,  I  have 
never  witnessed  a  scene  at  all  like  this.  Many  of  the  children  of 
grace  given  to  me  in  that  day  remain  still  at  work  in  various  por- 
tions of  the  Redeemer's  Church,  and  I  may,  perhaps,  see  no  more 
such  scenes  on  earth.  But  "  mine  eyes  shall  behold  the  King  in 
His  beauty,"  amidst  the  glories  of  "  the  land  which  is  now  not  very 
lar  off"  in  the  prospect  before  me. 

During  this  remarkable  season  a  young  man  called  to  see  me  at 
my  house  in  the  evening.  He  was  well  dressed  and  a  gentleman 
in  manners.  I  obtained  from  the  history  which  he  gave  me,  the 
facts  that  he  was  a  married  man,  with  a  religious  wife,  who  had 


Ministry  in  St,  Pauls  Church,  Philadelphia,       97 

earnestly  desired  his  conversion.  After  some  conversation,  I  said 
to  iiim,  "  Will  you  go  home  and  tell  your  wife  that  you  mean  to 
set  out  at  once  to  serve  the  Lord,  and  ask  her  to  join  you  m  prayer 
for  God's  blessing  ?  "  He  answered  nothing.  I  repeated  the  ques- 
tion, and  asked  him  again.  He  still  refused.  I  repeated  the  de- 
mand again.  He  said  nothing.  After  a  few  moments,  I  said,  "I 
have  nothing  more  to  say."  Presently,  he  started  up  and  ex- 
claimed, "  I  will,"  and  rushed  out  of  the  house. 

On  the  succeeding  Wednesday  evening  I  saw  him  coming  in  to 
our  lecture  as  I  was  sitting  in  the  desk.  A  young  woman,  dressed 
in  deep  mourning,  whom  I  had  often  seen  there  alone,  was  leaning 
on  his  arm.  After  the  service  was  concluded,  I  went  to  them  and 
asked  him  if  this  was  his  wife,  which  he  acknowledged.  I  then  told 
her  of  our  conversation  and  of  his  promise.  I  asked  her  if  he 
fulfilled  it.  She  said  he  did.  I  said  to  him,  "  How  do  vou  feel  to- 
light  ?  "  He  said,  "  I  am  the  happiest  man  in  the  city  of  Philadel- 
phia." I  attended  this  dear  young  man  some  years  after  in  his  bed 
of  death.  I  asked  him  if  he  remembered  that  night.  He  stretched 
out  his  feeble  arms  and  exclaimed,  "  Remember  it  ?  I  shall  never 
.^orget  it  throughout  eternity.     It  was  the  new  birth  of  my  soul." 

Another  remarkable  incident  in  this  connection  was  in  the  win- 
ter. A  very  fashionable  lady,  the  wife  of  a  high  officer  in  the  navy, 
was  at  our  six  o'clock  morning  prayer-meeting  on  one  occasion,  and 
remained  till  all  had  gone  and  then  asked  me  to  walk  home  with  her. 
The  morning  was  still  scarcely  day.  I  expressed  my  astonishment 
to  her.  She  said,  "  I  left  mv  husband  and  familv  all  in  bed  and 
asleep.  But  I  remembered  this  meeting,  and  I  thought  I  should 
find  you  here,  and  I  therefore  came.  Last  evening  I  was  walk- 
ing down  AValnut  Street,  by  Washington  Square,  and  I  heard 
a  bell  rinerintr  as  it  were  for  a  relimous  service,  and  I  crossed  the 
square  to  follow  the  sound.  I  found  a  number  of  persons  going 
into  a  church  in  which  I  had  never  been,  and  under  some  peculiar 
impression  I  followed  them  as  they  ascended  the  stairs  to  a  hall 
over  the  front  door.  A  number  of  persons  were  assembled.  But 
I  saw  no  one  whom  I  knew.  While  waiting  there  what  was  my 
surprise  in  seeing  you  come  in  and  go  up  to  take  your  seat  in  the 
desk.  I  heard  you  through,  and  was  never  so  impressed  before. 
I  have  had  no  rest  since.  I  could  not  sleep  under  the  deep  impres- 
sions which  were  made  upon  my  mind.  I  called  this  early 
meeting  to  mind,  and  came,  leaving  all  my  family  in  bed,  that  T 
might  have  the  opportunity  to  see  you."  Thus  this  lady  became  a 
true  child  and  a  faithful  servant  of  God.     But  how  strange  the 


98  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Ty7ig,  D,D. 

appointment !  At  my  tea  the  preceding  evening  two  gentlemen 
called  upon  me  to  ask  if  I  would  go  up  and  take  their  evening 
lecture  in  the  place  of  their  pastor,  Mr.  Barnes,  who  had  suddenly 
been  taken  sick.  I  went  with  them,,  and  this  was  the  result 
which  the  Lord  had  appointed  in  the  fulness  of  His  wisdom  and 
grace. 

My  narrative  brings  me  to  the  spring  of  1831.  I  had  now 
finished  two  happy  and  useful  years  at  St.  Paul's.  As  the  summer 
opened  the  health  of  my  dear  wife  had  very  sensibly  failed,  and 
some  arrangement  was  to  be  made  for  the  season.  A  dwelling 
among  the  mountains  had  been  recommended  by  our  physician, 
and  I  determined  to  take  her  to  Wilkesbarre. 

The  accomplishment  of  this  plan  opened  the  way  for  the  exercise 
of  tender  kindness  on  the  part  of  others,  which  overwhelmed  me 
with  gratitude.  There  was  a  divine  providence  involved  in  the 
arrangement  thus  laid  out,  the  whole  bearing  of  which  upon  my 
future  life  has  been  very  remarkable. 

Mr.  Thomas  Mitchell's  family  was  a  valuable  and  important  fam- 
ily in  St.  Paul's  Church.  Mr.  Mitchell  was  a  man  of  large  business 
and  a  very  benevolent  spirit.  His  wife  and  their  two  elder  daugh- 
ters had  united  in  our  communion  during  the  period  of  which  I 
have  spoken.  The  younger  of  these  was  a  member  of  my  ladies' 
Bible  class,  a  very  large  and  gratifying  assembly  of  ladies,  whom  I 
met  in  every  week  for  an  hour  spent  in  an  earnest  study  of  the 
Scriptures.     The  elder  was  an  invalid  and  rarely  abroad. 

Mr.  Mitchell  called  upon  me  one  morning,  and  gently  asked 
in  what  way  I  proposed  to  carry  my  family  upon  this  proposed 
journey.  I  replied  that  I  designed  to  hire  a  hack  for  the  purpose, 
and  proceed  with  short  journeys,  as  my  wife  should  prove  able  to 
bear  the  fatigue.  He  replied  in  the  simple  request  that  I  would 
make  no  positive  engagement  until  he  saw  me  again.  In  the  mean- 
time I  discovered  that  he  had  sent  his  second  daughter  to  Wilkes- 
barre, with  some  other  friends,  to  make  a  promised  visit  there,  to 
the  family  of  the  Rev.  James  May,  a  very  dear  friend  of  mine.  A 
few  days  passed  by,  and  Mr.  Mitchell  came  to  me  again  and 
announced  this  absence  of  his  daughter,  and  asked  me  that  I  would 
take  his  carriage  and  horses  to  carry  my  wife  to  Wilkesbarre  and 
permit  his  daughter  to  return  with  me  in  the  carriage  to  her  home. 
The  delicacy  and  generosity  of  this  proposal  impressed  me  deeply. 
But  much  as  it  proposed  to  do  for  me,  I  gratefully  accepted  it. 

When  the  morning  for  our  departure  came,  Mr.  Mitchell  ac- 
companied his  carriage  and  directed  the   loading  and  preparing  of 


Ministry  in  SL  Paul's   Church,  Philadelphia,      99 

it  himself,  and  then  accompanied  us  on  horseback  to  see  that  we  got 
on  with  safety. 

This  whole  arrangement  was  so  graciously  adapted  to  the  con- 
dition of  my  dear  wife  that  it  appeared  to  me  then,  as  it  has  always 
since,  a  special  arrangement  of  the  mercy  of  our  heavenly  Father 
for  the  comfort  of  a  child  whom  He  loA'ed.  We  were  four  days  in 
accomplishing  this  journey  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles.  My 
intention  was  to  remain  with  my  family  a  week,  and  then  to  retui-n 
to  Philadelphia.  In  the  meantime  Mr.  Mitchell  had  written  to  his 
daughter  to  return  in  the  stage,  and  to  leave  the  carriage  and 
horses  for  the  use  of  my  dear  wife  during  the  summer. 

When  the  cool  weather  of  the  autumn  returned,  we  went  back 
to  Philadelphia  in  the  same  conveyance,  and  she  was  again  at  our 
little  home  with  apj^arent  comfort.  It  soon  appeared,  however, 
that  there  was  no  hope  or  prospect  of  permanent  relief.  All  that 
could  be  done  by  medical  skill  and  watchful,  earnest  care  was  tried 
in  vain.  She  maintained  her  active,  cheerful  habits  of  constant 
employment  and  affectionate  interest  in  all  around  her.  In  fine 
weather  the  unceasing  kindness  of  Mr.  Mitchell  gave  her  the  op- 
portunity to  ride  abroad,  and  his  daughter,  her  unchanging  friend, 
constantly  accompanied  and  attended  to  her. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1832  the  final  confinement  came.  Yet 
after  this,  on  several  fine  days,  she  was  able  again  to  ride.  But 
as  the  month  of  May  approached,  her  faithful  physician  said 
"  she  could  last  but  little  longer."  For  about  two  weeks  she  did 
not  leave  her  room.  Yet  she  was  not  confined  to  her  bed  for  a 
single  day.  In  my  overwhelming  grief  she  cheered  and  encour- 
aged me  by  her  own  cheerful  hope.  When  I  expressed  anxiety  for 
our  children,  she  said:  "  Give  yourself  no  concern  for  my  children, 
God  will  bring  them  all  to  Himself."  All  that  earthly  mind  and 
care  could  do  for  her  was  freely  provided.  But  all  was  vain,  ex- 
cept to  comfort  and  cheer  her.     The  appointed  end  had  come. 

On  Friday  we  committed  her  precious  body  to  the  tomb.  On 
Sunday  afternoon  I  preached  to  my  people  on  her  exalted  life  and 
character,  from  Jeremiah  xv.  9:  "  Her  sun  has  gone  down  while 
it  was  3'et  day." 

^lany  years  have  gone  by.  The  sorrows  of  that  jioriod,  the  love- 
liness of  that  character,  tlie  influence  of  that  example,  have  never 
faded  from  my  mind.  I  truly  bless  my  gracious  God  and  Saviour 
for  His  boundless  mercies  thus  attending  me.  And  I  trust  my  life 
and  ministry  have  in  some  degree  shown  the  fruits  of  the  mercies 
and  tlie  discipline  involved  in  the  i^eriod  which  I  have  thus  described. 


lOO  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

In  the  same  month  of  May  I  carried  out  certain  arrangements 
which  I  had  previously  made  for  my  family,  not  anticipating  this 
sad  event  so  soon,  and  undertook  a  journey  on  horseback  alone 
through  the  western  and  northern  parts  of  Pennsylvania,  occupying 
about  six  weeks,  and  thus  gained  much  in  health  and  bodily  strength. 

During  the  succeeding  winter  my  church  continued  very  crowded 
and  flourishing.  The  congregation  was  large,  and  all  things  around 
me  were  entirely  prosperous  and  promising.  The  minuter  circum- 
stances of  this  interval  I  need  not  describe.  The  Lord  was  very 
gracious  to  me.  He  had  already  given  me  a  position  and  reputation 
in  His  Church  which  I  had  never  anticipated.  I  had  published  two  of 
my  earliest  books,  which  have  since  received  a  large  and  constant  sale. 

In  July,  1833,  a  very  important  change  in  my  household  and  in 
my  personal  condition  was  made,  by  the  goodness  of  my  gracioua 
Heavenly  Governor,  in  my  marriage  with  the  second  daughter  of  my 
generous  friend,  Mr.  Thomas  Mitchell.  We  were  married  in  the 
morning,  at  his  house,  No.  99  Walnut  Street,  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop 
White. 

Any  farther  particular  reference  to  my  family  concerns  will  be 
unnecessary.  My  children  are  livmg  witnesses  of  the  untiring 
fidehty  and  affection  manifested  in  the  unceasing,  seK-denying  caro 
for  us  aU,  which  have  marked  and  distinguished  the  whole  domestic 
ministry  of  her  who  was  given  to  me  to  supply  my  vacant  heart  and 
home;  who  for  more  than  forty  years  has  had  the  mother's  care  of 
my  household,  and  been  the  loving,  patient  partner  of  my  life,  and 
stiU  remains  the  most  precious  of  my  earthly  blessings. 

Few  households  on  earth  have  been  more  prospered.  Few  families 
have  enjoyed  such  unbroken  harmony  and  mutual  love.  And  I  am 
fully  persuaded  that  she  will  be  ever  reverenced  and  loved  as  her 
patient  fidelity  and  her  unselfish  kindness  deserve  and  demand 
from  all  of  my  children,  and  from  theirs  also,  in  the  generations 
soon  to  take  the  i)lace  which  we  have  occupied  so  long.  May  the 
gracious  blessings  of  their  father's  God  thus  abide  with  them  aH 
and  prosper  them  in  His  heavenly  way. 


The  removal  to  Philadelphia  brought  Mr.  Tyng  at  once  into 
greatly  increased  responsibility  and  labor  in  pastoral  work,  and 
placed  him  in  important  connections  in  other  lines  of  effort.  Into 
aU  these  he  entered  with  aU  his  natural  earnestness  and  zeal. 
It  was  a  time  of  great  excitement,  but  little  subsequent  to  the 
election   of    Dr.  Henry  XJ.   Onderdonk,   as   assistant   Bishop,    and 


Ministry  i7i  St.  Pauls   Church,  Philadelphia,     lOl 

throughout  the  entire  period  of  Mr.  Tyng's  ministry  there,  there 
was  scarcely  a  lull  in  the  agitations  and  controversies  arising  from 
one  and  another  cause. 

From  the  comparative  seclusion  of  his  country  parish,  he  had 
looked  as  from  a  distance  upon  the  field  to  which  he  was  now  trans- 
ferred, but  there  was  no  uncertainty  in  his  stand  upon  the  ques- 
tions which  divided  the  Church,  and  he  bore  his  full  share  of  the 
responsibility  devolving  on  those  who  maintained  its  Evangelical 
principles.  Though  fearless  in  defence  of  the  truth,  he  was,  how- 
ever, far  from  having  a  controversial  spirit,  and  the  following  extract 
from  a  sermon  preached  at  St.  Paul's  in  1830,  clearly  voiced  his 
governing  principles  in  this  connection. 

"  In  a  conclusion  of  these  remarks  we  may  learn  the  importance 
of  contending  only  for  matters  of  consequence  in  the  doctrines  of 
the  gospel.  Had  the  controversies  among  Christians,  been  nar- 
rowed down  to  those  which  really  had  an  object  of  any  moment, 
their  number  would  have  been  extremely  limited.  Let  us  profit  by 
the  experience  of  those  who  have  gone  before  us.  For  the  faith 
delivered  to  the  saints  we  are  surely  to  contend,  but  not  for  meats 
or  drinks,  or  times,  or  ceremonies  are  we  to  destroy  the  work  of 
God.  If  infidelity  raise  its  sneering  front  against  the  gospel,  we 
are  to  oppose  its  influence  with  all  our  strength.  If  serious  errors 
creej)  in,  leading  men  to  deny  or  dishonor  the  Lord  who  bought 
them,  we  are  not  to  be  secret  in  our  acknowledgment  of  the  truth- 
There  may  be  occasions  in  which  duty  will  place  us  in  a  position  of 
conflict,  but  let  us  watch  over  the  spirit  of  controversy,  and  if  it  be 
the  fact,  as  I  trust  I  have  shown,  that  the  subject  of  some  of  the 
most  serious  controversies  which  have  ever  agitated  the  Christian 
Church  is,  after  all,  a  point  of  but  small  moment  and  quite  unde- 
termined in  the  Word  of  God,  let  the  knowledge  of  this  fact  lead 
us  to  suspect  every  disposition  to  contend  for  anything,  which  is  not 
one  of  the  most  important  points  of  Christian  truth. 

"Let  the  subject  sliow  us  also  the  necessity  of  a  sjiirit  of  kindness 
and  forbearance.  When  the  Scrij^ture  has  left  anj'  point  witliout  very 
clear  decision,  tliere  can  be  no  power  afterwards  to  erect  a  standard 
of  infalHl)ility,  and  men  must  be  permitted  to  see  with  their  own  eyes. 
If  any  of  our  Christian  brethren  think  that  to  be  imj^ortant  which 
we  consider  quite  of  minor  consequence,  the  pleasure  which  arises 
from  what  we  consider  a  higher  degree  of  light  is  quite  sufficient 
for  us,  without  the  disposition  to  reproach  or  to  triumph  over 
others.     Let  every  man  be  fully  persuaded  in  his  own  mind,  and 


I02  Rev,   Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

let  us  endeavor  to  cultivate  more  and  more  that  spirit  of  love  which 
while  it  belie veth  all  things  revealed,  endureth  all  things." 

These  principles  and  desires  are  reiterated,  even  more  fully  and 
clearly,  in  the  sermon  preached  on  January  1,  1831,  at  the  opening 
service  in  the  reconstructed  St.  Paul's. 

This  sermon  was  upon  the  text,  Haggai  ii.  9,  "  The  glory  of  this 
latter  house  shall  be  greater  than  the  glory  of  the  former,  saith  the 
Lord  of  Hosts;  and  in  this  place  will  I  give  peace,  saith  the  Lord  of 
Hosts." 

After  reviewing  the  history  of  the  church  and  its  successive 
rectors  he  continued: 

"  This  has  been  the  '  glory  of  the  former  house,'  the  glory  of  the 
gospel,  the  glory  of  Christ.  In  looking  forward  to  the  '  glory  of 
this  latter  house '  upon  the  present  occasion,  it  is  more  than  possible 
that  our  ardent  wishes  may  give  a  coloring  to  our  expectations  of 
future  prosperity,  and  lead  us  to  hope  for  more  than  shall  be 
actually  realized.  We  are  to  remember,  however,  that  the  results 
of  our  present  engagements  and  plans  wiU  be  determined  much  by 
our  own  conduct  and  character. 

"  In  our  text  he  gives  the  Israelites  the  great  reason  why  the 
glory  of  the  latter  temple  should  exceed  the  glory  of  the  former; 
that,  in  that  place  He  would  give  -peaLce— peace,  the  greatest  and 
most  desirable  of  all  earthly  blessings.  While  that  house  re- 
mained, Jesus,  the  desire  of  all  nations,  was  offered  a  sacrifice 
for  sin,  and  there  was  opened  in  His  blood  the  only  possible 
fountain  for  human  transgression,  a  fountain  which  could  cleanse 
from  all  sin,  and  give  to  every  conscience  eternal  peace 

"  It  is  upon  this  prospect  of  the  peace,  which  we  may  be  per- 
mitted to  enjoy  in  this  house,  that  I  would  have  your  minds 
to  rest  at  this  time,  with  thankfulness  and  hope. 

"  Peace,  in  our  ecclesiastical  relation  to  other  congregations  in 
the  diocese. 

"  Peace,  in  our  internal  affairs,  as  an  independent  congregation. 
"  Peace,  in  our  spiritual  experience,  as  individual  believers  in 
the  Lord  Jesus. 

"  We  hope  the  period  of  controversies  and  disputes  in  the  Epis- 
copal Church  has  passed  forever.  Days  of  religious  dissension  have 
been  days  of  spiritual  blight  and  desolation;  and  rehgious  pros- 
perity, in  its  proper  sense,  we  can  never  look  for,  while  with  the 
excited  passions  of  depraved  hearts,  every  man's  hand  is  against 
his  brother.  Whatever  might  have  been  the  necessity  for  these 
ecclesiastical  contentions,  in  the  years  which  have  passed  by,  that 


Mhiistry  in  St,  Paul's   Church,  Philadelphia.     103 

necessity  does  not  now  exist.  Whatever  course  duty  might  have 
required  me  to  pursue,  had  I  been  placed  here  before  that  time,  I 
should  certainly  have  acted,  as  I  always  design  to  act,  openly  and 
fearlessly,  as  an  honest  man,  according  to  the  best  directions  of  my 
own  judgment.  But  when  I  came  among  you,  I  found  no  just 
cause  for  dissension,  nor  have  I  since  discovered  any. 

"  I  have  seen  no  danger  of  infringement  upon  that  independence 
of  ministration  which  is  secured  to  every  clergyman,  and  tliat  power 
of  internal  self-government  which  belongs  to  every  cougregationj 
under  the  wholesome  discipline  of  our  canons.  No  unlawful  inter- 
ference has  been  used  in  our  affairs,  nor  any  improper  imposition 
laid  upon  us,  within  my  knowledge,  by  any  who  have  authority 
over  us.  I  deem  it  a  matter  of  duty,  to  bear  a  public  and  honest 
testimony  to  the  paternal  kindness  which  has  been  alwa^'s  mani- 
fested towards  me  by  our  venerable  Diocesan,  and  to  the  uniform 
affection  and  respect  with  which  I  have  been  met  by  every  clergy- 
man of  our  Church  in  this  city,  with  whom  I  have  been  placed  in 
intercourse.  Whatever  reason,  therefore,  there  might  formerly 
have  been  for  sej^aration  between  this  congregation  and  others, 
there  is  none  such  now;  and  while  our  rights  are  not  denied,  our 
services  are  not  disturbed;  but  Avith  a  spirit  of  kindness  others  are 
disposed  to  further  and  assist  us,  though  not  perhaps  convinced  of 
the  expediency  of  all  our  selected  instruments  of  usefulness.  I  can 
see  nothing  to  militate  against  the  universal  cultivation  of  a  spirit 
of  ecclesiastical  peace. 

"  This  spirit  of  mutual  peace  I  have  truly  desired  and  labored 
here  to  maintain,  and  I  trust  that  we  may  all  be  led,  thus  to  cut  off 
occasion,  from  persons  who  care  little  for  the  real  prosperity  of 
religion,  but  seek,  from  a  supposed,  or  pretended  ojoiDOsition  in 
us,  to  the  authority  and  laws  of  the  Church,  to  throw  obstacles 
in  the  way  of  our  success,  and  to  raise  unnecessary  disturbances 
among  ourselves.  This  jnilpit,  while  occupied  by  me,  will  be  freely 
open,  and  affectionately  offered  to  every  respectable  clergyman  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  by  whatever  distinctive  appella- 
tion he  may  be  known.  If  illegal  impositions  are  placed  upon  us, 
I  trust  we  shall  not  be  backward  in  our  determination,  to  stand 
fast  in  the  liberty  which  is  our  proper  right.  But  let  no  imaginary 
difficulties  take  the  place  of  real  ones,  nor  any  merely  supposed 
causes  of  dissent,  throw  up  unprofitable  lines  of  separation  between 
us  and  others,  with  whom  we  are  and  must  be  connected. 

"In  this  place,  we  trust,  God  will  give  us  peace  in  our  internal 
affairs,  as  an  independent  congregation.     It  is  full  time  that  the 


i04  Rev,  Stephen  Higginsoii    Tyng,  D,D, 

reproach  was  wiped  off  from  our  character,  which  has  been  so  fre- 
quently repeated  to  me  in  this  city,  that  this  has  been  a  contentious 
church  from  its  foundation.  And  the  entire  harmon}^  and  unanim- 
ity, and  energy,  with  which  the  wardens  and  vestry  of  the  present 
year  have  carried  on  the  affairs  committed  to  them;  the  unusually 
reneral  satisfaction  which  has  been  expressed  among  the  congrega- 
tion in  their  government;  the  success  with  which  this  arduous 
undertaking  has  been  completed,  in  the  present  beautiful  improve- 
ment of  the  church;  and  the  pleasing  testimonials  of  unqualified 
approbation  which  are  borne  to  the  result,  by  many  who  feared  and 
deprecated  the  commencement  of  this  enterprise;  give  us  the  most 
cheering  hojDes  that  peace  is  to  be  restored  within  our  walls,  and 
prosjDerity  within  our  palaces 

"  This  peace,  I  have  said,  is  the  object  of  our  hope.  I  say  so,  be- 
cause I  see  a  reviving  spirit  of  true  religion  among  our  members; 
because  the  outward  divisions  in  the  Church,  which  formerly  gave 
shape  to  your  internal  dissensions,  have  so  passed  away,  that  the 
names  by  which  they  were  known  are  now  hardly  used;  because  for 
many  years  there  has  not  been  so  great  an  union  of  effort  and  desire 
and  success  in  this  congregation,  as  God  has  been  pleased  to  grant 
us  during  the  year  which  has  past,  because  the  entire  harmony  which 
has  subsisted  between  the  present  officers  of  the  church,  gives  us 
reasonable  ground  for  this  expectation;  and  because  I  hope  and 
believe  that  all  are  wearied  with  contention.  To  this  end,  to  put 
down  a  spirit  of  controversy  and  dispute,  and  to  '  live  peaceably,  if 
it  be  possible,  with  all  men,'  I  pray  the  members  of  my  congregation 
to  direct  their  exertions,  their  determinations,  and  their  prayers. 

"  Here  we  trust,  God  will  give  spiritual  peace,  in  Jesus  Christ  His 
Son,  to  many  an  individual  heart. 

"  I  turn  to  this,  as  the  great  object  of  our  desires,  that  men  may 
have  peace  in  believing,  and  innumerable  ransomed  souls  may  be 

spiritually  united  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ o     Religion 

is  one  thing,  as  regarded  in  the  order,  regularity,  and  beauty 
of  its  outward  services,  in  which  even  the  worldly  may  partake; 
and  quite  another,  in  the  experimental  knowledge  of  its  power, 
which  belongs  pecuharly  to  the  converted  heart.  The  peace  which 
Jesus  gives,  is  in  answer  to  the  deep  consciousness  of  want  which 
His  Spirit  has  before  awakened,  in  satisfaction  of  the  earnest  calls 
for  that  consolation  and  hope  which  the  mourning  sinner  anxiously 
desires.     ..... 

"  The  promise  that  spiritual  peace  shall  be  given,  implies  that 
there  must  be  such  preaching  here,  as  shall  tend  to  awaken  the 


Ministry  in  St,  Paurs   Church,  Philadelphia.     io5 

careless  and  unconcerned.  Men  must  be  made  to  know  and  feel 
their   own   necessities,    and   not   allowed   to   persuade    themselves 

that   there    is   peace,    when   there    is   no    peace It 

implies  that  there  must  be  such  preaching  as  shall  be  calculated 
to  lead  the  awakened  soul  to  Jesus  Christ.  The  unsearchable  riches 
of  His  grace  must  be  freely  offered  to  the  acceptance  of  all,  and  free 
redemption  through  His  blood  be  made  the  sum  and  substance  of 
the  promises  here  proposed.  '  Other  foundation  must  no  man  lay 
than  that  is  laid,  which  is  Jesus  Christ.'     ..... 

"  If  the  promise  of  our  text  is  to  be  fulfilled  among  us,  it  wiU  be 
mainly  in  answer  to  your  effectual  supplications.  In  the  closet  and 
in  the  family,  in  the  social  meeting  and  the  public  service,  remember 
that  your  pastor  rests,  under  the  blessing  of  the  Spirit,  upon  your 
prayers,  and  that  God  will  bless  him  in  proportion  to  the  sincerity 
and  ardor  of  your  devotion.  If  he  is  faithful  in  preaching  the  gos- 
pel of  Jesus,  and  you  are  faithful  in  sustaining  him  in  the  work  he 
has  to  do,  the  gracious  promise  of  our  text  shall  be  fulfilled  to  us 
from  day  to  day." 

A  singular  testimony  to  the  faithfulness  and  power  of  his  preach- 
ing at  this  time,  is  borne  by  the  following  letter,  which  was  received 
some  fifty  years  later; 

New  York,  A^ril  2,  1881. 

Rev.  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  D.D. 

ifev.  and  Dear  Sin  —It  must  now  be  fifty  years  ago,  being  in 
Philadelphia,  my  classmate  (at  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  school  at  Flush- 
ing, L.  I.,)  the  late  lit.  Rev.  Bishop  Odenheimer,  son  of  John  Oden- 
heimer,  invited  me  to  stay  a  few  days  of  our  annual  vacation 
at  his  father's  house. 

You  were  then  the  pastor  of  a  church  in  Third  Street,  near 
Spruce,  in  that  city.  One  Sunday  evening  you  preached  2.  sermon 
from  the  text,  "He  that  sat  upon  the  white  horse  was  faithful  and 
true."  Although  only  a  boy  of  fourteen  years,  that  sermon  made  a 
most  powerful  impression  on  me.  Since  then  I  have  been  in  many 
lands  and  do  not  now  think  of  any  place  that  I  have  visited  in  which 
that  sermon  has  not  been  recalled  to  my  memory. 

I  will  mention  an  incident  which  you  may  possibly  not  have 
forgotten.  During  the  delivery  of  that  sermon,  a  man  who  was 
either  asleep  or  intoxicated  disturbed  you;  you  paused  for  a  moment 
and  then  remarked  that,  "  you  thanked  God  if  only  one  head  had 
bowed  in  forgetfulness."     And  now,  dear  sir,  may  I  ask  a  favor  of 


io6  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

you»     I  see  by  to-day's  Herald  that  you  are  advertised  to  prcacli  at 
the  "Holy  Trinity"  at  both  services. 

This  shows  me  that  you  are  still  living,  and  the  favor  I  ask  is, 
that  you  will  repeat  that  sermon  on  the  night  of  April  11th  insi,  in 
that  church. 

I  am  a  stranger  to  you  and  live  in  the  far  South,  and  you  may 
regard  this  request  as  an  impertinence,  but  if  you  knew  my  heart 
and  how  thankful  I  am  that  you  are  still  preserved  to  our  Church, 
you  would  forgive  me. 

With  the  earnest  hope  and  prayer,  that  a  good  and  merciful 
Father  may  preserve  you  for  many  years,  and  that  when  you  shall 
be  caUed  upon  to  cross  the  dark  river  you  shall  hear  the  welcome 
plaudit,  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant,  inherit  the  king° 
dom,"  etc.,  "  you  have  borne  the  cross,  you  shall  now  wear  the 
crown,"  is  the  earnest  prayer  of 

Your  most  obedient  servant, 


Immediately  upon  coming  to  Philadelphia  Dr.  Tyng  engaged  most 
actively  and  energetically  in  the  support  of  the  various  associations 
for  benevolent  and  religious  effort,  which  were  organized  and  lo= 
cated  there.  Interested  in  their  objects  and  operations,  as  he  had 
been  in  previous  years,  he  was  now  enabled  to  take  a  part  in  their 
practical  work,  and  whether  it  was  in  those  specially  identified  with 
the  Episcopal  Church,  or  those  which  embraced  Christians  of  every 
name,  he  was  their  earnest  and  constant  advocate. 

In  the  aims  and  methods  of  the  American  Sunday  School  Union, 
he  took  especial  interest.  His  vigorous  defence  of  its  princi- 
ples and  methods  when  they  were  assailed,  at  a  later  date,  may  be 
referred  to  here  as  expressing  the  views  which  he  held  in  these 
earliest  years  of  his  connection  with  it.  Several  long  and  arduous 
journeys  were  made  by  him  to  urge  the  claims  and  the  importance 
of  its  work,  and  at  its  anniversaries  and  the  public  meetings  in  its 
interest  his  voice  was  constantly  heard  in  its  behalf. 

Into  the  missionary  work  under  the  Domestic  and  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  he  entered  with  zeal  5 
one  of  the  first  sermons  which  he  preached  in  St.  Paul's,  in  1829, 
on  the  topic,  "  Divine  power  promoting  divine  plans,"  being  a  very 
earnest  appeal  for  liberal  support  of  their  work. 

In  May,  1830,  he  was  elected  one  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of 
the  Domestic  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  and  in  1833  was 
appointed  a  member  of  its  Executive  Committee.     It  was  in  this 


Ministry  in  St,  Pauls   Churchy  Philadelphia.     107 

connection  and  at  this  time  that  he  was  first  brought  into  associa- 
tion with  Dr.  Henry  Anthon,  of  New  York,  with  whom  in  later 
years  he  held  most  intimate  relations,  though  their  views  were  then 
so  divergent.  In  the  year  last  named  Dr.  Tyng,  with  Bishop 
Doane,  and  the  Hon.  Edward  A.  Newton,  composed  the  committee 
to  whom  the  subject  of  a  mission  to  Africa  was  referred,  and  upon 
their  recommendation  that  important  mission  was  established. 
This  identification  with  the  missionary  work  of  the  Church  con- 
tinued during  the  whole  period  of  his  ministry  in  Philadelphia,  and 
the  subsequent  years. 

The  two  works  to  which  Dr.  Tyng  refers  as  having  been  pub- 
lished during  his  ministry  at  St.  Paul's  were  "  Lectures  on  the 
Law  and  the  Gospel,"  and  the  "  Guide  to  Confirmation." 

The  former  of  these  was  a  course  of  sermons  delivered  in  the 
autumn  of  1831,  and  published,  as  he  writes,  from  the  conviction 
'■'  in  the  personal  experience  of  the  work  of  divine  grace  through 
which  he  was  led,  and  in  the  habitual  observation  of  others  which 
occurred  in  his  pastoral  ministry,  that  an  ignorance  of  the  real 
condition  of  man  under  a  violated  law,  and  of  the  fulness  and 
completeness  of  his  redemption  through  the  Son  of  God,  the  fulfiller 
of  the  law  for  him,  revealed  in  the  gospel,  was  the  cause  of  a  large 
portion  of  the  spiritual  darkness  under  which  many  Christians 
mourned,  and  the  fountain  of  most  of  the  errors  of  doctrine,  by 
which  the  minds  of  professing  Christians  were  perturbed.  .  .  . 
But  while  he  was  enabled  to  gather  portions  and  degrees  of  light 
from  various  sources,  tlrere  was  no  work,  within  his  knowledge, 
which  laid  down  the  system  of  divine  truth,  which  he  was  led  to 
adopt,  to  which  he  could  direct  inquirers  for  adequate  instruction 
upon  this  subject." 

Two  editions  of  this  work  were  published  during  the  year  1833, 
and  in  a  subsequent  year  another  large  edition  was  issued,  contain- 
ing several  additional  lectures,  over  five  thousand  copies  being  thus 
circulated  within  a  few  years. 

The  "  Guide  to  Confirmation,"  prepared  as  a  manual  for  candi- 
dates, comprised  an  explanation  of  the  rite,  an  examination  of  its 
authority,  of  the  qualifications  required,  of  the  profession  made, 
of  the  advantages  to  be  expected,  and  of  the  obligations  imposed. 
it  was  a  summary  of  the  system  of  private  instruction,  which  Dr. 
Tyng  habitually  gave  to  those  to  be  presented  for  confirmation, 
and  has  since  been  extensively  adopted  and  used  by  the  clerg}'  as 
an  aid  in  their  instruction  upon  the  same  subject 


CHAPTER  VIIL 

MINISTRY  IN  THE   CHURCH   OF  THE    EPIPHANY,   PHILADELPHIA, 

1834  to   1845. 

The  history  of  St.  Paul's  Church  continued  an  unchanging 
scene  of  j^arochial  prosperity  through  all  these  years  which  I  have 
now  described.  But  ray  gracious  Master's  will  had  laid  out  my 
course,  and  I  was  now  to  see  and  understand  it,  and  thus  to  guide 
my  succeeding  path  in  His  service. 

St.  Paul's  was  the  one  original  Evangelical  Episcopal  Church 
in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  formed  under  the  ministry  of  Whitfield, 
and  always  maintaining  their  ministry  upon  this  same  basis  of 
Evangelical  truth.  Other  smaller  churches  had  proceeded  from  it. 
The  last,  the  largest,  and  the  most  popular  had  been  St.  Andrew's, 
in  1822.  But  the  city  had  spread  very  largely  to  the  west  in  the 
succeeding  years.  When  I  first  came  to  Philadelphia  as  a  pastor, 
Tenth   Street   was   the  western    boundary   of   settled   population. 

During  these  years  a  very  encouraging  opening  for  a  new  church 
was  presented  in  this  western  quarter.  The  subject  was  made  one 
of  frequent  consultation  among  the  leading  members  of  existing 
churches.  Several  efforts  had  been  made  to  induce  other  clergy- 
men to  enter  upon  the  field  thus  opened  to  view.  No  one  had  been 
found  willing  to  assume  the  responsibility  of  such  an  enterprise; 
and,  most  unexpectedly,  the  appeal  was  made  directly  to  me  to 
undertake  this  promising  but  arduous  work.  The  gentlemen  in- 
volved, belonged  to  the  different  active  churches  of  the  city.  The 
wardens  were  from  St.  Paul's  and  St.  James's.  The  vestrymen 
were  similarly  selected.  They  had  organized  themselves  into  a 
corporate  body,  under  the  title  of  "The  Church  of  the  Epiphany." 
They  unanimously  elected  me  as  the  rector  of  the  church  thus  or- 
ganized, and  a  committee  waite  \  on  me  with  the  notice  of  their 
action.  This  was  another  most  unexpected  appeal  to  me,  involv- 
ing a  change  in  my  work  filled  w'th  heavy  responsibility.  I  had  no 
reason  for  desiring  any  change.     My  whole   condition  was   emi- 

108 


t**l!y  M*MU  U  *l*'^Ml«  n  « » » »  n  I  111  M  HI  1 1  u  I  u  !  1 1  n  rmlTnTfT} :  iTTT 


CIIANCKI,   OK   (   liritt   II    Ol'llli:    l.l'l  I'll  A.N  V,    I'll  I  I..VOKMMI  I  A. 

(From  a  f(fn>l)iijrap/i.) 


Church  of  the  Epiphany ^  Philadelphia,  109 

nently  satisfying,  and  far  from  any  ground  of  complaint.  And  yet 
the  opening  appeared  so  important  that  I  could  not  feel  satisfied  to 
refuse  this  unexpected  call.  Accordingly,  in  the  autumn  of  1833,  I 
accepted  the  invitation  which  had  been  presented  to  me,  and  be- 
came rector  of  the  Church  of  the  Epiphany, 

At  that  time,  however,  I  had  no  intention  of  resigning  the 
charge  of  St.  Paul's.  The  persons  combining  for  this  new  effort 
were  not  disposed  to  separate  themselves  for  united  worship  until 
thej"  had  a  permanent  edifice  for  themselves,  and  I  proposed  to 
continue  my  actual  services  at  St.  Paul's.  Thus  I  should  see,  in 
the  opening  of  another  year,  what  line  of  personal  duty  my  gracious 
Lord  had  really  intended  for  me.  The  vestry  of  St.  Paul's  deemed 
the  position  which  I  had  assumed  as  so  unfavorable  to  them  and  to 
their  congregation  that  they  formally  requested  my  resignation  01 
my  rectorship  there.  To  this  request,  painful  as  it  was,  I  felt  my- 
self compelled  to  yield;  and  I  accordingly  resigned  St.  Paul's, 
though  it  left  me  unsettled  and  unemployed  in  my  stated  ministry 
for  some  months  to  come.  But  T  still  remained  in  the  occupation 
of  the  house  in  which  I  had  lived  for  the  few  years  past,  and  con- 
tinued to  oflSciate  in  St.  Paul's  in  my  regular  engagements  in  tha 
ministry  when  they  were  destitute  of  other  service  which  they  de- 
sired. This  continued  during  the  autumn  and  winter  of  1833  and 
1834. 

Another  service  was  now  opened  to  me.  Within  the  few  pre- 
vious years  we  had  established  in  the  neighborhood  of  Philadelphia 
a  manual  labor  school  for  an  education  to  the  ministry,  under  the 
control  of  an  educational  society  with  this  particular  design.  For 
the  proper  establishment  of  this  institution  it  was  essential  to  in- 
clude much  of  the  Evangelical  strength  in  our  Church  in  other  parts 
of  the  country.  And  I  consented  to  undertake  a  southern  tour  tor 
this  purpose.  Upon  this  work  I  entered  in  January,  1834.  1  vis- 
ited the  churches  of  Richmond  and  Norfolk,  in  Virginia;  Raleigh 
and  Fayetteville,  in  North  Carolina*  Georgetown,  Charleston,  and 
Beaufort,  in  South  Carolina.  This  journey  gave  me  an  opportunity 
of  forming  many  new  acquaintance,  and  renewing  my  relations  to 
many  whom  I  had  previously  known.  The  gratification  afi'orded 
me  was  great,  and  my  success  in  my  mission  and  my  ministry  was 
a  call  for  much  thanksgiving.  In  Charleston  i  remained  several 
weeks  and  found  much  encouragement.  1  preached  in  all  the 
churches  in  the  city,  and  for  one  whole  week,  on  every  evenmg,  in 
the  theatre,  which  had  lately  been  prepared  and  used  for  a  public 
military  ball.     Some  of  the  clergy  objected  to  this  service,  and  ap- 


no  Rev,   Stephen  Higginsori    Tyng^  D.Do 

plied  to  Bishop  Bowen  to  prohibit  me.  The  Bishop,  who  had  been 
an  old  friend  of  my  father,  had  received  me  with  great  kindness. 
He  now  invited  me  to  dinner,  and  at  his  request  I  laid  the  whole 
matter  before  him.  His  earnest  reply  was,  "  God  forbid  that  I 
should  put  a  straw  in  your  way." 

Our  first  service  at  the  theatre  was  on  Monday  evening.  A 
temporary  desk  and  pulpit  had  been  prepared  on  the  stage.  The 
edifice  was  crowded  to  its  utmost  extent.  It  was  indeed  an  over- 
whelming sight.  I  feared  the  difficulty  of  controlling  such  a  crowd, 
literally  reaching  from  the  fioor  to  the  ceiling.  But  the  first  verse 
of  the  opening  hymn  settled  the  whole  question.  That  was  sung 
with  such  a  volume  of  sound  and  with  such  earnestness  of  spirit 
that  there  remained  no  doubt  of  the  feeling  and  purpose  of  the  as- 
sembly. I  have  never  since  seen  a  more  solemn  and  truly  religious 
service,  or  addressed  an  audience  responding  with  more  manifest 
sympathy  and  solemnity.  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  was  manifestly  in 
the  midst  of  these  crowded  gatherings.  They  were  repeated  on 
every  evening  in  the  week,  and  on  every  occasion  the  crowd,  seemed 
to  be  more  compressed  and  more  earnest.  Great  blessings  were 
bestowed  upon  these  efforts.  There  were  many  particular  incidents 
of  most  awakening  interest,  and  the  effect  of  the  whole  was  to  es- 
tablish the  church  and  ministry  of  the  Rev.  Wm.  Barnwell,  in  an 
unbroken  history  of  advancing  usefulness  and  infiuence  in  succeed- 
ing years. 

Many  instances  of  effective  conversion  were  the  results  of  this 
week's  preaching,  which  afterwards  came  to  my  knowledge.  Among 
theso  was  the  eminent  Bishop  Boone,  since  our  faithful  missionary 
to  China,  who  visited  me  in  Philadelphia  the  next  year  on  his  way 
to  the  Alexandria  Theological  Seminary,  and  gave  me  a  personal 
account  of  the  Lord's  gracious  dealings  with  him  in  this  connection. 
Another  singular  fact  was  the  conversion  of  a  gentleman  m  mercan- 
tile business  in  Charleston,  who  went  home  to  his  chamber  immedi- 
ately after  our  public  service,  deeply  impressed,  as  he  told  his  wife, 
and  was  found  by  her,  early  in  the  morning,  sitting  at  his  table  with 
his  open  Bible  and  lamp  before  him,  as  if  occupied  in  reading  the 
Word  of  God.  But  his  spirit  had  departed  to  God  who  gave  it.  His 
last  conversation  was  with  the  friend  who  accompanied  him  to  his 
house  and  witnessed  to  his  new-found  testimony.  When  this 
week's  work  was  ended,  I  went  to  Beaufort,  where  an  old  friend, 
the  Rev.  .Joseph  R.  Walker,  then  was  and  still  survives,  the  pastor 
of  a  loving,  faithful  people;  and  the  Episcopal  Church  was  a  pat- 
tern of  united  influence  and  mutual  encouragement  in  the  Lord's 


Chtirch  of  the  Epiphany ,  Philadelphia,  iii 

worko  It  was  a  great  privilege  to  preach  to  such  a  people;  and  I 
was  much  refreshed  by  my  visit  among  them.  From  Beaufort  I  re- 
turned to  Charleston,  and  took  passage,  on  the  succeeding  Saturday 
afternoon  in  the  steamer  for  New  York.  The  steamer  was  crowded 
with  passengers.  She  was  one  of  the  earliest  specimens  of  ocean 
steamers  built  in  this  country,  and  proved  unfit  to  contend  with 
the  storms  of  the  sea.  On  Sunday  evening  we  were  assailed  by  a 
heavy  storm,  and  put  into  Cape  Fear  Harbor,  anchoring  opposite 
to  Smithfield,  N.  C.  Here  we  were  quiet  through  all  of  Monday, 
waiting  for  the  quieting  of  the  storm. 

On  Tuesday  we  got  under  way  again,  and  went  through  the 
inlets  in  perfect  calmness  until  we  came  out  just  south  of  Cape 
Hatteras.  We  passed  this  stormy  cape  in  a  perfectly  calm  sea, 
sailing  near  the  shore,  and  making  thus  far  a  pleasant  passage  home- 
ward. It  was  an  interesting  and  new  view  to  me  of  a  point  of 
which  I  had  so  often  heard  as  the  abode  of  storms. 

Off  the  capes  of  Virginia,  about  two  o'clock  P.  M.  of  Thursday, 
we  were*  startled  by  the  cry  of  fire  on  board.  Through  the  good- 
ness of  God  the  fire  was  at  last  subdued.  The  weather  was  calm, 
and  we  felt  a  grateful  sense  of  the  peacefulness  of  our  deliverance, 
although  the  whole  interior  of  the  ship  had  been  made  almost  un- 
inhabitable. The  weather  very  suddenly  changed  to  extreme 
cold;  and  we  arrived  in  New  York  on  Saturday  morning  in  a  driv- 
ing snow-storm.  Thus  my  southern  journey  had  been  completed, 
and  in  the  afternoon  of  Saturday  I  went  onward  to  Philadelphia. 

My  mind  and  time  were  now  to  be  given  to  the  new  and  important 
work  which  I  had  assumed  in  the  erection  and  establishment  of  the 
Church  of  the  Epiphany.  The  corner-stone  was  laid  by  Bishop 
White,  on  the  24th  of  March,  1834,  and  as  the  spring  advanced  the 
work  of  building  was  carried  on  with  no  obstructions  or  difficulties 
in  our  way.  The  walls  and  roof  were  finished  with  great  rapidity. 
The  gentlemen  engaged  in  the  enterprise  were  men  of  ability,  and 
with  a  deep,  personal  interest  in  the  work. 

On  the  first  Sunday  of  August,  the  public  worship  of  the  con- 
gregation was  commenced  in  the  lecture  room, and  there  contiiuied 
until  the  whole  edifice  was  completed.  On  the  24th  of  October, 
1834,  the  church  was  consecrated  by  the  venerable  Bishop  White. 
Thus  the  whole  enterprise  was  inaugurated,  and  a  lar^ro  audience 
of  the  most  ofTective  character  was  soon  collected.  The  Sunday- 
schools  and  the  weekly  lectures  were  arranged  upon  a  basis  of 
permanency,  and  the  whole  work  of  a  parish  was  in  the  most  suc- 
cessful oi^eration. 


112  ReVo  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D. 

The  congregation  advanced  within  the  first  year  to  a  complete 
filling  of  the  church.  And  it  suffered  no  declension  during  the 
eleven  years  in  which  I  was  permitted  to  minister  to  it.  We 
opened  our  communion  in  1834  with  twenty-nine  communicants; 
it  had  increased  at  the  ensuing  Easter  to  eighty-seven,  and  to 
six  hundred  and  fourteen  at  Easter,  1845,  which  closed  my  last  year 
with  this  united  and  happy  flock.  Our  Sunday-schools  were  a  very 
precious  and  important  aspect  of  our  Church  work  in  this  connec- 
tion. We  opened  them  on  the  first  Sunday  in  December,  1834, 
with  nine  teachers  and  twenty-five  scholars.  And  I  left  them  in 
1845  with  seventy-four  teachers  and  seven  hundred  and  ninety- 
eight  scholars.  Every  succeeding  fact  in  this  prosperous  and 
beloved  church  was  a  new  encouragement  to  me.  The  most  affec- 
tionate attentions  surrounded  me,  and  aU  my  labors  were  a  privilege 
and  a  delight. 

In  the  autumn  of  1839  I  was  laid  bv  with  an  attack  of  inflamma- 
tory  rheumatism,  which  rendered  me  helpless  during  most  of  the 
winter,  and  se23arated  me  from  all  public  service  from  November  to 
March,  As  soon  as  I  was  able  to  be  out  in  the  spring,  I  determined 
to  take  a  journey  on  horseback  to  the  Sulphur  Springs  of  Virginia. 
I  was  absent  from  home  nearly  four  months,  and  returned  perfectly 
restored  and  strengthened,  and  prepared  for  all  my  work.  My 
actual  riding  had  been  full  eight  hundred  miles,  and  my  horse 
came  back  as  fresh  and  lively  as  he  went. 

In  the  spring  of  1841  I  removed  my  family  to  a  house  in  Filbert 
Street,  which  I  had  purchased,  where  our  next  three  years  were 
passed.  In  this  same  spring  I  had  an  operation  performed  on  my 
right  eye  for  strabismus,  which  most  successfully  restored  me  the 
use  of  that  eje,  which  I  had  never  used  from  my  childhood.  And 
thus  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1841  passed  by  in  much  comfort. 

In  the  spring  of  1842  I  determined  to  take  a  voyage  to  Europe. 
I  took  my  passage  to  Liverpool  in  a  packet-ship  from  New  York. 
We  were  four  weeks  crossing  the  ocean,  and  I  arrived  in  London 
in  time  to  attend  all  the  May  anniversaries  there.  This  was  a  most 
gratifying  experience.  It  brought  me  into  a  new  world,  and  gave 
me  a  personal  acquaintance  with  many  of  the  wisest,  greatest,  and 
best  men  of  the  age.  I  passed  several  weeks  in  London,  ard  made 
a  northern  tour  through  England  and  parts  of  Scotland,  and  passed 
several  weeks  in  Liverpool,  with  most  agreeable  friends,  in  the 
family  of  Dr.  Robert  Bickersteth,  the  brother  of  the  elder  Eev. 
Edward  B.  From  thence  I  made  excursions  in  various  visits,  in 
answer  to  invitations  from  personal  friends.     My  object  was  rather 


Church  of  the  Epiphany ^  Philadelphia,  113 

to  see  and  become  acquainted  with  distinguished  and  well-known 
men,  than  merely  to  visit  places  and  scenes.  In  this  desire  I  was 
eminently  favored.  Among  the  class  to  whom  I  refer  were  Hugh 
McNeil,  of  Liverpool;  Hugh  Stowell,  of  Manchester;  Baptist  Noel, 
of  London;  William  Car  us,  Simeon's  successor,  at  Cambridge,  and 
others  of  a  similar  stamp  of  character,  who  afterwards,  while  they 
lived,  maintained  the  most  intimate  friendship  with  me.  I  had 
been  favored  with  some  of  the  best  letters  of  introduction  and  was 
thus  placed  in  the  very  best  society,  and  received  attentions  which 
I  could  not  have  anticipated,  and  gained  an  amount  of  information 
and  a  widening  of  my  own  views  and  experience  which  have  been 
of  great  worth  to  me  in  all  tc^j  years  since. 

Since  this  voyage  I  have  been  to  Europe  in  1847,  ,1853,  1857, 
and  1872,  and  have  been  rewarded  on  each  occasion  with  new 
attainments  and  a  wider  observation  and  experience. 

In  the  month  of  August  I  returned  home  to  Philadelphia,  direct 
from  Liverpool,  and  was  grateful  to  find  everybody  and  every thin^r 
belonging  to  me  graciously  preserved  and  well.  In  this  quiet 
routine  my  domestic  and  parochial  life  passed  on  until  January, 
1844,  when  I  sold  my  house  in  Filbert  Street,  and  purchased  a 
residence  of  great  beauty  and  value  in  Chestnut  Street,  northwest" 
corner  of  Eighteenth  Street,  to  which  we  then  removed.  "  Here," 
I  said,  "I  shall  die  in  my  nest;  "  so  little  can  we  anticipate  the 
changes  which  are  prepared  for  us. 

In  September,  1844,  the  General  Convention  was  held  in  St. 
Andrew's  Church,  in  Philadelphia.  Of  this  body  I  had  been  ap- 
pointed a  member  from  Pennsylvania.  Immediately  before  this  a 
meeting  of  the  Diocesan  Convention  was  also  held  there.  The 
question  of  the  election  of  a  bishop  for  Pennsylvania,  in  place  of 
Bishop  Onderdonk,  who  had  resigned  his  office,  arose  at  this  con- 
vention. A  meeting  of  the  Evangelical  clergy  was  held  to  consider 
the  nomination  of  a  suitable  candidate  for  this  high  office.  A  com- 
mittee waited  on  me  to  inform  me  that  I  had  been  the  unanimous 
choice  of  this  meeting,  and  asking  my  consent  to  the  use  of  my 
name  for  this  purpose.  I  answered  them  with  the  most  sincere 
decision  that  my  fooling  and  my  habit  were  wholly  opposed  to  such 
a  project  or  imagination.  I  would,  however,  consent  that  they 
should  write  to  the  clergy  of  a  supposed  union  in  their  general  senti- 
ments; and  if  I  was  proved  to  be  the  real  choice  of  a  majority  of 
the  clergy  thus  personally  applied  to,  T  would  consent  to  the  use 
of  my  name  in  the  next  convention,  when  the  election  must  be 
perfected.     They  subsequently  returned  to  me  with  the  assurance 


1 14  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

that  this  condition  had  been  fulfilled,  and  with  success  ,to  their 
wishes  and  views.  And  thus  this  matter  rested  until  the  convention 
met,  in  the  spring  of  1845.  At  that  convention  I  peremptorily 
declared  that  I  would  consent  to  the  use  of  my  name  but  for  two 
ballots.  The  first  might  be  scattering  ;  the  second  would  surely 
be  the  real  choice  of  the  clergy.  Thus  they  proceeded.  The  first 
ballot  of  the  clergy  was  decided.  My  name  wanted  four  votes  of  an 
election  ;  the  second  ballot  resulted  in  the  same  manner.  I  refused 
to  vote  for  myself.  I  then  rose  in  the  convention  and  withdrew 
my  name  from  the  contest,  and  retired  to  my  own  house.  The 
next  morning  I  received  a  message  that  if  I  would  come  to  the 
convention  my  vote  would  nominate  the  Rev.  Alonzo  Potter  as  the 
Bishop  of  the  Diocese.  I  obeyed  the  summons,  and  that  highly- 
esteemed  clergyman  was  nominated  by  a  majority  of  the  clergy, 
and  confirmed  by  the  unanimous  vote  of  the  laity.  And  Alonzo 
Potter  was  elected,  to  my  great  joy  and  thankfulness,  and  I  was  clear. 

In  the  opening  spring  of  1845  I  was  most  unconsciously  on  the 
eve  of  the  most  serious  and  important  change  in  the  outward 
relation  of  my  whole  life.  "We  were  so  comfortably  and  richly 
established  in  all  my  circumstances  in  the  ministry,  that  I  desired 
no  change.  I  had  attained  an  age  which  asks  for  comparative 
repose.  I  was  in  the  midst  of  friends  whose  affection  I  had  long 
proved.  I  was  perfectly  contented  and  at  home.  This  was  not 
che  Lord's  design  concerning  me,  and  His  plans,  all  now  concealed 
from  me,  would  be  opened  in  due  time.  I  had  completed  a  minis- 
try of  twenty-four  years,  eleven  of  which  had  been  sj^ent  in  the 
Epiphany. 

I  must  truly  say  that,  in  my  connection  with  this  church,  I 
never  encountered  a  single  obstacle  ;  I  never  heard  of  one  utter- 
ance of  hostility  or  complaint.  My  closing  years  were  a  period  of 
unbroken  happiness  and  of  complete  satisfaction  in  all  my  work 
and  in  all  my  relations.  And  as  I  look  back  upon  this  happy  min- 
istry, over  this  distance  of  more  than  thirty  years  since  its  close,  I 
have  no  memory  which  is  not  precious  to  me,  and  can  recall  no 
personal  relation  which  does  not  minister  to  me  cause  for  thanks- 
giving in  the  remembrance  of  this  honored  connection.  And  I  feel 
sure  that  no  man  was  ever  more  highly  favored  in  the  exercise  of 
the  Christian  ministry  among  men. 


It  was  doubtless  through  the  instrumentality  of  Dr.  Bedell,  who 
was  then  the  rector  of  St.  Andrew's  Church,  that  Dr.  Tyng  was  in- 


Church  of  the  Epiphany,  Philadelphia,  1 1 5 

duced  to  take  the  charge  of  St.  Paul's,  and  due  probably,  in  large 
degree,  to  the  same  influence,  that  he  consented  to  undertake  the 
still  greater  responsibiUty  of  the  estabhshment  of  the  Chui'ch  of  the 
Epiphany.  United  in  their  sympathies,  and  in  perfect  agreement 
in  all  their  views,  though  very  dissimilar  in  personal  characteristics, 
they  had  for  many  years  been  bound  together  by  the  strongest  tie 
of  confidence  and  affection.  They  had  labored  together  in  the 
varied  efforts  which  had  for  them  a  common  interest,  and  in  their 
ministries  in  the  adjoining  parishes  of  St.  Andrew's  and  St.  Paul's 
had  been  to  each  other  unfailing  in  encouragement  and  support. 
All  these  happy  relations  were,  however,  sundered  by  the  death  of 
Dr.  Bedell  on  the  30th  of  August,  1834. 

His  death  occurring  thus,  in  the  very  beginning  of  the  work  of 
"  the  Epiphany,"  when  his  counsel  and  assistance  would  have  been  of 
inestimable  value,  was  indeed  a  grievous  loss  to  Dr.  Tyng,  and  one 
which  he  deeply  felt.  In  a  memorial  sermon,  delivered  at  the 
request  of  the  vestry  of  St.  Andrew's  Church,  he  was  enabled  to 
bear  testimony  to  the  importance  of  Dr.  Bedell's  ministry  and 
example,  and  no  one  was  better  qualified  for  such  a  service. 

Still  later  he  was  urged  to  prepare  a  biography,  and,  notwith- 
standing the  labors  and  cares  by  which  he  was  so  heavily  pressed, 
gladly  consented  to  perform  this  duty.  Though  at  first  prepared 
as  a  short  memoir  prefixed  to  a  volume  of  Dr.  Bedell's  sermons,  the 
rapidity  of  its  sale  and  the  continued  demand  were  so  great  that  he 
was  soon  induced  to  enlarge  it  into  a  separate  volume,  published  in 
1835.  The  whole  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  both  volumes  were  gener- 
ously applied  to  the  benefit  of  Dr.  Bedell's  family,  and  it  seemed 
singularly  appropriate  when,  fifty  years  later,  his  son  stood  in  St. 
George's  Church,  New  York,  to  bear  his  testimony  in  memory  of 
his  own  and  his  "  father's  friend." 

In  the  work  of  the  Episcopal  Education  Society  Dr.  Bedell  and 
Dr.  Tyng  had  been  particularly  earnest  and  active.  This  society 
organized  in  1825,  for  the  increase  of  "  pious,  devoted  Evangelical 
ministers  in  the  Church,"  aimed  to  occupy  a  field  which  made  it  an 
important  adjunot  to  the  various  theological  seminaries,  by  provid- 
ing for  the  preparatory  education  of  those  who  wished  to  enter 
the  ministry,  but  were  debarred  from  other  means  of  obtaining 
necessary  instruction.  In  pursuance  of  this  object,  the  society  had 
purcliasod  a  farm  near  Wilmington,  Del,  and  established  a  scliool 
on  the  self-supporting  principle  of  uniting  manual  labor  with 
mental  improvement,  and  converting  the  hours  of  recreation  into 
a  source  of  pecuniary  profit.     Such  c  plan  had  been  successfully 


Ii6  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.Do 

tested  at  the  institution  of  Hofwjl,  in  Switzerland,  where  a  large 
number  of  youth,  by  their  own  labor,  were  enabled  to  pay  the 
expenses  of  a  valuable  education,  and  it  was  believed  that  equal 
success  would  be  attained  in  this  school. 

The  urgent  need  of  an  increase  of  the  ministry,  as  it  presented 
itself  at  this  time,  is  thus  expressed  in  an  address  issued  in  1834,  in 
behalf  of  this  school: 

"  In  several  extensive  commonwealths  our  services  are  entirely 
unknown,  and  in  some  an  Episcopal  minister  would  be  looked  upon 
as  an  ecclesiastical  curiosity.  In  the  whole  of  Indiana,  Illinois,  IVIis- 
souri  and  Florida  there  is  not  one  to  be  found  out  of  the  little 
town  of  St.  Louis.  In  Mississippi  there  are  only/o^^r/ Alabama, 
Louisiana  and  Georgia  have  three  each. 

"  Now,  if  ever  the  Episcopal  Church  is  to  appropriate  her  share 
of  that  rich  inheritance,  she  must  press  out  into  the  wilderness  and 
there,  with  the  enterprise  and  vigor  of  a  new  settler,  hew  the  logs 
and  build  the  house  of  her  own  prosperity." 

This  statement,  incredible  as  it  may  seem  at  the  present 
time,  is  still  further  impressed  and  confii'med  in  these  words  of 
a  sermon  dehvered  by  Dr.  Tyng,  in  urging  the  claims  of  this 
school : 

"  That  we  have  no  means  of  education  for  our  clergy  at  all 
commensurate  with  the  demands  for  their  multiplication,  is  the 
matter  of  such  universal  acknowledgment  and  mourning  that  it  is 
unnecessary  to  attempt  its  j)roof. 

"  In  the  whole  region  which  the  Church  occupies  in  the  United 
States  we  have  but  three  schools  devoted  to  this  object,  from  all  of 
which  the  next  annual  supply  wiU  not  fill  the  vacancies  which  have 
been  created  by  death  during  the  past  year.  There  are  through- 
out the  United  States  about  sixty  candidates  for  the  ministry  of  the 
Church,  in  different  stages  of  their  ^preparatory  studies.  If  twice 
that  number  were  at  this  moment  ready  for  the  work,  there  is 
abundant  employment  for  them  all.  Ministers,  laborious,  active 
energetic  ministers,  we  must  have.  The  caUs  of  our  old  States 
cannot  be  answered,  and  the  almost  unlimited  opportunities  for 
oxertion  in  the  cause  of  Christ  which  the  western  territory  opens 
to  us  are  now  quite  beyond  our  reach.  These  small  local  schools 
in  the  North,  the  South,  and  the  West  open  the  only  fountains 
within  our  reach.  If  we  invite  the  pious  youth  of  our  land  to 
become  for  us  some  of  the  prophets,  we  can  give  them  no  adequate 
help,  we  can  offer  them  no  right  hand  of  encouragement.  We 
have  no  place  to  send  them  for  instruction,  because  we  have  no 


Church  of  the  Epiphany,  Philadelphiao  117 

place  in  wliicli  instruction,  for  more  tlian  very  few  individuals,  can 
be  got  without  money. 

"  Such  are  the  necessities  of  the  Church  arising  from  our  inade- 
quate means  of  ministerial  education.  Our  present  seminaries, 
much  as  they  wish  and  labor  to  do,  only  baffle  expectation  by  their 
inadequate  ability,  and  in  many  instances  the  best  and  most  pre- 
pared men  they  give  us,  from  the  debility  resulting  from  sedentary 
study,  do  us  the  least  good 

"  Scattered  throughout  our  Sunday  Schools  are  to  be  found 
many  dear  youth  upon  whom  God's  Spirit  has  set  His  seal,  but  who 
are  obliged  to  be  placed  at  trades  or  in  other  situations,  from 
inability  to  obtain  that  education  which  their  talents  and  their 
characters  deserve.  When  our  Sunday  Schools  are  brought  into 
this  course  of  operation  they  will  be  made  what  they  are  now  often 
called,  'the  hope  of  the  Church';  they  will  be  the  first  step  of  a 
thorough  religious  education,  the  seed  plot  from  which  the  most 
valuable  and  thriving  plants  may  be  transferred  to  another  place 
of  cultivation,  opening  to  them  the  opportunity  of  perfect  growth 
and  profitable  bearing." 

Comparing  the  plan  of  this  school  with  that  pui'sued  by  educa- 
tion societies  of  making  pecuniary  loans,  to  be  repaid  out  of  their 
income  in  future  life,  which  in  few  instances  is  more  than  adequate 
to  the  sup2)ly  of  daily  necessities,  he  continued: 

''■  The  first  plan  sends  young  men  into  the  ministry  burdened 
with  a  heavy  debt.  The  noble  and  generous  spirit  which  they 
ought  to  possess  as  worthy  of  their  high  vocation,  is  crushed  by 
this  pecuniary  obligation.  If  they  possess  an  honorable  mind,  they 
are  straitened  and  distressed  until  this  debt  is  discharged.  If  they 
have  no  sense  of  proper  obligation,  they  disgrace  themselves,  for- 
getting it  altogether,  and  leaving  it  finally  unpaid.  The  plan  which 
I  now  suggest  imposes  no  debt.  The  youth  leaves  the  institution 
with  an  independent  mind.  No  bond  reminds  him  all  the  time 
that  he  is  another  man  s  property.  He  can  eat  his  bread  with 
o-ladness  and  sin':rleness  of  heart,  because  no  consuming  tithe  is 
\irn-ino-  its  demands  for  those  who  have  paid  for  his  education,  and 
think  they  have  made  him  what  he  is. 

"  The  first  plan,  by  educating  the  poor  in  the  sedentary  and 
luxurious  habits  of  the  rich,  entails  all  the  destructive  habits  of  hfe 
upon  them  which  wealth  is  supposed  to  generate.  It  leads  them 
to  be  indolent  and  covetous  of  the  scenes  of  easiest  duty.  It 
enervates  them  and  makes  them  incompetent  to  active  exertion.  It 
putls  them  up  with  emulation  and  tempts  them  to  shrink  from  the 


ii8  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

mountain  that  they  may  dwell  in  the  plain.  Their  artificial  wants 
demand  unreasonable  satisfactions,  and  the  small  incomes  of  remote 
and  arduous  settlements  are  not  sufficient  to  supply  them. 

"  This  finishes  the  injury  entailed  by  this  system.  It  places  the 
youthful  ininister  in  his  scene  of  labor  with  debilitated  health,  a 
heavy  pecuniary  responsibility,  and  with  habits  which  demand 
larger  means  than  he  has  reason  to  expect,  and  then,  having  de- 
stroyed his  power  of  labor,  it  bids  him  to  go  out  to  the  highways 
and  the  hedges  as  the  messenger  of  the  Lord. 

"  On  the  other  hand,  the  plan  which  we  now  propose  generates 
habits  of  frugality  and  independence.  It  makes  the  necessities 
few  and  easily  answered.  It  enables  the  man  to  live,  and  live  with 
comfort  upon  a  smaller  income,  and  to  labor  with  contentment 
when  others  would  despond.  But  little  has  he  a  right  to  expect 
as  pecuniary  remuneration,  and  the  habits  he  has  acquired  make 
that  little  sufficient  for  his  wants." 

By  the  joint  efi'orts  of  Dr.  Bedell  and  Dr.  Tyng,  the  funds  had 
been  provided  for  the  establishment  of  the  school,  and  in  order  to 
extend  its  operations,  Dr.  Tyng  undertook  the  Southern  journey,  of 
which  he  writes,  in  the  winter  of  1834. 

Though  always  ready  to  give  his  aid  at  any  sacrifice  of  his  per- 
sonal comfort,  absence  from  his  home  wa,s  always  a  peculiar  hard- 
ship, and  he  frequently  said,  "if  nothing  else  would  prevent  my 
being  Bishop,  or  agent,  or  missionary,  my  constant  homesickness 
would  be  reason  enough." 

In  one  of  his  letters  during  this  journey  he  writes: 
"  I  have  been  much  dehghted  with  the  life  of  Dr.  Cornelius  in 
which  I  have  been  occupied  through  the  day.  There  was  in  him  a 
devotedness  to  God  which  I  long  to  imitate  and  possess.  In  the 
very  agency  in  which  I  am  now  engaged,  he  felt,  just  as  I  do,  the 
exceeding  sacrifice  of  absence  from  home  and  family.  But  God 
enabled  him  to  bear  the  burden,  and  the  same  grace  is  sufficient  for 
me  also.  I  feel  indeed  the  greatness  of  my  work,  but  I  encourage 
myself  in  the  Lord  and  hope  for  His  blessing.  Cornelius  says  in 
regard  to  such  efforts,  '  the  only  way  is  to  try,  and  if  you  fail,  to  try 
again  and  never  to  cease  trying  till  you  have  succeeded.' 

"  So  may  I  be  able  to  go  forward  with  2,  spirit  of  perseverance 
and  trust  to  God  for  the  gracious  result." 

The  school  at  Wilmington  was  most  promising  in  its  success, 
but  the  ground  on  which  it  was  located,  proved  inadequate  for  such 
a  purpose,  and  many  applications  for  admission  had  to  be  refused. 
The  property  was  therefore  sold  and  a  much  larger  estate  pur* 


Church  of  the  Epiphany,  Philadelphia.  119 

chased  near  Bristol,  Pennsylvania,  wliere  some  one  hundred  and 
fifty  students  could  be  accommodated  and  a  more  extended  course 
of  study  pui'sued.  In  this  new  location,  under  the  name  of  Bristol 
College,  the  school  prospered  for  several  years,  but  finally  becom- 
ing involved  in  financial  difficulty,  the  whole  enterprise  had  to  be 
abandoned. 

In  addition  to  this  effort,  the  Episcopal  Education  Society  had 
a  means  of  large  influence  and  usefulness  in  its  control  and  publi- 
cation of  the  Episcopal  Recorder,  which  was  for  so  long  a  period  the 
representative  paper  of  the  Evangelical  school  in  the  Episcopal 
Church.  This  paper  had  been  originally  established  by  Dr.  Bedell, 
soon  after  he  came  to  Philadelphia,  and  continued  under  his  editor- 
ship for  the  years  following.  In  1829,  however,  it  became  the 
property  of  the  Episcopal  Educatioii  Society,  and  was  placed  under 
the  direction  of  a  committee  of  the  Board  of  Managers  of  that  soci- 
ety. To  its  columns  Dr.  Tyng  was  a  constant  contributor,  and  in 
1838,  in  association  with  Dr.  John  A.  Clark  and  Dr.  William  Sud- 
dards,  assumed  the  editorial  control. 

During  all  this  period  Dr.  Tyng  had  been  unremitting  in  his 
labors  in  the  Church  of  the  Epiphany,  which  had  finally  become 
established  in  abounding  prosperity  and  extended  influence. 
In  his  Fifth  Annual  Report  as  its  rector,  he  reviewed  the  years 
which  had  then  been  passed,  and  spoke  as  follows  of  the  earnest 
purpose  which  had  marked  the  labors  of  his  associates  not  less  than 
his  own. 

"The  persons  who  entered  upon  this  work  well  understood 
what  it  would  cost  them,  and  they  commenced  the  enterprise  with 
a  generous  determination  to  complete  it  thoroughly.  Their  great 
object  was  the  erection  of  an  Episco2)al  Church  in  this  important 
section  of  the  city,  which  should  exercise  a  wide  and  permanent 
influence  in  support  of  the  great  princij^les  of  Evangelical  piety,  for 
the  benefit  of  the  city  and  of  the  world  abroad. 

"  They  estimated  the  value  of  the  end  to  be  accomplished  and 
were  willing}:  to  underfjfo  the  cost  aud  tlifficultv  bv  which  it  shoukl 
be  attained  They  have  pursued  their  determination  with  un- 
ceasing ardor  and  perseverance  and  Almighty  God  has  abundantly 
prospered  and  blessed  them.  The  lot  was  expensive  and  valuable. 
It  might  have  been  so  divided  and  managed  that  an  inferior  por- 
tion might  have  been  retained  almost  without  cost.  But  this  was 
not  the  spirit  of  those  who  had  entered  upon  this  work.  The  in- 
fluence which  they  desired  and  whicli  they  felt  bound  to  exercise  re- 
quired a  building  of  a  different  description  from  that. 


I20  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng^  D,D, 

"  The  first  effort  which  was  made  to  obtain  funds  for  this  purpose, 
resulted  in  the  subscription  of  $12,000 — by  twenty-five  persons. 
On  this  hst  were  the  first  and  abiding  friends  of  this  church.  From 
some  of  the  same  individuals,  a  subsequent  subscription  was  made 
of  $3,400,  by  ten  persons,  for  the  completion  of  the  exterior  of  the 
building.  And  on  another  occasion,  to  remove  some  of  the  claims 
which  were  held  against  the  church,  $10,900  was  subscribed  by 
thirteen  persons,  for  which  they  were  ready  to  take  that  portion  of 
the  pews  which  were  least  likely  to  be  salable  to  others.  These 
sums  made,  in  the  whole,  $26,300. 

"  The  first  sale  of  pews  was  exceedingly  limited.  The  annual 
income  of  the  church  was  not .  one-fourth  of  its  needful  expense. 
And  there  were  repeated  occasions  of  discouragement  and  great 
difficulty  within  the  first  three  years  of  the  effort.  But  the  same 
spii'it  remained — and  I  have  never  seen  the  occasion  when  the  same 
generous  and  noble  determination,  did  not  mark  the  feelings  and 
the  efforts  of  the  vestry  of  this  church. 

"  Subsequently  these  generous  exertions  have  relieved  the  pecuni- 
ary incumbrances  to  a  very  great  extent;  and  it  is  long  now  since 
every  original  bill  against  the  building  has  been  fully  paid.  To 
accomplish  this,  however,  there  have  been  required  great  and  fre- 
quent efforts  on  the  part  of  the  founders  of  this  enterprise.  It  has 
cost  some  of  them  much,  indeed  more  than  could  have  been  reason- 
ably exjDected  or  afforded. 

"  But  they  have  never  shrunk  from  the  demand.  There  has  been 
the  most  unbroken  harmony  in  aU  their  operations.  No  single  oc- 
casion has  arisen  in  the  whole  of  these  five  years,  for  a  difference  in 
judgment,  still  less  for  discord  of  feeling,  among  the  members  of 
the  vestry.     All  have  displayed  the  same  plan  and  the  same  spirit. 

"  There  have  been  marked  instances  of  great  liberality  among  us. 
It  would  be  wrong  in  me  to  speak  of  them  personally.  Their 
possessors  and  agents  enjoy  a  consciousness  which  is  far  better 
than  outward  applause.  These  have  often  required  great  incon- 
venience. 

"  But  how  little  will  those  who  come  after  us  and  enter  into  our 
labors,  be  able  to  understand  the  labor  and  care  with  which  all  this 
has  been  done.  There  is  One,  to  whom  it  is  all  known;  and  while 
others  enjoy  the  friiits  of  their  secret  liberality  and  efforts,  from 
Him,  I  trust,  they  will  receive  their  reward. 

"  I  trust  I  may  be  permitted  to  say,  that  in  the  same  spirit  of 
willingness  to  spend  and  labor  for  so  great  a  good,  I  entered  upon 
the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  this  work.     I  was  fully  aware  of 


Church  of  the  Epiphany,  Philadelphia, 


T2I 


all  the  exertion  and  anxiety  which  its  accomplishment  would 
require  of  me.  But  it  opened  to  my  mind  a  most  important  and 
effectual  enterprise  ;  and,  though  against  the  advice  and  soUcita- 
tions  of  maDy  friends,  I  relinquished  a  charge  in  which  everything 
was  permanent  and  settled,  and  sufficient,  to  enter  upon  this  great 
experiment.  My  great  object  was  to  rear  an  altar  unto  the  Lord, 
which  should  be  a  benefit  to  thousands  for  years  to  come,  and  I 
came  to  the  work  without  a  single  misgiving  or  doubt  as  to  the 
actual  and  final  success.  I  cannot  speak  of  moneyed  cost,  because 
though  I  have  declined  for  the  sake  of  my  present  charge,  much 
higher  pecuniary  emolument,  I  have  done  it  cheerfully,  and  per- 
haps as  much  in  regard  to  my  own  comfort  as  it  would  be  right  for 
me  to  consider.  No;  I  have  been  followed  here  in  every  year,  with 
the  kindest  generosity,  the  most  respectful  acceptance,  and  the 
most  affectionate  attention  which  any  pastor  could  desire  ^r  con- 
ceive. My  labors  have  been  an  unceasing  reward,  and  this  congre- 
gation has  given  me  no  opportunity  to  speak  of  sacrifices  as  made 

by  me. 

"  But  the  effort  has  cost  me  much  anxiety  and  deep  solicitude.  I 
have  been  from  the  beginning  a  partner  in  all  the  trials  and  cares 
which  the  management  of  the  temporal  concerns  of  the  church  has 
demanded;  and  I  could  have  enough  to  say,  if  it  were  allowable, 
of  the  harassing,  sleepless  concern  which  the  prosecution  of  this 
new  enterprise  has  required.  But  all  this  has  now  well-nigh  passed. 
And  supported  as  I  have  been  from  the  beginning,  not  only  by  the 
high  consciousness  of  God's  presence  and  blessing,  but  also  by  the 
great  success  bestowed  upon  my  pastoral  labors,  and  the  union, 
energy  and  love  of  those  whom  God  has  raised  up  to  act  with  me 
in  the  vestry  of  this  church,  I  shall  have  little  to  say  of  the  pressure 
of  a  load  of  anxiety  that  has  been  now  removed." 

Writing  in  the  same  report  of  his  own  pastoral  labors,  he  says  : 
"  I  have  met  the  congregation  in  whole  or  iu  various  parts,  for 
the  different  purposes  of  united  worship  and  instruction  at  least  an 
average  of  iivo  hundred  and  eighty-two  occasions  in  each  year,  above 
fourteen  hundred  times  for  the  past  five  years,  or  nearly  six  times  a 
week.  I  have  attempted  to  give  such  an  amount  of  time  and  study 
to  my  preparations  for  the  public  services  of  the  sanctuary,  that 
they  should  not  seem  to  have  cost  me  nothing;  and  I  have  desired 
and  endi^Hvored  to  fulfil  to  the  utmost  of  my  power  the  important 
private  duties  of  a  pastor  among  the  people.  With  unalterable 
affection  I  would  finish  my  course  and  my  ministry  in  this  place, 
and  here  lay  my  mortal  remains  where  I  have  deposited  those  of 


122  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

other  dear  ones,  among  a  people  who  have  been  always  affectionate 
and  kind." 

In  his  reminiscences  of  Dr.  Tyng,  Bishop  Clark  says  of  him  at 
this  time: 

'■'■  It  was  in  the  prime  of  his  most  vigorous  da3^s  that  he  entered 
upon  the  bold  experiment  of  starting  a  new  enterprise  in  what  was 
then  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  and  with  nothing  but  the  probabih- 
ties  of  the  future  to  lean  upon.  The  triumph  of  this  bold  move- 
ment was  very  complete,  and  the  Church  of  the  Epiphany  became 
the  centre  of  a  mighty  religious  influence,  and  was  constantly 
thronged  by  a  multitude  who,  attracted  to  the  church  at  first 
by  their  admiration  of  his  fiery  eloquence,  after  a  while  were  led, 
by  the  power  of  the  gospel  truth  which  he  expounded  to  them,  to 
become  the  faithful  followers  of  Jesus. 

"  Dr.  Tyng  never  had  his  own  way  more  entirely  than  he  did 
while  he  was  in  charge  of  the  Church  of  the  Epiphany,  and  this 
absolute  freedom  was  a  very  important  factor  in  his  career.  He 
was  a  man  who  must  be  allowed  to  build  after  his  own  pattern;  he 
must  be  his  own  architect,  and  choose  his  own  tools,  and  work 
after  his  own  fashion.  He  had  a  great  deal  of  self-confidence,  and 
this  was  one  secret  of  his  success.  Behind  all  this,  there  existed 
the  dominating  element  of  a  deep,  abiding,  all-absorbing  spiritual 
earnestness.  The  gospel  of  Christ  was  everything  to  him ;  he  was 
never  troubled  with  any  theoretical  doubts,  and  never  for  a  moment 
seemed  to  question  his  own  intimate  and  close  personal  relation  to 
the  Saviour;  he  lived  in  habitual  communion  with  Him,  and  it  was 
the  one  great  object  of  his  life  to  bring  souls  to  Christ. 

"  Of  those  who  were  dii'ectly  associated  with  him  in  his  ministry, 
how  few  there  are  left!  Meade,  and  McHvaine,  and  Johns,  and 
Bedell,  and  John  A.  Clark,  and  Suddards,  and  Cutler,  and  others  of 
the  same  school,  leaders  of  the  old  Evangelical  phalanx,  standing  in 
their  place  like  men,  who  knew  what  their  Master  required  of  them, 
and  were  determined  at  all  hazards  to  do  His  will,  and  now  they 
are  all  silent  and  their  voices  will  be  heard  on  earth  no  more.  The 
school  which  they  represented  may  not  be  in  the  ascendency  to-day, 
but  they  were  men  whom  the  Church  could  poorly  have  spared, 
and  if  there  has  been  in  later  times  a  general  advance  in  the  way 
of  earnest  and  faithful  preaching  in  our  pulpits  among  all  grades 
of  churchmen,  it  may  be  only  the  continuation  of  the  note  which 
these  men  first  sounded. 

'^  Among  them  all  there  was  no  one  who  filled  a  larger  space  in 
the  public  estimation  than  Dr.  Tyng.     He  did  not  please  every. 


Church  of  the  Epiphany,  Philadelphia,  123 

body,  and  be  did  not  care  to  please  everybody;  lie  had  strong 
antipathies,  and  this  of  itself  arouses  opposition  ;  he  was  bold  and 
fearless,  and  took  no  counsel  of  flesh  and  blood  ;  earnest  and  stern 
in  his  convictions,  and  thoroughly  loyal  to  his  Master.  '  Cry  aloud  and 
spare  not ! '  was  the  watchword  of  his  ministry  from  the  beginning; 
*  Christ  and  Him  crucified,'  his  one  uniform  theme.  There  may 
have  been  some  hard  points  in  his  theology,  but  they  were  softened 
by  the  tenderness  of  his  heart  and  his  overwhelming  sense  of  the 
Saviour's  love.  He  rests  at  last,  a  man  who  knew  little  of  repose 
while  he  lived.  And  the  echoes  of  his  c-lear  ringing  voice  still  seem 
to  linger  in  the  air  and  speak  to  us  of  Jesus." 

An  incident  of  Dr.  Tyng's  ministry  at  the  Epiphany,  is  related, 
which  is  most  characteristic  of  him  and  aptly  illustrates  his 
discouragement  of  popular  excitement  or  applause. 

It  was  at  a  time  when  there  was  much  excitement  among 
"  Millerites  "  in  expectation  of  the  second  coming  of  the  Lord.  He 
had  been  lecturing,  at  his  usual  Wednesday  evening  services,  upon 
the  Book  of  Daniel,  as  during  the  previous  year  he  had  lectured  on 
Isaiah,  and  had  reached  in  course  the  ninth  chapter.  It  had  been 
said  that  he  would  on  that  particular  evening  give  his  views  on  the 
"  Seventy  weeks  "  and  "  the  time  and  half  a  time." 

The  lecture-room  was  crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity  and  still 
people  were  coming  in  much  curiosity  and  excitement.  This  state 
of  afi'airs  was  reported  by  one  of  the  vestry,  and  immediately  Dr. 
Tyng  declared  that  he  would  not  satisfy  the  crowd.  He  went  into 
the  desk  and  conducted  the  short  service,  but  instead  of  interpret- 
ing prophecy,  preached  a  pointed  gospel  sermon.  He  announced 
his  text,  "  Strive  to  enter  in  at  the  strait  gate  ;  for  many,  I  say 
unto  you,  will  seek  to  enter  in  and  shall  not  be  able."  (Luke  xiii. 
24.)  His  rebuke  was,  do  not  concern  yourselves  with  what  is  no 
business  of  yours  ;  do  not  inquire  how  many  will  be  saved  or  when 
the  Lord  will  come.  Attend  to  the  things  which  concern  your  own 
peace,  strive  to  enter  in  at  the  strait  gate,  and  then,  no  matter 
whether  few  or  many  be  saved,  no  matter  when  the  Lord  may 
come,  you  will  be  ready  for  Him.  It  is  said  he  never  preached  with 
more  earnestness  or  more  directness  of  appeal,  and  few  that  heard 
him  will  ever  forget  that  night.  The  crowd  listened  with  respect 
and  interest,  but  after  the  services  some  complained  of  their  dis- 
appointment, though  they  acknowledged  the  justice  of  his  re- 
proof. 

During  the  year  1830,  the   third  of  his  published  works  was 
issued,  a  volume  of  sermons  to  which  the  title  "The  Israel  of  God" 


124  Rev.   Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

was  given.     Like  his  previous  books,  it  had  a  large    circulation, 
several  thousand  copies  having  been  sold  within  a  short  period. 

The  Church  of  the  Epiphany,  capacious  as  it  had  been  deemed 
at  the  time  of  its  erection,  soon  proved  entirely  inadequate  in  its 
accommodations.  Such  was  the  continued  demand  for  seats  that 
it  became  necessary  to  make  some  enlargement  to  provide  addi- 
tional room,  and  it  was  determined  to  accomplish  this  by  the 
addition  of  side  galleries.  This  work  was  undertaken  in  1842,  and 
the  necessary  closing  of  the  church  for  the  purpose  offered  Dr. 
Tyng  an  opportunity  for  a  suf&cient  vacation  to  enable  him  to  make 
a  Euro23ean  voyage.  Twentj^-one  years  as  a  settled  pastor  had 
been  finished,  and  during  this  whole  period  his  life  had  been  one 
of  unceasing  labor,  without  any  interval  of  relaxation  or  repose. 
In  the  last  sermon  preached  before  his  departure  he  spoke  of  these 
years  of  labor,  and  said,  "  I  have  never  been  without  a  charge  for 
a  day.  I  have  never  left  the  charge  committed  to  me  except  when 
absolute  inability  to  preach  has  driven  me  away,  or  when  some 
paramount  call  of  duty  has  occupied  me  for  a  time  in  other  and  not 
less  exhausting  labors. 

"  Having  passed  my  life  thus,  and  these  last  two  years  in  a 
peculiar  confinement  to  the  duties  of  my  ministry,  I  have  found 
myself  extremely  exhausted  and  broken  in  strength,  and  compelled 
to  seek  a  relaxation,  perhaps  already  full  long  deferred." 

By  such  an  absence  alone,  as  that  proposed,  could  he  hope  to 
regain  his  former  strength,  and  in  all  things  his  way  seemed  to  have 
been  opened  to  him  at  this  time.  He  therefore  left  Philadelphia  on 
the  29th  of  March,  having  taken  his  passage  on  a  steamer  to  sail 
from  Boston,  but  on  arriving  at  New  York  learned  that  the  vessel 
would  be  unable  to  return  by  steam,  in  consequence  of  an  accident 
on  her  passage  out.  Unwilling  to  sail  in  a  temporarily  rigged 
vessel,  he  concluded  to  take  passage  in  the  ship  Europe,  Capt. 
Marshall,  to  sail  from  New  York  on  the  1st  of  April,  and  passed 
the  intervening  days  with  his  friends  in  New  York,  from  whom  he 
received  many  letters  which  were  of  much  value  as  introductions 
in  England.  Among  other  attentions  of  this  kind  Mr.  Buchanan, 
the  English  consul,  made  him  bearer  of  despatches,  thus  relieving 
him  from  Custom  House  investigation  and  delay  on  his  reaching 
.  Liverpool,  where  he  arrived  on  the  28th  of  April. 

Having  been  accredited  by  the  Board  of  Missions,  the  American 
Bible  Society,  the  American  Tract  Society,  and  the  American 
Sunday  School  Union  as  a  delegate  to  the  anniversaries  of  their 
kindred  societies  in  London,  he  was  thus  brought  immediately  intc 


Church  of  the  Epiphany ^  Philadelphia,  I25 

close  association  with  those  whom  it  was  his  great  desire  to  meet. 
"I  went,"  he  writes  in  one  of  his  letters,  "to  see  God's  living 
temples,  the  men  whose  names  and  characters  had  so  long  been 
objects  of  deep  regard  and  reverence  to  me,  and  whose  labors  are 
the  honor  and  ornament  of  the  English  Church.  To  find  them 
where  I  could,  and  to  become  acquainted  with  them,  was  the  end 
and  motive  of  all  my  visits  and  journeyings." 

The  anniversary  meetings  were  therefore  occasions  of  the 
deepest  interest,  and  his  letters  are  filled  with  comments  upon 
them,  impressions  of  those  who  took  part  in  them,  and  their  words 
of  protest  against  the  Tractarian  Movement,  which  had  so  lately 
caused  its  great  agitation  of  the  English  and  American  Church. 
After  his  return  these  letters  were  prepared  in  a  series,  published 
in  the  Episcojml  Eecorder,  and  subsequently  combined  in  a  volume, 
entitled  "Recollections  of  England."  Any  extended  quotation 
from  them  is  therefore  superfluous,  but  a  few  extracts  may  not 
inappropriately  be  made. 

In  a  letter  from  Oxford  he  writes  of  those  with  whom  he  met 
there,  and  says: 

"  Our  conversation  naturally  turned  much  upon  the  subjects 
and  persons  which  had  been  involved  in  the  late  discussions,  and 
upon  the  Episcopal  charge,  which  had  been  delivered  the  week 
before  by  the  Bishop  of  Oxford.  But  1  am  wearied  of  considering 
and  writing  upon  this  subject  of  controversy  in  the  Church  ;  and 
the  noxious  influence  of  the  Tractarian  party  seems  now  so  well  un- 
derstood, and  so  generally  acknowledged,  that  I  hope  we  may  be 
relieved  from  the  necessity  of  speaking  or  writing  much  more  about 
it.  The  hostihty  to  their  sentiments  and  agency  certainly  was  not 
less  decided  or  active  at  Oxford,  than  elsewhere,  nor  were  the  feel- 
ings and  views  of  the  gentlemen  with  whom  I  met  less  purely 
Evangelical.  I  felt  no  desire  to  seek  the  persons  who  have  been 
prominent  in  bringing  out  these  false  doctrines,  for  I  could  not 
meet  them  honestly  without  bearing  testimony  against  them,  so 
that  I  did  not  gain  introduction  to  a  single  one  of  their  number, 
and  declined  calling  upon  them  when  it  was  proposed  by  the 
friends  with  whom  I  became  acquainted.  The  gentlemen  with 
whom  I  was  in  company  were  such  as  held  similar  views  with  my- 
self, and  with  whom  I  could  take  counsel  without  fear,  and  their 
society  was  far  more  agreeable  to  me." 

In  a  letter,  descriptive  of  his  visit  to  York  Minster,  he  writes  as 
follows  of  cathedral  services  : 

"  While  I  was  roaming  through  the  immense  edifice,"  he  saye^ 


126  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

"  the  sounding  of  the  organ  indicated  the  hour  of  worship,  and  1 
went  into  the  choir  where  it  is  performed.  But  the  service  was 
worse  performed  than  I  had  seen  it  anywhere  before,  in  the 
manner  and  deportment  both  of  ministers  and  singers.  It  amounted 
to  an  absolute  burlesque  of  religious  worship.  There  seemed  to  be 
no  one  engaged  in  it  who  felt  the  least  concern  in  the  whole  matter, 
except  in  the  desire  to  get  through  as  quick  as  possible.  To 
expect  any  religious  influence  or  effect  from  mummery  like  this,  is 
preposterous.  It  is  an  exposure  of  the  whole  subject  which  it 
represents,  to  ridicule  and  contempt.  These  may  seem  strong 
expressions.  They  indicate,  however,  exactly  the  impression  made 
upon  me  by  the  occasion. 

"The  great  instrument  of  divine  blessing  under  the  gospel  is 
the  preaching  of  the  Word.  And,  though  we  are  by  no  means  to 
undervalue  the  meeting  together  of  Christiana  for  prayer  and  praise 
alone,  yet  the  substitution  of  these  formal,  unmeaning  and  unfeel- 
ing services,  performed  by  careless  and  irreligious  hired  agents, 
for  the  real  prayer  and  praise  of  the  people  of  God,  is  but  a  mock- 
ery of  the  whole  subject.  In  this  case  there  was  not  even  the 
compensation  of  tolerable  music." 

Again,  in  an  account  of  his  visit  to  Durham  Cathedral,  he 
writes: 

"  It  was  the  hour  of  evening  prayer  when  I  entered  the  build- 
ing. There  was  a  vast  improvement  in  the  method  of  performance 
here,  in  comparison  with  the  last  which  I  heard.  The  swelling 
notes  of  the  organ,  as  they  rolled  through  the  long  aisles  and  lofty 
arches,  mingled  with  the  clear  and  sweet  tones  of  the  responsive 
chants,  which  were  performed  with  great  harmony,  affected  me 
with  feelings  of  solemnity,  and  excited  my  heart  to  praise.  Cer- 
tainly I  heard  no  cathedral  music  in  England  equal  to  this  evening's 
worship.  I  formed  no  new  opinion  of  the  importance  or  the 
advantage  of  these  cathedral  services.  They  may  inspire  religious 
sensibility  in  the  minds  of  a  few,  but  they  are  the  fruits  and  agents 
of  mere  formalism,  and  sinful  mockery  of  God,  it  is  to  be  feared,  in 
many  more.  Here  in  a  small  country  town  is  an  edifice,  which  if  it 
were  employed  for  the  proper  ends  of  the  gospel,  the  religious  instruc- 
tion of  the  people,  is  perhaps  sufficient  to  contain  nearly  all  the 
worshippers  in  the  place,  but  which,  as  far  as  I  could  see,  in  its 
present  system,  is  made  useless  at  the  best.  The  people  are 
gathered  for  instruction  in  other  places.  Churches  and  chapels 
are  scattered  round  the  town.  But  this  immense  pile  is  reserved 
for  the  mere  purpose  of  a  formal  singing  through  the  worship  of 


Church  of  the  Epiphany ^  Philadelphia,  l2y 

the  Church,  in  which  few  unite  but  those  who  are  jDaicl  for  the 
purpose,  and  still  fewer,  probably,  derive  any  spiritual  benefit  from 
the  circle  through  which  they  are  required  thus  formally  to  tread. 
With  the  whole  system  of  scrij^tural  and  gospel  operation  among 
men  they  are  apparently  inconsistent,  and  for  the  end  of  promoting 
this,  manifestly  useless." 

After  leaving  London,  a  journey  of  about  a  month's  duration 
was  made  through  England  and  Scotland.  This  gave  him  oppor- 
tunity to  visit  the  Kev.  Edward  Bickersteth,  at  his  home  at  Watton, 
as  well  as  other  friends  whom  he  had  met  during  his  sojourn  in 
London.  He  was  thus  brought  into  a  more  intimate  acquaintance 
with  them,  and  into  relations  with  their  families,  which  were  con- 
tinued through  life,  and  many  of  his  warmest  friends  were  those 
whose  acquaintance  he  first  made  in  this  visit. 

On  the  15th  of  July  he  embarked  in  the  ship  Thomas  P.  Cope, 
for  Philadelphia,  and  after  a  tedious  voyage  arrived  there  on  the 
24th  of  August.  He  had  been  absent  five  months,  and  returned 
home  completely  restored  to  health,  and  refreshed  in  mind  to  enter 
again  upon  his  work  at  the  Epiphany. 

During  the  years  immediately  succeeding,  a  series  of  events  oc- 
curred which,  in  the  excitement  they  caused,  and  the  intensity  of 
party  spirit  they  aroused,  convulsed  the  Church  throughout  its 
whole  extent,  and  have  had  an  important  influence  ujDon  its  suc- 
ceeding history. 

From  Dr.  Tyng's  connection  with  these  they  demand  some  ref- 
erence and  they  are  particularly  notable  as  displaying  his  character 
in  various  lights. 

The  first  was  the  so-called  Carey  ordination  in  New  York  in  July, 
1843,  when  Drs.  Smith  and  Antbon  took  their  stand  in  public  pro- 
test against  the  Episcopal  act  of  Bishop  Onderdonk,  of  that  dio- 
cese. Mr.  Arthur  Carey,  a  young  graduate  of  the  General  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  was  charged  with  holding  opinions  *'  contrary  to 
the  doctrine  and  discipline  of  the  Episcopal  Church,"  and  therefore 
not  properly  to  be  admitted  to  its  ministry.  In  the  presence  of  the 
Bishop  and  other  clergymen,  he  was  examined  by  Drs.  Smith  and 
Antbon,  and  at  its  conclusion,  both,  separately,  protested  against 
his  ordination.  This  the  Bishop  ordered,  however,  and  at  the 
ordination  service  in  St.  Stephen's  Church,  on  July  2,  1843, 
the  two  clergymen  named  rose  and  read  written  protests 
founded  upon  ^Ir.  Carey's  holding  sentiments  "  contrary  to  the 
doctrine  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and  in  close  aUiano^ 
with  the  errors  of  the  Church  of  Rome." 


128  Rev,  Stephe7i  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

At  once  a  storm  of  controversy  was  aroused  in  the  press  and 
various  jDamiDlilets,  as  the  case  was  considered  from  the  different 
points  of  view.  The  course  which  Bishop  Onderdonk  had  pursued 
being  as  earnestly  defended  and  justified  on  the  one  side,  as  the  po- 
sition which  Dr.  Smith  and  Dr.  Anthon  had  taken  was  approved 
and  commended  on  the  other. 

Among  the  latter  class  were  all  of  those  with  whom  Dr.  Tyng 
was  in  sympathy  and  agreement,  and  his  own  views  of  the  action 
of  the  two  clergymen  were  clearly  expressed  when,  speaking  of  the 
case  at  a  later  date,  he  said: 

"  Their  stand  on  that  remarkable  day  was  as  truly  faithful  and 
God-fearing,  as  it  was  decided  and  effectual.  Never  did  two  men 
more  thoroughly  act  out  a  conscientious  conviction  of  duty  or  con- 
fer less  with  flesh  and  blood  in  taking  a  stand  for  .the  truth  of  God, 
and  that  stand  was  triumphant.  From  end  to  end  of  our  land,  the 
fidelity  of  these  witnesses  of  God  attracted  new  affection  for  our 
Church,  won  new  friends  for  the  Saviour's  truth,  awakened  new 
hearts  of  love  and  prayer  for  themselves,  and  gave  them  a  new 
name  of  renown  which  generations  will  honor  with  delight.  The 
respect  and  gratitude  of  all  who  loved  the  gospel  was  theirs." 

Dr.  Tyng  would  not,  however,  unite  in  the  condemnation  of 
Bishop  Onderdonk  so  freely  expressed,  and  did  not  hesitate  to 
come  to  his  defence  with  a  clear  statament  of  his  views  upon  the 
case. 

The  stand  which  he  thus  took  was  the  cause  of  much  comment, 
as  it  arrayed  him  in  apparent  opposition  to  those  with  whom  he 
was  supposed  to  be  in  entire  accord,  and  it  is  as  notable  an  instance 
of  his  own  independence  of  mind  and  action  as  of  the  impartiality 
and  justice  of  his  conclusions. 

In  a  communication  to  the  Episcopal  Recorder  over  his  own  sig- 
nature, he  reviewed  as  follows  several  important  aspects  of  the 
case: 

"  The  controversy  seems  to  me  to  have  remained  very  much 
among  the  incidents  of  the  occasion,  and  to  have  thus  far  left  very 
important  principles  far  too  much  unnoticed.  Undoubtedly,  the 
real  issue  in  this  individual  instance,  which  must  be  considered  also 
a  representative  of  a  class  of  such  to  follow,  is  to  be  found  in  the 
actual  false  doctrines  charged  upon  the  young  man  and  their  utter 
inconsistency  with  our  standards  of  received  truth.  I  presume  the 
general  respect  of  the  Church  would  have  been  accorded  to  Bishop 
Onderdonk  and  his  attending  and  examining  presbyters,  if  they 
had,  at  least  in  consideration  of  the  views  of  other  persons,  and 


Church  of  the  Epiphany,  Philadelphia.  129 

they  not  a  few,  deferred  the  ordination  for  further  consideration. 
I  think  it  will  be  almost  as  generally  conceded,  that  the  avowal  of 
such  sentiments  as  he  declared,  even  after  all  the  compulsory  ex- 
planations of  them  which  have  been  drawn  out,  ought  to  be  a  suffi- 
cient reason  for  exclusion  from  orders  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church.  But  are  these  the  only  points  at  issue  ?  or  do  they  include 
the  only  facts  which  ought  to  be  considered  ?  Are  w^e  to  consider 
the  occasion  in  the  concrete  a  mere  question  of  the  admission  or 
exclusion  of  Popish  sentiments  from  our  ministry  ?  I  certainly 
would  not  appear  to  undervalue  this  question.  But  I  have  not 
been  able  to  satisfy  my  mind  with  this  view.  After  all  that  has 
been  written,  I  am  not  satisfied  with  the  mere  condemnation  of 
Bishop  Onderdonk  in  all  the  facts  of  the  case. 

'■^  First:  In  regard  to  the  actual  final  protest:  was  the  subject  of 
it  one  that  came  within  the  prescription  of  the  rubric  ?  I  shall  not 
be  suspected  of  dealing  lightly  with  the  difficulties  suggested.  My 
course  in  reference  to  all  the  questions  of  Popery,  is  at  least  well 
known,  by  those  who  know  anything  of  me.  But  are  the  assembled 
congregation  at  an  ordination,  old  and  young,  male  and  female,  to 
be  considered,  in  the  view  of  the  Church,  as  judges  of  the  intellectual 
and  doctrinal  qualifications  and  prei^aration  of  candidates  for  or- 
ders ?  In  such  an  assembly  we  can  recognize  no  respect  of  per- 
sons. Any  two  have  as  good  a  right  to  object,  as  any  other  two, 
when  the  call  is  made:  "Brethren,  if  there  be  any  of  you  who 
knoweth,"  etc.,  etc.  The  only  question  is,  what  have^any  persons  a 
right  to  object  to  the  candidate  proposed  ?  It  must  be  answered, 
I  think  clearly,  that,  which  persons  so  situated,  may  be  supposed, 
or  competent  to  know. 

"  The  exhortation  is  '  any  impediment  or  notable  crime,  etc.,  for 
the  which  he  ought  not  to  be  admitted  to  that  office.'  But  is  a 
charged  or  suspected  tendency  to  Popery,  an  equal  impediment,  if 
it  were  reasonably  known  ?  Or  is  it  such  an  impediment  even  when 
established,  as  comes  within  the  intended  reach  of  the  exhortation 
and  the  rubric,  to  wliich  reference  is  made  ?  Anv  moral  crime  is 
within  the  judgment  and  view  and  ability  to  testify  of  all  persons 
present,  who  have  had  oi)portunities  of  witnessing  it.  and  it  may 
have  V)een  entirely  unknown  to  the  Bishop  and  presln-ters  engaged 
in  the  ordination.  And  of  any  fact  within  such  a  range,  any  person 
present  may  justly  testify.  The  very  fact  that  the  Bislioj)  is  required 
by  the  rubric,  absolutely  to  *  cease  from  ordering  the  person  until 
such  time  as  the  party  accused  sliall  be  found  clear,'  shows  that  the 
fact  implied  is  something  which  can  be  demonstratively  proved,  or 


130  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng^  D.D, 

shown  to  be  untrue.  It  must  be  something  in  regard  to  which 
there  can  be  no  Hberty  of  judgment,  whether  it  exists  or  not,  or 
whether  if  existing,  it  be  right  or  wrong.  The  Bishop  is  bound  to 
stay  all  proceedings  till  the  person  '  be  found  clear,'  of  course  im- 
plying, by  the  testimony  of  others  and  not  by  his  own  assertions 
merely.  But  it  seems  to  me,  when  the  canons  of  the  Church  have 
provided  three  years  study  for  the  candidate  for  orders,  under  the 
supervising  direction  of  the  Bishop,  and  three  distinct  examinations 
by  the  Bishop  and  presbyters  into  the  results  of  this  education,  in 
order  to  ascertain  and  exhibit  his  mental  and  theological  sufficiency 
for  the  ministry;  and  then  require  him  in  the  Seventh  Article  of  the 
Constitution  to  subscribe  the  declaration  of  his  faith  in  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  as  the  Word  of  God,  and 
containing  all  things  necessary  to  salvation,  and  an  engagement  of 
conformity  to  the  doctrines  and  worship  of  the  Church,  the  minis- 
try of  which  he  is  seeking,  that  the  door  cannot  be  considered  af 
left  open  for  any  persons  at  the  very  last,  to  declare  their  dissatis- 
faction with  him  on  this  ground,  to  the  effect  of  arresting  his  ordi- 
nation. If  so,  then  any  persons  present  may  be  allowed  to  make 
any  conceivable  objections  of  this  character,  which  seem  to  them 
important,  either  to  the  manifest  injury  of  the  candidate,  if  they  be 
regarded  by  the  Bishop,  or  to  the  manifest  breaking  up  of  all  order 
and  decorum  in  the  service,  if  they  be  disregarded.  The  decision 
in  this  case,  what  supposed  doctrines  are  an  '  impediment  or  nota- 
ble crime,'  would  be  left  entirely  to  the  judgment  or  prejudices  of 
the  persons  making  the  objection.  And  if  any  one  may  charge 
supposed  Popery,  another  may  accuse  of  Calvinism  or  Arminianism 
or  Puritanism,  or  whatever  seems  to  any  to  be  grievous  rehgious 
error,  or  a  doctrinal  deficiency  amounting  to  just  impediment  to 
ordination  in  our  Church.  It  must  depend  then  wholly  upon  the 
character  and  will  and  personal  theology  of  the  individual  Bishop, 
what  effect  each  particular  charge  should  be  allowed  to  have. 

If  such  objections  were  to  be  considered  in  order  in  their  nature, 
and  regarded  as  such,  inasmuch  as  the  Bishop  has  no  liberty 
of  action  by  the  rubric,  one  Bishop  must  necessarily  suspend 
one  class  of  candidates,  and  another  must  refuse  another  class, 
according  to  the  particular  views  of  each,  to  the  certain  breaking 
up  of  all  order  and  propriety  in  our  service  and  all  regularity  in 
our  disciphne,  and,  as  I  shall  attempt  to  show  subsequently,  to  the 
violation  of  the  actual  rights  of  the  candidate  himself.  Our  patch- 
work Church,  no  longer  at  unity  in  itself,  would  then  exhibit  the 
strange  incoherence,  that  Bishop  A.  would  not  ordain  Popish  men^ 


Church  of  the  Epiphany,  Philadelphia,  131 

nor  Bishop  B.,  Calvinistic  men,  nor  Bishop  C,  Arminian  men,  etc., 
and  what  would  be  the  inevitable  result,  but  the  complete  breaking 
up  of  our  whole  Church  throughout  the  land  ? 

"  The  impossibility  of  erecting  with  any  equity  such  a  tribunal 
for  judgment  in  theological  questions,  as  would  be  found  m  the 
minds  of  every  promiscuous  congregation,  or  of  carrying  it  out  to 
any  result,  but  confusion  and  dissension  in  the  Church,  and  the  en- 
tire opposition  of  such  a  plan  to  the  canonical  provisions  of  the 
Church,  in  regard  to  the  preparation  and  examination  of  candidates 
for  orders,  lead  me  to  conclude  with  certainty  in  my  own  mind,  that 
the  possible  impediments  suggested  to  the  consideration,  cannot 
be  mental  or  theological  impediments  of  which  the  Bishop  and 
presbyters  must  be  reasonably  judged  far  better  informed  than 
they — but  must  be  moral  impediments  which  any  persons  in  the 
congregation  may  know,  though  the  Bishop  does  not. 

"  The  moral  character  of  the  candidate  has  been  also  certified  by 
canonical  testimonials — but  these  may  be  to  a  great  extent  with  but 
partial  knowledge  in  the  persons  signing  them.     Any  persons  are 
competent  witnesses  of  moral  facts.      Many  j^ersons  may  know  facts 
which  are  wholly  inconsistent  with  the  testimonials  which  have  been 
given.     The  congregation  are  supposed  to  be  witnesses  of  the  life 
and  conversation  of  the  candidate.     They  are  therefore  called  upon 
to  testify  what  they  know  upon  this  subject,  and  their  testimony  is 
of  course  to  be  considered  and  examined  according  to  the  rubric. 
I  have  not  been  able   to   convince  myself   that  the  protest  at  the 
ordination  which  is  particularly  referred  to,  was  within  the  range 
of  this  rubric,  or,  consequently,  much  as  I  respect  the  persons  in- 
volved, an  orderly  and  just  proceeding,  though  the  novelty  of  the 
question  and  the  occasion,  and  the  fact  that  the  principle  involved, 
was  as  yet  unsettled,  must  shield  from  all  censure,  in  this  incident 
of    the    occasion,    men,    who    had    so  faithfully   discharged    their 
duty  in  this  whole  crisis.     If  our  Canons  do  not  sufficiently  reach 
possible  theological  errors,  some  other  method  of  greater  stringency 
must  be  discovered.      But  I  cannot  as  one  agree  that  the  extremity 
of  any  case,  will   liereafter  justify  or  warrant  that  which  seems  to 
me,  an  illegal  effort  to  meet  its  supposed  evils. 

"  Secotidly:  In  regard  to  the  candidate  liimsolf.  It  has  been  a 
very  serious  consideration  in  my  mind  in  connection  with  this  sub- 
ject, how  far  there  are  to  be  acknowledjred  actual  rights  in  the 
candidate  himself  which  cannot  be  violated  or  refused  but  with 
great  injustice,  and  wliether  the  submission  to  a  protest  against 
ordination  like  the  one  we  have  seen,  would  not  be  an  actuafviola- 


132  Rev,  Stephen  Higgi7ison    Tyng,  D.D, 

tion  of  these  rights  ?  If  a  candidate  for  orders  has  rights  in  him- 
self, secured  by  the  laws  and  action  of  the  Church,  and  the  arrest- 
ing of  his  ordination  upon  a  protest  involving  insufficient  or  illegal 
objections,  would  be  a  violation  of  these  rights,  not  only  is  he  the 
victim  of  great  injustice,  but  he  has  also  a  right  to  call  for  the 
protection  of  the  civil  law,  to  secure  him  against  the  power  and 
effects  of  ecclesiastical  oppression.  It  becomes  therefore  a  very 
important  question  to  consider,  what  are  the  rights  of  a  candidate 
for  orders  ? 

"  Our  Canons  la}'  open  his  path  with  great  distinctness. 
They  also  guard  it  and  limit  it  with  very  marked  and  pecu- 
liar restraints.  The  question  is,  does  a  perfect  compliance  with 
aU  these  directions  and  restraints  give  from  the  Church  to  the 
candidate  a  right  to  expect  and  claim  his  orders  at  the  last,  nothing 
appearing  in  any  legal  way  to  vitiate  this  performance  of  his  re- 
quired course  ?  It  must  be  granted,  of  course,  that  if  his  qualifica- 
tions, mental  or  moral,  are  ultimately  found  insufficient,  he  may 
be  justly  rejected.  If  his  examining  Bishop  and  presbyters  are  dis- 
satisfied with  the  one,  they  have  certainly  the  right  to  reject  him 
there.  If  any  persons  are  acquainted  with  moral  crimes,  which,  if 
known,  would  actually  overturn  all  the  worth  and  influence  of  his 
certificates  of  character,  they  may  declare  them  at  the  very  last 
moment,  and  he  may  be  arrested  there.  But  if  his  examinations 
have  been  satisfactory  to  the  persons  appointed  to  direct  them,  and 
his  character  is  unstained  with  moral  crime,  has  he  not  a  right  se- 
cured to  him,  to  the  ordination,  for  which  he  has  fulfilled  his  ap- 
pointed preparation  ?  Or  is  it  to  be  considered  by  him,  and  for  him, 
utterly  uncertain  to  the  very  last  moment  whether  he  shall  be  al- 
lowed to  gain  the  object  of  his  wish  ?  May  he  be  exposed  to  be 
arrested,  in  the  very  attainment  of  his  desire,  by  the  possible  judg- 
ment of  two  persons  in  the  assembled  congregation  that  he  is  de- 
ficient or  erroneous  in  religious  doctrine  or  theological  training  ? 
I  confess  this  amounts  in  my  view  to  extreme  oppression. 

"  What  young  man  of  honorable  and  ingenuous  feelings  would  be 
wiUing  to  expose  himself  to  this  possible  disgrace  and  this  entire  un- 
certainty of  prospect  ?  Or  what  Christian  parent  would  be  willing, 
in  the  face  of  such  a  hazard,  to  commit  his  son  to  the  faith  and 
guardianship  of  a  Church  whose  system  of  law  was  so  insecure  and 
so  destitute  of  all  protection  to  his  character  or  prospects  ?  Yet  if 
the  principle  that  a  final  protest  founded  upon  the  personal  sus- 
picion or  conviction  of  any  persons,  that  the  theological  attain- 
ments and  preparation  of  the  candidate  are  insufficient  or  unsound, 


Church  of  the  Epiphany,  Philadelphia,  133 

is  to  be  of  necessity  regarded  and  acted  upon  by  the  Bisliop 
ordaining,  to  what  other  result  than  this  shall  we  be  brought  ?  Will 
it  not  completely  unsettle  our  whole  Church  in  thus  undermining 
the  just  prospects  and  rights  of  the  ministry  at  the  very  commence- 
ment of  their  course  ?  Will  not  the  secret  reservation  of  such  arbi- 
trary and  irresponsible  power,  amount  to  a  complete  exclusion  of 
desirable  candidates  from  our  ministry?  I  am  necessarily  led 
therefore  from  these  considerations  to  the  conviction  that  these  are 
rights  secured  to  the  candidate  upon  the  implied  faith  of  the 
Church.  The  connection  seems  to  me  to  have  the  aspect  of  a 
mutual  contract.  The  candidate  voluntarily  yields  himself  to  re- 
straints and  laws  to  which  he  was  not  before  subjected,  to  gain  ad- 
vantages and  benefits  which  are  thus  promised  and  secured  to  him. 
The  Church  therefore  comes  under  an  obligation  to  bestow  upon 
him,  on  the  fulfillment  of  his  part  of  the  contract,  the  advantages 
of  ministry  to  which  it  has  encouraged  him  to  look^  and  he,  in  con- 
sequence, has  a  right  to  the  result  of  his  labors,  which  cannot  justly 
be  withheld  from  him. 

"  In  the  present  case  I  certainly  allow  that  the  difficulties 
objected,  might  have  been  sufficient  to  exclude  the  candidate 
from  orders.  But  the  place  and  time  at  which  this  ought  to 
have  been  done,  were  at  his  three  canonical  examinations.  There, 
and  there  only,  it  seems  to  me,  was  the  question  to  be  settled 
of  his  theological  sufficiency.  Beyond  this,  it  appears  to  me,  to 
have  been  an  invasion  of  his  rights,  to  appoint  another  examination 
and  a  concession  of  them  on  his  part  to  submit  to  it.  If  the  canon- 
ical examinations  are  not  adequate,  let  the  proper  remedy  be  ap- 
plied by  the  General  Convention.  But  I  should  be  compelled  to 
resist  all  extra  canonical  actions,  especially  that  which  seems  to  me 
to  compromise  the  personal  rights  of  any  member  of  the  Church, 
as  being  an  expedient  both  dangerous  and  unsound.  I  cannot 
therefore  but  consider  Bishop  Onderdonk,  however,  acting  errone- 
ously, in  previously  passing  a  young  man  against  whom  such 
charges  are  made,  with  approbation  tlirough  his  examinations  for 
orders,  yet,  as  being  at  the  time  of  the  ordination,  the  defender 
and  protector  of  the  canonical  rights  of  the  candidate,  the  guardian 
of  constitutional  liberty  and  law,  and  the  opposer  of  a  cause  of 
action  which  in  my  mind  would  liavo  been,  in  a  very  high  degree, 
oppressive  and  unjust. 

"  Thirdly  :  This  subject  must  bo  viewed  in  regard  to  the  Bishop. 
It  appears  to  mo  a  very  important  question  in  this  case,  what 
power  the  Bishop  actually  has  in  the  premises  stated.     If  a  candi- 


134  ^^^-  Stephen  Higginson   Tyngy  B.D. 

date  may  not  be  justly  thrust  back  from  bis  expected  ordination  by 
the  illegal  objections  of  the  people,  which  point  I  have  just  con- 
sidered, may  he  be  put  aside  by  the  arbitrary  and  irresponsible 
power  of  the  Bishop  himself.  The  concession  of  this  power  seems 
to  be  required  as  the  foundation  of  censure  upon  the  Bishop,  for 
not  exercising  such  authority  in  this  case.  The  question  of  actual 
Episcopal  power  in  our  Church,  seems  by  some,  to  be  considered 
an  unsettled  question.  Extravagant  claims  are  made  by  some  in 
behalf  of  our  Bishops  ;  for  it  must  be  truly  said,  I  think,  that  the 
Bishops  have  not  often  made  undue  claims  for  themselves.  I 
remember  once  hearing  it  said  that  all  power  emanated  from  the 
Bishops,  and  whatever  powers  were  not  by  them  voluntarily  con- 
ceded to  the  Church,  they  still  actually  possessed.  This  amounts 
simply  to  the  assertion  that  the  power  to  hang  or  imprison  men 
was  still  possessed  by  them,  as  it  certainly  was  not  by  them  con- 
ceded or  by  the  Canons  assigned  to  any  other  persons.  Others, 
and  with  manifest  justice,  it  seems  to  me,  consider  the  jurisdiction 
and  government  of  the  Bishop  to  emanate  wholly  from  the  Church, 
and  to  be  conceded  and  given  to  him  by  the  law  of  the  Church. 
Bishops  may  not  justly  ordain  ministers,  but  according  to  the 
prescriptions  and  directions  of  the  Canons.  May  they  by  any 
arbitrary  power  refuse  ordination,  when,  according  to  my  previous 
supposition,  all  the  demands  and  directions  of  the  Church  have 
been  complied  with?  I  conceive  the  whole  previous  argument 
applies  with  increased  force  here. 

"  My  whole  education  and  experience  have  led  me  earnestly 
to  oppose  secret  and  constructive  powers,  and  to  desire  every 
right  and  duty  of  man  to  be  laid  out  in  written  law.  I  con- 
ceive the  safety  and  peace  of  our  Church  to  consist  chiefly  in 
the  universal  conformity  of  all  orders  among  us  to  written  law. 
[  should  feel  compelled  to  resist  the  exercise  of  undefined 
power  in  any  officer  among  us,  as  being  a  violent  encroach- 
ment upon  the  rights  which  are  secured  to  us  all,  as  members  of 
this  Church,  whose  glory  is  the  openness  and  regularity  of  her 
system  of  law.  But  the  arresting  of  a  candidate  at  the  very  point 
of  his  ordination,  when  he  has  been  previously  altogether  accepted, 
and  approved  by  the  secret  and  sole  determination  of  the  Bishop 
himself,  seems  to  me  one  of  the  most  tyrannical  instances  of  power 
which  can  be  well  conceived.  The  concession  of  the  existence  of 
such  a  power,  is  a  virtual  annihilation  of  the  whole  authority  of 
the  solemnly  established  Canons  of  the  Church.  Who  can  imagine 
that  any  such  power  can  be  acknowledged  in  the  Bishop  ?     He  is 


Church  of  the  Epiphany ^  Philadelphia,  136 

appointed  to  execute  the  laws  of  the  Church,  and  to  see  that  they 
are  executed  by  others;  not  to  violate  and  annul  them.  By  these 
very  laws  he  may  himself  be  tried,  and  to  them  he  is  continually 
amenable.  He  is  as  much  bound  to  submit  to  them  as  the  youngest 
deacon  in  his  diocese,  and  should  be  to  all  an  example  of  such 
obedience.  But  if  he  has  the  secret  right  to  refuse  ordination 
accordmg  to  his  own  will,  to  a  candidate  legally  qualified,  or  if  he 
may  arrest  the  ordination  of  such  a  one  at  the  very  last,  upon  his 
own  personal  dissatisfaction  with  him,  for  any  cause  not  within  the 
written  requisitions  of  the  law,  we  have  brought  in  a  power  to 
operate  in  the  Church  of  the  most  oppressive  and  tyrannical  charac- 
ter. And  I  may  say  again,  few  young  men  of  worthiness  for  the 
ministry  would  be  willing  to  go  through  a  course  of  preparation 
exposed  to  the  hazard  of  being  crushed  at  last,  by  the  secret  and 
irresponsible  determination  of  the  Bishop. 

"  Certainly  the  Bishop  possesses  the  power  to  arrest  the 
course  of  unworthy  candidates.  They  are  under  his  partic- 
ular direction  through  their  whole  course.  They  are  subject 
to  his  repeated  examinations.  If  they  are  theologically  defi- 
cient or  unsound,  they  are  then  to  be  rejected.  If  they  are 
found  morally  unqualified,  they  may  be  arrested  at  the  last 
moment.  But  I  apprehend  that  it  is  too  late,  then,  to  object 
merely  mental  or  theological  disqualifications.  And  I  should  hesi- 
tate  much  to  allow  to  the  Bishop  the  final  right  for  the  refusal  to 
exercise  which  the  Bishop  of  New  York  is  blamed.  I  must  say 
again,  the  blame,  in  this  case,  as  one  of  the  facts,  must  be  put  upon 
previous  acts.  In  the  refusal  to  reject  the  candidate  at  the  last,  upon 
the  objections  made,  he  seems  to  me  only  to  have  refused  the  exercise 
of  a  power,  which,  in  my  view,  he  did  not  possess,  and  the  exercise  of 
which,  it  appears  to  me,  if  it  had  been  tolerated,  would  have  been  one 
of  the  most  dangerous  precedents  ever  established  in  the  Church. 

"  These  are  questions  which  have  occurred  to  my  mind  in 
connection  with  this  subject  considered  in  its  canonical  and 
legal  asjject,  and  wholly  separate  from  the  incidental  questions 
of  doctrine  which  have  been  involved  in  this  peculiar  case.  I  sug- 
gest them,  as  appearing  to  me,  to  be  very  important  principles  for 
our  consideration,  which  have  not  in  this  coutroversv  been  ade- 
quately  regarded.  I  leave  them  to  the  examination  of  other  brethren, 
many  of  whom  are  so  much  wiser  and  better  informed  upon  the 
subject  than  myself.  I  utter  them  upon  my  own  personal  responsi- 
bility alone,  that  you  may  not  be  considered  in  any  way  involved  in 
the  statement  of  them." 


136  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

The  controversy  awakened  by  this  case  had  not  yet  ended  when 
that  of  the  Bishop  of  Penns^ivania  was  presented  for  consideration. 
Bumors  affecting  his  reputation  and  usefulness  had  for  some  time 
prevailed,  and  had  become  so  important,  when  the  annual  conven- 
tion assembled  in  May,  1844,  that  the  clergy  felt  it  imperative  that 
some  investigation  of  the  charges  should  be  made.  After  various 
meetings  and  much  consultation,  a  solemn  remonstrance  was 
adopted  and  signed  by  sixty-eight  of  the  clergy,  and  ten  of  the 
senior  presbyters  were  deputed  to  present  it  to  the  Bishop  and 
obtain  his  reply.  They  waited  upon  him,  but  his  reply  was  unsat- 
isfactory and  discouraging.  The  committee,  however,  resolved  to 
take  no  action  hastily,  and  adjourned  for  several  weeks,  after 
appointing  a  committee  of  five  to  confer  with  the  Bishop  in  the 
interval.  Before  they  could  have  any  conference  with  him,  however, 
he  sent  his  resignation  to  the  Standing  Committee,  and  thus  opened 
the  whole  case  to  public  discussion.  Of  both  the  committees 
referred  to  Dr.  Tyng  was  a  member,  and  all  his  exertions  were 
made  to  avert  the  calamity  which  had  now  occurred. 

Bishop  Clark,  at  that  time  the  rector  of  St.  Andrew's  Church, 
writes : 

"It  was  Dr.  Tyng's  lot  to  act  as  spokesman  of  this  committee 
and  the  painful  duty  that  devolved  upon  him,  is  said  to  have  been 
discharged  with  singular  tenderness  and  fidelity.  If  the  Bishop 
had  res^Donded  in  the  same  spirit,  the  calamity  that  followed  might 
have  been  evaded;  and  the  pursuance  of  the  same  exemplary  and 
consistent  life,  which  afterward  distinguished  his  career,  might 
have  reinstated  him  in  the  public  confidence  and  regard,  without 
the  infliction  of  the  sad  sentence  of  suspension. 

"  Although  at  the  time  Dr.  Tyng  acted  with  his  brethren  in  that 
unanimous  course  which  included  the  Bishop's  withdrawal,  his 
sympathy  with  the  aged  sufferer  was  so  acute  that  he  announced 
his  intention  of  casting  in  his  lot  with  the  Bishop,  and  doing  every 
thing  in  his  power  to  arrest  all  further  proceedings  against  him ; 
and  it  was  only  by  means  of  persistent  and  earnest  remonstrance 
on  the  part  of  Dr.  Tyng's  friends,  who  saw  that  while  this  interfer- 
ence could  do  the  Bishop  no  good  it  might  materially  affect  the 
Doctor's  usefulness,  that  he  was  induced  to  let  the  matter  rest." 

The  consideration  of  the  Bishop's  resignation  came  before  a 
special  convention,  which  assembled  in  St.  Andrew's  Church  on  the 
6th  of  September,  1844.  In  the  opening  sermon,  which  he  was  se- 
lected to  preach,  Dr.  Tyng  strove  to  allay  the  intense  feeling  and 
party  spirit  which  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case  were  calculated 


Church  of  the  Epiphany,  Philadelphia,  137 

to  engender.  It  was  upon  the  text,  "  Sirs,  ye  are  brethren,"  (Acts 
Yii.  26)  and  entitled,  in  accordance  with  its  words,  "  A  Plea  for 
Union." 

"  I  trust  I  shall  need  no  excuse,"  he  said,  upon  an  occasion 
like  this,  for  attempting  to  promote  the  cause  and  to  advocate  the 
claims  of  union  among  my  brethren.  Such  an  effort  is  equally  the 
result  of  my  solemn  conviction  of  personal  duty  and  the  spontaneous 
expression  of  the  state  and  feelings  of  my  own  heart.  And  there  are 
the  strongest  motives,  arising  from  the  importance  of  the  duties 
which  are  now  devolved  upon  us,  the  consequences  which  must  result 
from  them,  the  interests  which  must  be  affected  by  them,  and  the 
extended  observation  abroad  under  which  we  discharge  them,  to 
lead  us  to  lay  aside  every  other  feeling  than  the  single  desire  to 
know  and  to  do  the  will  of  God,  and  to  glorify  Him  in  our  present 
consultation  for  the  care  and  edification  of  His  Church. 

"  I  long  to  find,  and  to  abide  in,  that  unity  of  the  spirit,  and 
that  bond  of  peace,  especially  in  our  own  household  of  faith,  which 
the  Saviour  has  given  us  as  the  mark  of  His  disciples,  and  which 
the  apostle  so  earnestly  urges  us  to  endeavor  to  keep.  The  condi- 
tion and  the  mind  of  man,  and  the  maintenance  and  defence  of  the 
truth  of  God,  render  inevitable  frequent  discussions  of  the  avowed 
principles  of  revealed  truth;  and  involve]  an  equally  inevitable 
difference  of  opinion  upon  many  of  their  subjects.  And  it  would 
be  neither  wise  nor  just  to  arrest  or  prohibit  these  discussions, 
even  were  it  possible.  But  amidst  them  all  the  bond  of  peace  and 
love  may  be,  and  must  be  preserved  unbroken  still. 

"Are  we  not  brethren?  Are  we  not  entirely  united  in  funda- 
mental faith,  in  Church  communion  and  discipline,  and  in  our  views 
of  its  importance;  in  exposure  to  outward  assaults  ;  in  conflicts 
with  various  foes  on  every  side  ?  Are  we  not  united  in  the  sorrows 
which  we  are  required  to  bear;  and  in  the  bright  and  blessed  hope 
of  future  eternal  deliverance,  by  the  one  great  Redeemer,  by  whose 
name  we  are  called.  Have  we  any  lines  of  division  or  motives  for 
separation,  at  all  to  be  compared  in  importance  and  worth  with  the 
reasons  for  our  union,  or  with  the  facts  in  which  we  are  actually 
agreed  ? 

*'  Our  Church  has  wisely  confined  her  authoritative  declarations 
of  the  Christian  faith  to  a  comparatively  few  fundamental  and  in- 
dispensable articles.  She  has  expressed  these  in  a  very  general 
manner,  but  in  the  most  distinct  and  intelligible  terms.  She  has 
thus  displayed  a  pecuHar  evidence  of  her  conformity,  to  both  the 
Scriptural  and  the  primitive  standard. 


138  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

ft 

"  Thus  the  great  doctrines,  which  the  Scriptures  reveal,  are 
declared  as  certain  and  indisputable  facts  to  be  received;  and  then 
are  left  without  a  minute  definition  of  all  the  consequences  which 
man's  wisdom  may  suppose  to  be  justly  derived  from  them,  to  be 
accepted  upon  the  authority  of  Him  who  has  revealed  them.  Thus 
the  early  disciples  of  the  Lord  proclaimed  their  creeds  from  the 
teachings  of  Holy  Scripture,  in  simple  and  intelligible  terms, 
and  were  perfectly  joined  together  in  the  same  mind  and  judgment, 
because  the  articles  of  faith  which  they  imposed,  as  necessary  to  be 
received,  were  few  and  easily  defined. 

"  The  commencement  of  most  of  the  heresies  and  schisms  which 
have  destroyed  the  peace  of  the  Christian  Church,  may  be  found  in 
the  attempt  of  man's  philosophy  to  define  specific  doctrines  more 
accurately,  and  to  carry  out  their  consequences  more  minutely,  than 
God  has  been  pleased  to  do;  and  then  to  impose  these  conclu- 
sions of  man  upon  man,  and  to  insist  upon  their  acceptance,  as  if 
they  were  the  teachings  of  God.  This  spirit  was  very  early  dis- 
played in  the  Christian  history,  and  it  has  continued  its  action  in 
every  age,  avowing  the  purpose  of  producing  greater  unity,  among 
the  followers  of  Christ,  but  uniformly  leading  to  more  entire  and 
numerous  divisions,  both  of  sentiment  and  feeling.  Our  Church 
has  taken  a  position  directly  opposed  to  this  scholastic  system,  the 
parent  of  necessary  division,  and  has  adhered  to  the  primitive  sys- 
tem of  a  simple  and  easily  defined  faith,  as  in  this  relation  the  only 
permanent  bond  of  union  and  peace.  Her  confession  of  faith  rests 
upon  the  sufiiciency  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  alone,  for  instruction 
unto  salvation.  It  proclaims  the  glorious  and  satisfying  doctrine 
of  the  Trinity  of  persons  in  the  Godhead  as  the  foundation  upon 
which  all  other  articles  rest.  It  establishes  the  perfect  Deity,  and 
the  full  propitiation  of  the  Son  of  God.  It  teaches  the  personal 
agency,  and  the  sanctifying  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  It  avows 
the  entire  corruption  of  our  own  nature:  its  impotence  to  anything 
spiritually  good;  and  its  absolute  need  of  the  grace  and  inspiration 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  the  production  of  any  good  works.  It  main- 
tains man's  free  justification  in  the  merits  of  Christ,  by  faith  only. 
It  insists  upon  the  persevering  obedience  of  a  Christian  life,  as  the 
necessary  and  only  adequate  evidence  of  a  living  faith.  And  it 
teaches  us  to  ascribe  all  our  salvation  to  the  special  grace  and 
mercy  of  Him  who  hath  chosen  us  in  Christ.  Now  here  are  funda- 
mental articles  of  faith  in  which  we  are  all  agreeing.  I  do  not  mean 
to  say,  that  these  are  the  only  such  articles.  I  do  not  mean  either 
to  undervalue  the  points  of  doctrine,  or  the  several  illustrations  of 


Church  of  the  Epipha^iy^  Philadelphia.  1 39 

doctrine,  about  whicli  we  should  still  differ  in  judgment.  But  I 
freely  confess,  after  having  passed  through  more  than  twenty  years 
of  participation  in  the  various  discussions  which  have  been  main- 
tained in  our  Church,  the  result  of  my  whole  experience,  is  the  con- 
viction, that  the  great  body  of  our  clergy  and  intelligent  laity,  are 
far  more  of  one  mind  in  the  precious  and  abiding  faith,  which  the 
Lord  hath  taught,  and  the  Church  hath  received,  than  some  others 
are  prepared  to  think.  This  unity  of  sentiment  has  become  even 
more  settled  and  manifest,  within  the  last  few  years.  The  animated 
internal  controversies  which  have  been  carried  on  among  us  within 
this  period,  have  had  a  very  decided  influence,  to  the  amazement  of 
surrounding  observers,  to  heal,  and  not  to  increase  or  perpetuate 
divisions;  to  consolidate  and  not  to  rend  the  Church,  and  to  create 
a  clearer  mutual  understanding,  or  to  manifest  in  undoubted  light, 
an  actual  unity  of  sentiment  which  was  before  hidden  and  un- 
known  

"  We  have  no  right  to  ask  for  the  concession  of  judgments  ma- 
turely formed  and  conscientiously  entertained,  upon  points  of  doc- 
trine not  absolutely  defined  from  Holy  Scripture,  by  the  authority 
of  the  Church.  But  we  may  ask  for  the  yielding  to  each  other, 
affectionately  and  temperately,  the  same  personal  authoiity  to 
searda  and  see;  and  the  same  personal  right  to  be  thoroughly  per- 
suaded in  their  own  mind,  which  we  claim  for  ourselves.  It  re- 
quires nothing  but  an  united  determination  on  the  part  of  the 
clergy,  to  preserve  this  forbearing  stand,  to  maintain  a  permanent 
and  happy  union  among  our  churches,  upon  this  first  ground  of 
our  fundamental  faith 

"  We  are  entirely  united  in  our  Church  communion,  and  in  cor- 
dial attachment  to  the  Church  of  which  we  are  members.  There 
has  been  a  steady,  constant  growth  of  unity  in  our  general  judg- 
ment and  feeling,  in  regard  to  the  importance,  and  to  the  authority, 
of  that  ecclesiastical  organization,  in  which  Ave  are  bound  together, 
as  one  household,  in  our  profession  of  the  faith  of  Christ. 

"  We  have  unitedly  received,  and  we  earnestly  adhere  to,  a  min- 
istry which  we  unfeignedly  believe  Christ  our  Lord  established  for 
His  Church;  and  which  His  apostles,  beyond  all  reasonable  dispute, 
as  it  appears  to  us,  maintained  and  transmitted,  in  opening  the 
privileges  and  blessings  of  this  Church  to  mankind.  We  unitedly 
believe  it  unlawful  for  us  to  subveii  or  annul  an  organization 
wliicli  the  Lord  hath  constituted  as  the  law  of  His  house.  We 
could  not,  therefore,  feel  justified,  in  ministering  under  or  acknowl- 
edging  any  jDrofesaed  authority  which  does  not  conform  to  this 


140  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng^  D.D, 

apostolic  standard,  and  derive  itself  from  this  divine  appoint- 
ment.      

"  To  the  Church  as  thus  divinely  constituted,  we  are  unitedly- 
attached.  And  no  imputation  could  be  more  unjust,  than  that  of 
looseness  of  adherence  to  this  Church,  or  of  indifference  to  the 
privilege  and  blessing  of  her  manifestly  valid  and  regular  ministry, 
as  applied  to  an}-  of  those,  who  have  consecrated  their  lives,  in 
these  stormy  days,  to  the  service  of  Christ  in  His  Church,  in  this 
ministry  received  from  Him. 

"But  beyond  our  unity  of  sentiment  at  this  point,  we  are  also 
entirely  agreeing,  in  very  important  and  sufficient  views,  of  the 
office  and  authority  of  the  Church  as  the  keeper  and  witness  of  the 
Word  of  God,  and  the  appointed  teacher  and  interpreter  of  its 
truths.  We  freely  acknowledge  and  cheerfully  submit  to  the 
authority  which  the  Church  hath,  in  controversies  of  faith.  The 
points  of  doctrine  which  she  hath  ruled  and  laid  before  us,  as  taught 
in  the  divine  AVord,  we  receive  without  controversy,  as  facts  which 
are  wholly  settled  and  determined.  Discussions  of  such  doctrines, 
for  further  intelligence  and  explanation,  we  freely  permit.  But 
controversy  with  such  doctrines  in  themselves,  or  questioning  of 
their  truth  and  their  authoritv,  we  cannot  allow. 

"The  j^resent  admirable  Bishop  of  Calcutta  has  expressed  views 
upon  this  subject  in  which  I  imagine  we  should  all  perfectly  agree, 
in  very  precise  and  perspicuous  language. 

"  '  The  Church,'  says  he,  'is  the  pillar  and  ground  (or  stay,  as  our 
margin  renders  it,)  of  the  truth,  ministerially,  and  among  men,  as 
it  is  the  appointed  means,  of  deriving  from  Holy  Writ  the  great, 
obvious,  and  necessary  truths  of  revelation,  and  duly  upholding 
them  in  the  world.  The  Church  is  the  pillar  and  ground  of  the 
truth,  jioi  personally  and  absolutely,  for  in  this  sense  Christ  alone  is 
the  truth.  Not  autJioritatively  and  infallibly,  for  thus  the  sacred 
Scrij)tures  are  the  only  standard  of  truth.  But  instrumentally  and 
liturgically,  of  truth  as  clearly  revealed  in  the  oracles  of  God;  and 
expounded,  23reached  and  maintained  in  a  weak  and  erring  world. 
The  Church  is  the  means  by  which  God  upholds  and  preserves  His 
truth  amongst  mankind.  It  furnishes  a  succession  of  men  to  ex- 
pound and  inculcate  the  gospel.  It  is  the  voice  and  trumjDet  of 
truth  to  a  careless  world.  When  the  Church  is  silent,  truth  is  in 
exile ;  and  division,  heresy  and  schism  desolate  the  fold.  But  when 
the  body  of  the  faithful  discharge  their  high  and  holy  function, 
and  appeal  to  the  unerring  records  of  the  revealed  word,  for  all  the 
tenets  they  inculcate;  then  there  is  a  rallying  point  for  the  wander- 


Church  of  the  Epiphany,  Philadelphia,  141 

ing  slieep,  a  solace  for  the  distressed  conscience,  an  interpreter  for 
the  inquiring  penitent,  a  joillar  in  the  border  of  the  land,  unto  the 
Lord.' 

"  These  sentiments  must  be  considered  by  us  all  as  undoubtedly 
wise  and  just.  How  inferior  in  consequence  are  the  points  in  refer- 
ence to  Church  authority  and  discipline,  uj^on  which  we  might  differ 
in  opinion,  when  compared  with  these. 

"  We  cannot  here,  with  a  "good  conscience,  sejDarate  in  our  views 
of  doctrine  and  authority;  why  should  we  separate  from  each 
other  in  personal  affection  and  mutual  tendency  and  regard  ? 

"  We  are  entirely  united  in  our  exposure  to  outward  assaults. 
Here  again  we  are  brethren.  Whether  we  refer  to  what  we  suffer, 
from  the  multiplied  Protestant  denominations  around  us,  who  re- 
nounce, and  not  unfrequently  revile,  our  Episcoj^acy,  or  from  the 
Romish  Church,  which  denies  our  ministry,  and  the  pure  truth  of 
God,  which  we  defend,  we  have  no  separate  personal  advantages, 
no  individual  grounds  of  exception,  from  the  hostility  to  which  we 
are  exposed.  There  was  a  time,  when  the  former  class  of  persons 
affected  to  distinguish  in  their  warfare  upon  our  Church,  between 
different  classes  of  our  clergy;  assuming  that  some  were  less 
strongly  attached  to  the  principles  which  the}'  oj^jjosed,  than  others, 
and  excepting  them,  therefore,  from  the  controversy  which  they 
were  waging  with  these.  It  was  said,  not  to  be  Episcopacy  itself, 
but  extreme  and  unjust  extension  of  the  claims  of  Episcopacy, 
against  which  they  contended.  There  seemed  to  be  a  hope  indulged, 
that  the  Church  might  be  thus  divided  against  itself,  and  its 
strength  wasted  in  i:)artial  or  mutual  warfare,  while  one  portion  of 
the  clergy  were  selected,  as  the  objects  of  assault,  and  a  desire  for 
peace  with  others  was  at  the  same  time  continually  avowed.  It 
was  an  attempt  too  well  adapted  to  succeed.  Let  God  be  praised 
that  its  success,  if  it  had  any,  was  transitory  and  very  j^artial.  But 
its  failure,  and  the  clear  evidence  thus  furnished,  that  in  the  points 
at  issue  between  us  and  them  there  is  but  little  variety  of  judgment, 
and  no  readiness  of  concession  amon^f  anv  of  our  ministers  have 
led  to  an  unmasked  and  unrelaxing  hostility  to  the  Church  itself. 
It  is  now  a  warfare  with  Episcopacy,  and  by  that  name.  It  has 
ceased  to  distinguish  between  different  theories  of  Episcopacy.  It 
will  grant  peace  upon  no  terms  other  than  an  entire  renunciation 
of  the  claims  which  we  make  to  a  Scrijitural  ministiy,  and  of  our 
derived  right  thereto,  through  an  appointed  succession  from  the 
apostles.  This  is  a  point  which  we  can  never  with  a  good  con- 
science yield.     We  are  therefore  left,  I  fear,  with  but  little  hope  of 


142  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D. 

toleration  in  this  quarter.  We  believe  ourselves  contending  for 
the  faith  in  the  ministry  which  the  Lord  established,  and  precious 
and  desirable  as  is  peace  abroad  to  us  as  to  all  Christians,  we  can- 
not make  shipwi-eck  of  faith  and  a  good  conscience  to  obtain  it. 
"This  resultino"  position  of  necessary  separation  from  many 
Christians  around,  whom  we  highly  esteem,  is  much  to  be  re- 
gretted. But  it  appears  inevitable,  and  it  is  not  we  who  have 
sought  it,  nor  can  the  blame  of  it  rest  upon  us.  Even  those  among 
us,  who  have  labored  most  earnestly  '  to  maintain  and  set  forward 
as  much  as  lieth  in  us,  quietness,  peace,  and  love,  among  all  Chris- 
tian people,'  have  become  with  sorrow  convinced  that,  in  our 
present  circumstances,  the  hope  of  accomplishing  this  is  vain. 
When  we  speak  of  peace,  they  make  themselves  ready  for  war. 
The  continued  avowal  that  this  vehement  hostility  is  still  only  against 
extreme  views,  which  are  supposed  to  be  but  partially  entertained, 
could  be  received  with  more  regard  if  the  excited  opposition  were 
directed  only  against  those  to  whom  such  views  have  been  imputed. 
Bat,  happily  for  us,  we  are  here  again  made  one.  The  firm  and 
equal  devotion  of  all  to  the  principles  of  the  Church,  has  been 
thoroughly  proved.  The  uniform  outward  pressure  has  created,  I 
trust,  a  new  power  in  the  bond  of  mutual  confidence  within,  and 
surrounding  hostility  has  consolidated  and  rendered  more  compact 
the  body  which  it  was  designed  to  sunder. 

"  In  regard  to   our  controversy  with  the  Romish  Church,  and 

our   defence   of  the  truth    of  God  committed  to  us,  against  their 

assaults,  we  are  equally  united.    The  Protestant  spirit  of  our  Church 

is,  with  manifestly   few   exceptions,  I  rejoice  to  say,   a  living  and 

pervading  spirit  throughout  all  her  members.     In  maintaining  our 

defence  against  Rome,  the  habits  of  thought,  and  education,  and 

the   differing  convictions  of  individuals,  may  lead   some  to  press 

the  particular  arguments  of  Scriptural  truth,  and  others  to  employ 

the   weapons   of   primitive  consent,  and  historical   evidences   and 

traditional  remonstrance,  in  a  single  selection,  and  to  the  apparent 

neglect  of  other  branches  of  argument.     Yet  it  is  perfectly  evident 

that  an  entire  and  faithful  anti-Romish  stand  is  the  determination 

of  all.     She    cannot,  therefore,   justly  look  with  more  reasonable 

favor  upon  the  feelings  toward  her,  of  one  class  of  our  clergy,  than 

of  another,  however  she  may  have  reason  to  dread,  as  I  think,  the 

effect  of   one  class  of   arguments   employed,  than   of   any   of  the 

residue.     But  we  must  here  bear  the  same  assaults,  and  be  made 

partakers   of  the  same    destiny.     With  whatever  class  of  foes  we 

contend,  against  whatever  description  of  error  we  lift  up  our  voice. 


Church  of  the  Epiphany,  Philadelphia,  143 

to  whatever  impending  liosts  we  stand  opposed  as  the  servants  of 
God  in  His  Church,  we  have  a  perfectly  common  interest,  an  in- 
dissoluble unity  of  experience  before  us.    We  stand  or  fall  together. 

"  Let  us  then  cheerfully  and  entirely  dismiss  every  rising  feeling 
of  mutual  rivalry  and  contention  upon  inferior  issues.  Let  our 
mutual  discussions  be  friendly  and  affectionate.  Let  not  outward 
opposers  find  us  divided  from  each  other  within.  But  in  the  culti- 
vation of  a  fraternal  and  mutually  sustaining  spirit,  let  us  remember 
in  all  our  subjects  for  consideration  and  settlement  that  we  are 
brethren. 

"  "We  are  united,  I  trust,  beyond  all  present  circumstances  of 
outward  agreement,  in  a  bright  and  blessed  hope  of  eternal  redemp- 
tion and  peace,  through  our  glorious  Lord  and  Saviour.  To  this 
everlasting  bond  of  union  I  desire  now  to  call  the  feelings  and 
thoughts  of  all  who  hear  me. 

"  In  this  precious  hope  we  are  brethren,  as  we  are  made  com- 
panions in  tribulation,  and  in  the  kingdom  and  patience  of  Jesus 
Christ.  In  the  sorrows  which  we  bear  ujDon  the  road,  our  interest 
is  one.  AVhether  our  grief  be  found  in  the  secret  bitterness  which 
each  heart  knoweth  for  itself,  or  in  the  anxious  trembling  which  our 
hearts  together  feel  for  the  ark  of  God,  our  portion  is  a  common  one. 

"  Let  us  think  of  ourselves,  and  of  each  other,  as  if  even  now 
standing  together  in  the  triumphant  body  which  will  surround  the 
throne  of  God  antl  the  Lamb. 

"  Let  us  anticipate  the  emotions  and  judgments  of  that  great 
day,  and  look  ujDon  each  other,  and  act  towards  each  other,  with 
the  reciprocal  estimation  which  will  then  control  our  judgments,  if, 
clothed  in  robes  of  peace,  we  bow  together  before  the  Redeemer  there. 
"  AYhen  we  gain  that  glorious  home  one  song  will  employ  our 
tongues;  one  spirit  will  fill  and  actuate  our  souls;  one  Lord,  one 
faith,  one  heavenly  baptism  will  bind  us  forever  together,  as  one 
body,  before  the  God  and  Father  of  all,  who  will  be  above  all,  and 
through  all,  and  in  you  all. 

"  In  making  this  humble  effort  to  unite  the  feelings  and  views  of 
my  beloved  brethren  and  friends  in  this  congregation,  I  trust  no 
one  will  consider  me  assuming  jinything  not  ])r()perly  belonging 
to  tliis  especial  place  and  duty  as  a  preacher  of  the  gospel  to  my 
brethren. 

"  I  would  be  governed,  as  I  know  I  must  be  judged,  by  tbe 
principles  of  duty  whicli  I  thus,  with  great  deference  for  my 
brethren,  lay  down  for  tlH^m.  AVo  should  have  strong  and  reason- 
able ho2)e,  if  such  principles  could  prevail,  and  wrong  and  disunit- 


144  ^^^-   Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

ing  feelings  be  laid  aside; — then  would  be  found  among  us  a  fully 
sufficient,  and  a  permanent  union  of  opinion  and  judgment,  upon 
all  material  questions  of  doctrine  and  duty  in  our  Church." 

This  earnest  appeal,  directed  with  a  purpose  so  honorable  and 
expressed  in  words  so  distinct,  was  not  without  a  powerful  effeci 
upon  his  hearers,  but  it  caused  him  notwithstanding  to  be  most 
unjustly  charged  by  some  with  the  desire  to  secure  his  own  electioi: 
as  Bishop  Onderdonk's  successor.  A  motive  so  entirely  opposed 
to  his  whole  character  and  wish,  is  disproved,  however,  by  all  the 
facts  and  all  his  action  in  the  case. 

Among  all  the  clergy  in  Philadelphia  probably  none  was  more 
prominent  in  his  opposition  to  Romanism  than  Dr.  Tyng,  or 
more  decided  in  his  antagonism  to  every  Romanistic  tendency  in 
the  Episcopal  Church.  During  the  anti-Catholic  riot  in  the  spring 
of  1844,  however,  his  protection  was  freely  offered  to  the  Roman 
Catholic  Archbishop,  the  object  of  the  hatred  of  the  mob.  In  the 
night  of  the  7th  of  May  in  that  year,  St.  Augustine's  Church  had 
been  burned  by  the  rioters.  They  were  seeking  the  Archbishop, 
whose  life  they  threatened,  and  who  had  been  driven  from'  his  home. 
There  seemed  to  be  no  place  of  safety  for  him.  A  near  neighbor,  a 
Roman  Catholic  gentleman,  Mr.  Lopez,  came  to  Dr.  Tyng  and 
asked  if  he  would  allow  the  Archbishop  to  take  refuge  in  his 
house.  Unhesitatingly  he  consented  to  receive  him,  and  said,  "  If 
they  take  the  Bishop  from  here  they  wiU  have  to  take  him  over  my 
dead  body."  Apartments  were  at  once  prepared  for  his  reception, 
but  the  Archbishop  finally  concluded  to  leave  the  city  for  a  time, 
and  was  thus  prevented  accepting  Dr.  Tyng's  hospitahty,  and  before 
leaving  addressed  to  him  the  following  letter,  in  acknowledgment 
of  his  courtesy  and  kindness  : 

Philadelphia,  May  dth,  1844. 
Rev.  S.  H.  Tyng,  D.  D. 

Rev.  and  Dear  Sir — A  friend  from  the  country  has  prevailed  on 
me  to  leave  the  city.  I  feel  deeply  grateful  for  your  kind  offer  of 
protection  in  case  of  emergency,  and  regret  that  I  have  put  you  to 
trouble. 

The  fear  of  danger  is  lessened,  yet  my  friends  press  me  to  leave 
the  city  for  a  short  time,  although  my  judgment  does  not  coincide 
as  to  the  necessity  of  the  measure. 

I  shall  ever  remember  with  gratitude  your  kind  offer. 

Yours  gratefully, 

ifi     FRA^-CIS  Patrick,  Archbishop. 


Church  of  the  Epiphany,  Philadelphia,  145 

It  is  an  incident  which  is  full  of  interest,  and  displays  the 
abounding  Christian  charity  and  courage  which  prompted  the 
generous  offer  in  circumstances  of  such  danger  as  in  the  hour  in 
which  it  was  made. 

The  closely  contested  election,  of  a  successor  to  Bishop  Onder- 
douk,  which  followed  in  April,  1845,  evidences  the  state  of  feeling 
in  the  Diocese.  Seven  successive  ballots  were  taken  before  a  choice 
was  made.  The  Eev.  Samuel  Bowman  and  Dr.  TvnGT  were  the 
prominent  candidates,  and  on  the  first  ballot  received,  resj^ectively, 
thirty-seven  and  thirty-five  votes — thirty-nine  being  necessary  to  a 
choice. 

On  the  second  ballot.  Dr.  Bowman  received  thirty-eight  votes  and 
Dr.  Tyng  thirty-five  as  before,  and  he  then  declined  to  permit  his 
name  to  be  further  used  in  reference  to  the  nomination.  Two 
more  ballots  were  taken  without  result,  when,  on  the  fifth  ballot, 
Dr.  Bowman  received  the  necessary  thirty-nine  votes.  The  laity, 
however,  refused  to  confirm  the  nomination  thus  made  by  the 
clergy,  and,  on  the  sixth  ballot.  Dr.  Tyng's  name  was  again  pre- 
sented without  his  consent,  receiving  thirty-six  votes,  and  Dr.  Bow- 
man thirty-seven,  again. 

At  this  point  a  committee  was  appointed  to  suggest  some  pres- 
byter upon  whom  the  clergy  could  unite,  but  upon  the  following 
day  this  committee  rej^orted  their  inability  to  agree.  A  seventh 
ballot  was  therefore  ordered,  and  Dr.  Alonzo  Potter,  having  been 
nominated  by  Dr.  Suddards,  received  forty-one  votes,  and  was  thus 
chosen,  his  election  being  unanimously  confirmed  by  the  lay  \ote. 

In  the  meantime  the  call  to  St.  George's  Church  had  been  pre- 
sented to  Dr.  Tyng,  and  thus  released  from  all  his  obligations 
to  hia  brethren  in  Pennsylvania,  the  way  was  opened  for  its 
acceptance. 

Twenty-four  years  of  his  ministry  had  been  completed,  when,  in 
May,  1845,  he  entered  ujion  the  responsibilities  and  demands  of  this 
large  field  of  duty  and  began  the  career  which  in  the  details  of  its 
history  fills  the  following  images. 


j^e 


RKV.   JAMES    MII.XOR,   D.D. 

{From  an  engraving,  by  permission  of  American  Tract  Society. 


PART    IL 

HISTORY  OF  ST.  GEORGES  CHURCH, 

1J48  to  i8j8. 


MINISTRY  IN  NEW  YORK, 
184.S  to  i88s. 


CHAPTER  I. 

ST.   GEORGE'S   CHURCH,  1748  to  1845. 

"  The  history  of  St.  George's  Church  is  the  record  of  a  con- 
tinued earnest  EvangeHcal  influence  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church;  of  generous,  benevolent  action  in  all  the  great  instru- 
ments and  efforts  for  the  propagation  of  the  Saviour's  truth  among 
men;  and  of  the  cultivation  of  friendly  and  edifying  relations  with 
all  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity.  For  this  scheme 
and  purpose  in  its  own  j^eculiar  w^ay  of  carrying  them  forward, 
St.  George's  Church  was  originally  established.  To  accomplish 
this  its  successive  ministers  have  been  selected,  and  its  history  is 
to  be  regarded  in  the  light  of  this  peculiar  relation  and  aspect." 

In  these  words  Dr.  Tyng  summarized  the  history  of  St.  George's 
Church.  They  present  the  end  and  object  which  gives  the  value  to 
its  history,  and  in  establishing  the  view  in  which  his  own  course  is 
to  be  considered,  form  an  aj^propriate  preface  to  the  record  of  his 
ministry  as  its  rector. 

A  sketch  of  the  early  history  of  St.  George's  Church  becomes  a 
necessary  introduction,  therefore,  to  that  of  its  later  years,  and  still 
more  requisite  is  a  review  of  its  preceding  ministry. 

It  would  be  imi^ossible  here  to  trace  the  stejos  by  wliich  in  a 
ministry  of   nearly  thirty  years'  duration,  Dr.   Milnor  raised    St. 
George's  Church  to  its  high  position  of  influence  and  power  among 
the   churches  of  the  land,  and  made  its  rectorship  an  ofiice  of 
peculiar  requirements  and  resi^onsibility,  one  which  few  could  fill. 

The  facts  of  his  valued  life  have  been  fully  recorded,  and  need 
not  be  repeated  at  any  length,  but  the  character  and  principles  of 
his  ministry  sliould  bo  stated,  and,  happily,  have  been  clearly 
defined.  With  wliat  fidelity  they  were  maintained  and  the  influence 
of  St.  George's  Church  constantly  extended  and  enlarged  throughout 
the  long  ministry  of  Dr.  Tyng,  the  record  of  liis  thirty-three  years 
of  unceasing  labor  will  bear  abundant  testimony. 

St.  George's  Church,  in  its  original  establishment  a  chapel  of 
149 


l5o  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

Trinity  Church,  was  the  second  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
erected  in  the  city  of  New  York.  This  origin,  as  well  as  the 
history  of  the  two  churches,  is  of  much  interest  in  view  of  the 
different  systems  of  which  they  were  subsequently  the  representa- 
tives. 

Trinity  Church,  the  original  Parish  Church  of  the  city  of  New 
York,  was  established  in  1697.  under  its  first  corporate  title, 
"The  rector  and  inhabitants  of  New  York  in  communion  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church."  As  the  representative  of  the  Church 
of  England  it  became  the  channel  through  which  flowed  the  influ- 
ence and  benefactions  of  that  Church  in  aid  of  missionary  efforts  in 
the  colony,   and  was  the  constant   recipient  of  the  favor  of  the 

English  crown. 

In  the  year  1705,  during  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne,  it  received 
the  grant  of  the  large  tract  of  land,  which  by  its  increase  in  value 
has  produced  the  great  wealth  of  the  corporation  to  which  it  was 
given,  and  enabled  it  to  be  the  benefactor  of  so  many  churches 
subsequently  founded.  The  questions  which  arose  from  the  terms 
of  this  grant,  and  the  title  of  the  corporation  to  which  it  was  made, 
need  not  be  referred  to  here.  They  were  long  since  settled,  and 
the  large  estate  remained  in  possession  of  Trinity  Church,  notwith- 
standing all  efforts  for  its  distribution  for  the  purposes  for  which  it 
was  claimed  to  have  been  given. 

For  half  a  century  after  its  foundation  Trinity  Church  proved 
adequate  in  its  accommodation  for  all  who  desired  to  worship 
there.  New  arrivals  in  the  colony  and  accessions  from  the  Dutch 
Church  so  increased  its  congregation,  however,  that  additional 
provision  soon  became  necessary,  and  in  1748  it  was  resolved  that 
a  "  Chapel  of  Ease  "  should  be  built. 

In  the  desire  to  build  this  chapel  where  it  would  be  most  con- 
venient for  those  who  should  wish  to  worship  therein,  a  committee 
was  appointed  to  "  hear  the  sentiments  of  the  congregation,"  the 
site  at  first  proposed  being  on  ground    facing   Nassau   and  Fair 
(now  Fulton)  Streets.     Before  the  purchase  of  this  land  was  com- 
pleted, however,   the  committee  reported    that  "several    persons 
residing  in  Montgomerie  Ward,  appearing  and  alledging  that  the 
lots  of  Col.   Beekman,  fronting  Beekman  and  Van   Cliff  Streets, 
would  be  more  commodious  for  building  the  said  chapel  on,  pro- 
posed, that  if  the  vestry  would  agree  to  building  the  chapel  there, 
the  inhabitants  of  Montgomerie  Ward  would  raise  money  among 
themselves  to  purchase  the  ground."     This  proposition  was  there- 
fore accepted,  and  the  purchase  money  of  the  land,  645  pounds 


SL   Geo7'ges   Church.  i5i 

sterling,  having  been  paid  by  the  inhabitants  of  Montgomerie 
Ward,  a  committee  was  appointed  in  1749  "  to  manage  the  build- 
ing of  a  chapel  of  Ease."  Thus  the  chapel,  afterwards  called  "  St. 
George's  Chapel,"  was  built  at  the  corner  of  Beekman  and  Cliff 
Streets,  where  it  stood  for  more  than  a  century.  It  was  a  building 
"  faced  with  hewn  stone,"  seventy-two  feet  wide  and  ninety-two  feet 
long,  and  was  considered  a  very  fine  edifice,  having  a  steeple  which 
rose  to  a  height  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet.  As  it  stood 
upon  a  hill,  thence  called  Chapel  Hill,  it  was  a  prominent  landmark 
and  a  great  ornament  in  that  part  of  the  citj*. 

The  opening  of  the  chapel  took  place  on  the  1st  day  of  July, 
1752,  and  is  thus  described: 

"Last  Wednesday  being  the  day  appointed  for  the  Consecra- 
tion of  St.  George's  Chapel,  lately  erected  in  this  city,  the  Eector, 
Assistant,  Church  Wardens  and  Vestry  of  Trinity  Church,  assembled 
at  the  Yestry  Koom  in  the  Charity  School  House,  where  they  were  met 
by  some  of  the  Town  and  neighboring  clergy,  and  otner  Gentlemen 
of  Distinction;  from  whence  (attended  by  fifty-^wo  Charity  Scholars) 
they  went  in  Procession  as  far  as  the  City  Hall,  where  they  were 
joined  by  the  Mayor,  Recorder,  Aldermen  and  Common  Council. 
They  all  proceeded  with  great  regularity  and  Decorum  to  the 
chapel,  where  Divine  Service  was  performed,  and  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Barclay  preached  an  excellent  sermon  from  Lev.  xxvi.  2,  'Reverence 
my  sanctuar}',  I  am  the  Lord.'  " 

Many  interesting  facts  are  related  in  connection  with  the  build- 
ing of  this  chapel,  and  many  noteworthy  services  are  mentioned  as 
having  been  held  in  it,  during  the  time  it  was  under  the  control  of 
Trinity  Church,  but  they  cannot  be  included  in  this  sketch. 

In  the  year  1811,  a  separation  from  Trinity  Church  being  con- 
sidered desirable,  committees  of  the  congregation  of  the  chapel 
and  of  the  vestry  of  the  church  met  for  conference  upon  the  sub- 
ject, and  a  separation  was  finally  arranged  upon  satisfactory  terms. 

In  the  process  of  this  arrangement  the  committee  of  the  congre- 
gation of  St.  George's  Chapel  had  proposed  certain  questions 
which  were  answered  as  follows  by  the  vestry  of  Trinitv: 

1.  The  endowment  shall  be  in  lands  sufficient  to  yield  a  perma- 
nent annual  revenue  of  three  thousand  dollars.  In  case  tlie  present 
rents  fall  short  of  this  sum,  Trinity  Church  will  annually  make  up 
the  deficiency,  and  whenever  St.  George's  Chapel  shall,  by  law,  be 
enabled  to  receive  the  same,  the  jicrmanent  enchnvment  shall  be 
increased  to  four  thousand  dollars.    In  the  meantime,  if  the  income 


1 52  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

of  St.  George's  shall  be  insufficient  to  defray  the  annual  expenses, 
the  deficiency,  not  exceeding  one  thousand  dollars  a  year,  shall  be 
supplied  by  Trinity  Church. 

2.  Trinity  Church  will  cherish  the  recollection  of  their  union 
with  St.  George's,  and  will  be  always  disposed,  according  to  their 
abilities,  to  assist  St.  George's  in  their  necessities. 

3.  In  every  matter  affecting  their  mutual  harmony  and 
prosperity.  Trinity  Church  will  freely  and  sincerely  confer  with  St. 
George's,  it  being  their  opinion  that  these  conferences  should  be 
conducted  by  committees  of  the  respective  vestries. 

4.  St.  George's  will  choose  their  own  minister,  without  any 
interference  or  control  on  the  part  of  Trinity  Church. 

5.  Trinity  Church  will  build  or  purchase  for  St.  George's  a 
parsonage  house,  and  until  that  can  be  conveniently  done  they  will 
hire  a  house  for  the  minister.  As  soon  as  their  funds  will  permit, 
they  will  likewise  erect  a  vestry-room,  enlarge  the  churchyard,  and 
inclose  the  same. 

6.  The  dead  to  be  buried  as  heretofore,  and  without  discrim- 
ination between  the  churches. 

7.  The  endowment  to  be  exclusive  of  pew-rents,  which  will  be 
regulated  and  applied  by  St.  George's. 

8.  Should  the  rector  of  St.  George's,  through  age  or  infirmity, 
be  at  any  time  unable  to  perform  his  customary  duties.  Trinity 
Church  will  assist  St.  George's  in  the  support  of  an  assistant. 

The  rector,  church-wardens  and  vestrymen  of  Trinity  Church 
do  approve  and  agree  to  the  separation  of  St.  George's  Chapel 
upon  the  terms  expressed  in  the  aforesaid  report,  and  do  engage 
and  promise  to  do  and  perform  all  things  which,  according  to  the 
tenor  thereof,  ought  to  be  done  and  performed  on  their  part;  pro- 
vided always,  and  this  promise,  as  well  as  the  performance,  is  upon 
the  express  condition  that  the  church  so  separated  be,  and  shall 
continue,  in  union  with  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
State  of  New  York. 

Signed  J  T.  L.  Ogden,  Clerk. 

Novemher  7,  1811. 

On  these  honorable  terms  St.  George's  became  separate  from 
Trinity,  and  soon  after  organized  as  a  separate  corporation  under 
its  present  title,  "The  Rector,  Church- wardens  and  Vestrymen  of  St. 
George's  Church  in  the  City  of  New  York,"  the  incorporation  being 
certified  and  completed  on  the  20th  of  November,  1811.  The  light 
in  which  the  separation  was  viewed  by  the  members  of  St.  George's 


*S)f.   Georges  Church,  i53 

Chapel  is  apparent  from  a  communication  made  a  little  later 
by  the  vestry  of  St  George's  to  that  of  Trinity,  when  they 
wrote  : 

"  It  should  be  remembered  that  those  whose  case  it  is  our  duty 
to  press  upon  you,  had  rights  in  the  estate  of  your  church  which 
were  generously  relinquished  at  your  instance  with  a  view  to  your 
benefit,  and  on  an  understanding  that  they  were  not  on  that 
account  to  be  subjected  to  any  disadvantage  or  sacrifice." 

The  first  election  of  wardens  and  vestrymen  of  St.  George's 
Church  was  held  on  the  23d  of  November,  1811,  Garrett  H.  "Van 
Wagenen  and  Harry  Peters  being  elected  wardens,  and  Robert 
Wardell,  John  Onderdonk,  Isaac  Carow,  Edward  W.  Laight,  John 
Greene,  Isaac  Lawrence,  Francis  Dominick,  and  Cornelius 
Schermerhorn,  vestrymen.  In  March,  1812,  in  accordance  with 
their  agreement,  the  corporation  of  Trinity  conveyed  to  that  of  St. 
George's  the  property  on  Beekman  Street,  and  twenty-four  lots  of 
ground,  producing  an  income  of  three  thousand  dollars,  and  in  the 
following  year  made  a  grant  of  eight  additional  lots,  leased  for  one 
thousand  and  twenty  dollars  per  annum.  The  endowment  of  St. 
George's  thus  comprised  a  total  of  thirty-two  lots,  in  addition  to 
the  land  purchased  for  the  parsonage,  and  an  enlargement  of  the 
churchyard,  as  provided  in  their  agreement.  The  deeds  by  which 
this  property  was  conveyed,  however,  contained  conditions  which, 
as  will  be  seen,  were  made  most  burdensome  to  St.  George's  in 
future  years,  and  at  a  critical  period  in  its  history  would  have 
been  destructive,  had  not  one  member  of  its  vestry,  in  great  liber- 
ality, interposed  to  avert  the  otherwise  inevitable  result.  The  facts 
in  this  connection  belong  to  a  later  date.  They  display  the  wisdom 
and  skill  with  which  the  affairs  of  St.  George's  were  administered 
by  those  to  whose  care  they  were  at  that  time  committed. 

The  earliest  settlement  of  a  regular  minister  in  St.  George's 
Church  was  that  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brady,  but  it  was  specified  that 
when  a  rector  should  be  elected,  Mr.  Brady  should  be  considered 
an  assistant  merely,  and  he  accepted  the  ofiice  on  these  terms. 

Previous  to  his  appointment,  dependence  liad  been  placed  on 
such  ministrations  as  mi^dit  be  obtained.  These  services  were  foi 
some  lime  rendered  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Bowdoin,  and  it  is  worthy  ol 
note  that,  when  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  was  voted 
to  him  by  the  vestry,  ho  declined  any  remuneration,  stating  that 
he  considered  the  thanks  of  the  corporation  sufiicient  compensation 
for  his  services.  This  generous  action  was  not  forgotten  by  the 
vestry,  when  some  years  later  it  was  learned  tbat  he  had  suffered  a 


1 54  Rev,  Stephen  Higginso7i    Tyng,  D.D, 

lo^  of  property,  and  an  appropriation  then  made  to  liim  was  grate* 
fully  accepted. 

In  the  fall  of  1812  it  was  deemed  expedient  that  a  permanent 
rector  should  be  installed,  but  it  having  been  previously  enacted 
that  the  salary  of  the  rector  "  should  be  in  the  pleasure  of  the 
vestry,"  it  was  feared  that  difficulty  "  might  arise  in  obtaining  a 
respectable  clergyman,  in  consequence  of  the  annual  uncertainty 
attending  his  support."  A  meeting  of  the  congregation  was  there- 
fore called  to  consider  the  subject,  and  at  this  meeting,  held  on  the 
2d  of  December,  1812,  it  was  resolved  that  the  church  should  have 
"  a  rector  and  an  assistant  minister,  and  that  the  Bev.  Dr.  John 
Kewley  should  be  called  as  rector,  at  a  fixed  salary  of  two  thousand 
dollars  and  a  dwelling." 

Dr.  Kewley  accepted  the  invitation  extended  to  him,  and  thus 
became  the  'First  Mector  of  St.  George's  Church,  beginning  his  minis- 
try there  in  April,  1813.  Of  his  antecedent  history,  little  informa- 
tion is  to  be  obtained.  He  was  a  native  of  England,  and  jDrevious 
to  removal  to  New  York  was  settled  at  Middletown,  Connecticut. 
His  rectorship  was  of  short  duration,  and  had  no  marked  influence 
on  the  church. 

On  the  5th  of  January,  1814,  St.  George's  Church  was  destroyed 
by  fire.  Among  the  agreements  with  Trinity,  at  the  time  of  the 
separation,  was  the  engagement  by  the  corporation  of  Trinity 
Church  to  rebuild  St.  George's  Church  if  it  should  be  burned.  In 
the  emergency,  therefore,  which  had  been  thus  anticipated,  re- 
course was  at  once  had  to  Trinity  for  its  aid.  The  reply  received 
was  expressed  in  the  most  friendly  terms,  but  the  proposition  which 
it  covered  was  not  satisfactory  to  St.  George's.  It  provided  that 
Trinity  would  rebuild  the  church  upon  the  original  plan,  with  the 
exception  of  the  steeple,  which  was  to  be  replaced  by  a  tower,  but 
it  stipulated  that  Trinity  should  be  allowed  to  sell  the  pews  at 
auction,  to  reimburse  the  cost  of  building. 

The  vestry  of  St.  George's  remonstrated,  urging  that  many 
of  their  congregation  would  be  unable  to  buy  pews,  and  that  no 
provision  could  be  made  for  the  accommodation  of  the  poor,  and  it 
was  in  this  connection  that  they  made  the  communication  which  has 
been  already  referred  to.  A  final  agreement  having  been  made  that 
the  gaUery  and  the  twelve  pews  nearest  the  door  should  be  left  at  the 
disposal  of  St.  George's,  the  rebuilding  of  the  church  was  at  once 
proceeded  with.  In  the  interval,  the  services  were  held  in  the 
Church  of  the  St.  Esprit,  in  Pine  Street  near  Nassau,  the  use  of 
which  had  been  tendered  for  that  purpose. 


vS)f.   Georcres   Chtirch,  i55 


<b 


In  the  month  of  August,  1814,  Dr.  Kewley  having  asked  leave 
of  absence  to  revisit  England,  made  a  proposition  for  the  mainte- 
nance of  the  services  in  his  absence,  which  was  accepted  by  the 
vestry.  He  did  not  return  until  November  in  the  following  year, 
and  during  this  interval  the  entire  charge  of  the  church  de- 
volved upon  Mr.  Brady. 

The  church  was  completed  in  October,  1815,  and  on  the  7th  of 
November,  was  consecrated  by  Bishop  Hobart,  then  the  Assistant 
Bishop  of  the  Diocese.  The  cost  of  the  rebuilding  was  stated  as 
about  $30,000,  but  this  was  probably  the  net  cost,  after  the  sale  of 
the  pews,  and  the  aggregate  value  of  all  the  grants  and  expenditures 
made  by  Trinity  for  St.  George's,  has  been  estimated  at  over 
$200,000. 

"  Such,'*'  as  Dr.  Tyng  remarks,  "had  been  the  liberal  views  with 
which  the  venerable  corporation  of  Trinity  estabhshed  the  independ- 
ence and  the  subsequent  self-sustaining  power  of  St.  George's.  It  is 
a  record  of  justice  and  liberality  which  I  hope  may  never  be  forgotten. 
Certainly  in  the  years  of  my  own  ministry  it  has  been  gratefully  re- 
membered and  sincerely  honored.  The  relations  of  Trinity  to  St. 
George's  were  much  more  intimate  and  friendly  than  they  were 
supposed  to  be  in  later  periods  of  their  history.  This  historic  fact 
should  be  remembered  by  all  concerned  with  gratitude  and 
respect." 

In  February,  1816,  in  consequence  of  the  publication  of  some 
report  which,  in  his  opinion,  impaired  his  usefulness  to  the  congre- 
gation, Mr.  Brady  tendered  his  resignation,  but  the  vestry  declined 
to  receive  it.  He  insisted  upon  its  acceptance,  however,  and  his 
request  was  then  reluctantly  acceded  to,  accompanied  by  a  res- 
olution that,  "  considering  the  beneficial  .labors  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Brady,  in  the  congregation,  and  as  a  testimony  of  the  regret  of  the 
vestry  at  the  dissolution  of  their  connection,  the  sum  of  $500  be 
presented  to  him." 

The  resignation  of  Mr.  Brady  was  soon  followed  by  that  of  Dr. 
Kcwley.  This  ajopears  to  have  been  due  to  disaffection  in  the  con- 
gregation, which  subsequent  events  indicate  was  based  on  dissatis- 
faction with  his  theological  views.  The  consideration  of  it  was, 
however,  "  postponed  until  the  next  meeting  the  rector  was  disposed 
to  call,"  and  at  the  annual  election  of  wardens  and  vestry-men  which 
occurred  on  the  22d  of  April,  1810,  a  decided  change  was  made  in  the 
vestry.  Immediately  thereafter,  Dr.  Kewley  renewed  his  resigna- 
tion, and  soon  returned  to  England,  and  entered  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic Church. 


1 56  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Ty7ig,  D,D, 

The  history  of  St.  George's  Church  is  thus  brought  to  the  elec- 
tion of  its  Second  Rector,  the  Hev.   James  Milnor,  in  the  month  of 

June,  1816. 

Dr.  Milnor^was  at  this  time  in  the  forty-third  year  of  his  age, 
but  had  been  in  the  ministry  less  than  two  years. 

He  was  born  in  the  city  of  Philadeli^hia  on  the  20th  of  June, 
1773,  his  jDarents  being  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  After 
his  admission  to  the  bar  in  the  year  1791,  he  practiced  his  profes- 
sion in  Norristown,  Penn.,  for  some  three  years,  and  then  removed 
to  Philadelphia,  where  he  soon  rose  to  eminence. 

On  his  marriage  to  an  Episcopalian  in  1799,  he  was  disowned 
by  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  then,  though  not  immediately,  be- 
came a  member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and  later  a 
vestryman  of  the  United  Churches  of  Philadelphia,  and  a  delegate 
to  the  Diocesan  and  the  General  Convention. 

In  1805  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Select  Council  of  Phila- 
delphia, holding  that  office  for  five  years,  when  he  was  asked  to 
permit  his  name  to  be  used  as  a  candidate  for  Representative  in  the 
United  States  Congress.  He  consented,  as  it  is  stated,  "  with  the 
expectation  and  almost  the  hope  of  being  defeated,"  but  he  had 
so  won  the  confidence  and  respect  of  his  fellow-citizens,  that 
he  was  the  only  Federalist  candidate  elected.  He  attained  much 
distinction  during  his  Congressional  career,  being  spoken  of 
as  a  nominee  for  the  Governorship  of  Pennsylvania,  but  having 
resolved  to  devote  his  remaining  years  to  the  ministiy  of  the 
gospel,  he  retired  from  political  life  and  became  a  candidate 
for  orders.  After  his  ordination  on  August  14,  1814,  he  w^as 
elected  minister  in  the  United  Churches  of  Philadelphia,  of 
which  Bishop  White  was  rector,  by  whom  a  year  later  he  was 
ordained  to  the  priesthood. 

Early  in  the  month  of  May,  1816,  he  was  invited  to  visit 
New  York  for  the  purpose  of  preaching  in  St.  George's  Church, 
but  declined  on  the  ground  that  it  would  imply  his  willingness 
to  accept  the  position  if  it  should  be  tendered  to  him.  A  com- 
mittee of  its  vestry  subsequently  visited  Philadelphia,  and  on 
their  return  his  election  as  rector  was  communicated  to  him 
and  its  acceptance  strongly  urged.  Upon  visiting  New  York  he 
became  convinced  that  it  was  his  duty  to  accept  the  call,  and  on 
the  10th  of  July,  1816,  entered  upon  his  duties  as  the  rector  of  St. 
George's  Church. 

"  This  happy  event,"  says  Dr.  Tyng,  "  decided  the  character  and 
histor}^  of  St.  George's  from  the  date  of  its  occurrence.     His  edify- 


SL   Georges   Church,  iS^ 

ing  and  faithful  ministry  was  a  gracious  gift  from  God  and  the 
church  flourished  under  his  labors.  St.  George's  became  a  leading 
church  in  the  United  States.  It  was  the  standard  for  guidance  to 
other  congregations  and  the  authority  and  protection  of  younger 
and  more  secluded  ministers  in  their  efforts  to  establish  and  main- 
tain the  Evangelical  principles  which  so  truly  distinguish  the  char- 
acter of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  its  standards  and  worship. 

"St.  George's  maintained  this  influence  and  authority  during 
the  whole  life  of  its  venerated  rector.  It  yielded  none  of  the  guid- 
ing prmciples  which  had  been  adopted,  and  gathered  a  large  and 
influential  congregation.  All  who  were  connected  with  it  were 
united  in  love  and  reverence  for  him,  in  perfect  sentiment  with 
him,  and  active  and  earnest  in  carrying  forward  these  discriminat- 
ing testimonies  through  all  congregations  which  came  under  their 
influence  or  could  be  moved  by  their  example.  This  was  an  un- 
broken history  through  the  whole  of  Dr.  Milnor's  life." 

In  his  Life  of  Dr.  Milnor,  speaking  of  the  Evangelical  clergy  of 
his  time,  Dr.  John  S.  Stone  writes: 

"  He  was,  by  common  consent,  not  the  most  highly  gifted  man 
in  all  their  ranks — for  in  learning  and  mental  endowments,  some 
were  possibly  his  superiors — but,  from  various  causes,  the  most 
widely  known  and  the  most  largely  influential.  He  stood  most  in 
the  eyes  of  the  world.  For  thirty  years  he  was  at  the  very  point  of 
convergence  and  radiation  of  all  our  great  influences  and  move- 
ments. He  was  at  the  centre  of  conflict  between  the  Evangelical  and 
the  anti-Evangelical  portions  of  our  Church;  nay,  for  years  he  was, 
in  his  own  person,  the  one  point  against  which  the  most  strenuous 
assaults  of  the  latter  were  directed;  and  had  he  fallen,  many  others 
would  have  been  unable  to  stand. 

"  From  sympathy,  as  well  as  from  respect  and  veneration, 
there  was  a  rallying  around  him,  as  a  sort  of  Evangelical  centre. 
He  touched  a  greater  number  than  others  could  touch,  of  religious 
and  theological  minds  in  their  forming  state.  He  touched  more  of 
the  causes  which,  under  God,  generate  Evangelical  results.  In  a 
word,  through  the  early  training  of  his  mind,  the  practical  character 
of  his  pursuits,  the  flnished  amenity  of  his  manners,  the  peculiar 
post  of  labor  assigned  him,  and  above  all,  the  eminently  intelligent 
and  elevated  cliaracter  of  his  piety,  the  providence  of  Goil  gave 
hira  a  position  which,  during  his  life,  was  on  the  whole,  more  com- 
manding than  that  of  any  other  Evangelical  clergyman  of  our 
Church." 

His  honored   and  useful  life  was  brought  to  its  close,  in  the 


1 58  Rev.   Stephe7i  Higginsoii    Tyiig,  D,D, 

night  of  the  8th  of  April,  1845.  He  i^resided  on  that  evening,  at  a 
meeting  of  the  Directors  of  the  Institution  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb, 
and  retired  at  his  usual  hour  in  aj^parent  health,  but  he  died  about 
midnight,  his  family  being  absent  from  home,  with  the  exception 
of  his  eldest  son.  Thus  suddenly  ended  a  ministry,  truly  remark- 
able in  its  elements  of  power,  and  equally  remarkable  in  its  influ- 
ence and  value.  The  clergy  of  his  own  Church,  and  of  the  churches 
of  every  denomination;  the  various  societies  with  which  he  had 
been  so  long  identified;  the  religious  and  secular  press,  united  in 
this  testimony. 

A  meeting  of  the  vestry  of  St.  George's  Church  was  immediately 
called,  to  make  suitable  arrangements  for  the  funeral,  which  it  was 
decided  should  take  place  on  the  afternoon  of  Friday,  the  11th 
instant.  It  was  resolved  that  Dr.  Tyng  should  be  requested  to 
deliver  an  address  on  that  occasion,  being  urged  to  accept 
this  ai^pointment,  as  having  been  "  long  a  particular  friend  to  Dr. 
Milnor,"  and  "  as  rei^resenting  Philadelphia,  his  native  place."  He 
was  in  New  York  at  the  time,  and  consented  to  perform  the  duty 
which  the  vestry  of  St.  George's  Church  thus  imposed  upon  him. 
The  funeral  is  described  as  a  remarkable  testimony  of  the  reverence 
and  respect  in  which  Dr.  Milnor  was  held  by  all  classes  in  the  com- 
munity, and  the  characteristics  of  his  ministry  were  forcibly  por- 
trayed in  the  address  which  Dr.  Tyng  delivered,  m  these  words: 

"My  Christian  Brethren  and  Friends:  I  need  hardly  say  with 
how  much  diffidence  I  have  yielded  to  the  urgent  request  of  the 
vestry  of  this  church,  in  the  attempt  to  address  you  upon  this  oc- 
casion. While  my  strong  personal  affection  for  my  venerated 
brother,  whom  God  hath  now  exalted  to  the  enjoyment  of  His  glory 
and  with  whom  I  have  been  on  terms  of  intimate  friendship  for 
nearly  twenty-five  years  past,  would  lead  me  to  take  any  position, 
at  whatever  sacrifice,  which  might  contribute  to  the  just  honor  of 
his  name;  and  my  cordial  approval  and  reverence  for  the  great 
principles  which  have  uniformly  governed  his  happ}*  and  honored 
ministry,  would  constrain  me  in  any  service,  to  testify  to,  and  per- 
petuate them;  my  consciousness  of  inability  to  do  justice  to  the 
occasion  in  the  presence  of  this  multitude  of  sympathizing  friends, 
especially  upon  a  notice  so  brief,  would  still  have  compelled  me  to 
retire  from  the  very  honorable  post  here  assigned  me,  did  I  not 
feel  that  neither  the  example  which  is  before  me,  nor  the  times  in 
which  we  are  tried,  will  suffer  any  one  to  retire  under  selfish  im- 
pulse, where  Jesus  may  be  glorified,  and  His  truth  jDromulgated  and 
maintained.     Never  did  my  venerable  friend  yield  to  the  influence 


S^,    Georges   Church.  i59 

of  diffidence,  though  it  was  beautifully  characterized  in  his  sjDirit;  or 
of  weariness,  though  he  might  well  have  asked  repose  in  labors 
which  were  still  multiplied  in  age,  beyond  what  vigorous  youth  de- 
sires generally  to  bear;  or  oifear,  though  in  his  whole  ministry  he 
has  stood  at  that  open  door  where  are  many  adversaries;  or  of  regard 
to  reputatiotij  though  he  had  an  exaltation  of  character,  with  which 
the  highest  expectations  of  others  were  always  connected.  But 
simple,  faithful,  assiduous,  disinterested,  and  unshrinking,  he  was 
ever  standing  at  the  post  of  duty;  living  for  Christ;  testifying  the 
fulness  of  His  grace;  and  preaching  *  in  season  and  out  of  season' 
the  life-giving  word  of  His  gospel  to  the  souls  of  men.  And  he 
might  stand  to-day,  and  I  may  stand  in  his  name,  in  the  midst  of 
this  congregation  and  community,  among  whom  he  has  both  minis- 
tered and  honored  the  gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  for  nearly  thirty 
years  past,  and  say:  'ye  are  witnesses,  and  God  also,  how  holil}^ 
and  justly,  and  unblamably,  we  have  behaved  ourselves  among 
you.'  '  Ye  know  how  we  exhorted  and  comforted,  and  charged 
every  one  of  you,  as  a  father  doth  his  children,  that  ye  would  walk 
worthy  of  God,  who  hath  called  you  unto  His  kingdom  and  glory.* 

"  I  may  go  even  further  in  an  application  of  the  apostle's  words  so 
appropriate  to  his  case;  and  say,  'we  were  gentle  among  you,  even 
as  a  nurse  cherisheth  her  children — and  being  affectionately  desir- 
ous of  you,  we  were  willing  to  have  imparted  unto  you,  not  the 
gospel  of  God  onl}',  but  also  our  own  souls,  because  ye  were  dear 
unto  us.' 

"And  yet  his  ministry  was  not  only  affectionate,  it  was  effectual. 
There  has  been  a  power  attending  his  labors  for  Christ,  which  mul- 
titudes have  felt,  and  by  which  multitudes  have  been  saved.  It 
was  a  power  which  sprang  not  from  native  intellect,  or  large  at- 
tainments merely,  which  depended  not  upon  the  animation  of 
youth,  or  the  outward  charms  and  glow  of  beautiful  enunciation; 
which  failed  not  under  the  weakness  of  age,  nor  flickered  in  its 
brightness,  as  it  passed  toward  the  darkness  of  the  grave.  It  was 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  giving  to  him  much  assurance  in 
preaching  the  word  with  fidelity,  and  causing  others  to  receive  it 
with  joy,  as  the  "Word  of  God,  effectually  working  in  them,  believ- 
ing, and  becoming  in  their  conversion  his  glory  and  joy.  And  as 
we  to-day  contemplate  his  character  and  work,  which  liave  been 
before  us,  and  are  now  recorded  on  high,  it  will  l)e  profitable  to 
consider  some  few  of  the  peculiar  traits  which  have  evidently  and 
eminently  distinguished  them.  To  profess  to  enter  upon  a  minute 
and  extended  examination  of  such  a  ministry  and  life,  in  this  hasty 


i6o  Rev,   Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

and  unprepared  way,  would  be  doing  great  injustice  to  the  subipct. 
I  trust  that  God  will  be  pleased  to  qualify  and  prepare  some  pen 
that  shall  be  able  to  do  adequate  justice  to  this  important  subject, 
and  set  forth  for  the  instruction  of  the  Church,  the  triumphs  of  the 
grace  of  God  in  his  conversion,  and  the  peculiar  excellence  and 
holiness  of  his  example,  so  worthy  of  imitation,  in  his  long  succeed- 
ing ministry.  But  to  gain  the  utmost  edification  and  instruction 
for  ourselves,  which  the  limits  of  the  occasion  allow,  is  equally  our 
present  duty  and  our  privilege.  We  must  not  be  forbidden  to  re- 
joice for  our  allowed  season,  in  the  sunlight  of  such  an  example, 
because  we  have  not  time  completely  to  analyze  and  display  its 
separate  beams  of  brightness  and  beauty. 

"  His  ministry  has  been  distinguished  by  a  clear  perception  of  vital 
truth;  by  an  ardent  love  for  the  truth  and  a  deep  experience  of  its 
inward  power;  by  an  affectionate  earnestness  in  imparting  and 
proclaiming  it  to  others;  by  exceeding  wisdom  and  discrimination 
in  teaching  it  purely,  and  teaching  nothing  in  the  place  of  it;  by 
an  evident  life  of  prayer  and  holiness,  under  its  controlling  and 
sanctifying  operation  upon  his  own  soul.  He  thus  always  stood 
for  Christ,  stood  with  Christ,  stood  by  Christ,  and  Christ  hath 
spoken  by  him,  with  the  demonstration  of  His  Spirit,  and  honored 
him  as  the  instrument  of  bringing  many  souls  to  God. 

"  His  intimate  perception  of  the  truth,  made  him  uniformly  dis- 
tinct and  clear  in  its  exposition,  and  his  whole  course  as  its  advo- 
cate. Those  who  understood  the  gospel  could  never  doubt,  where 
he  was  to  be  found,  or  what  he  would  proclaim.  He  saw  the  utter 
ruin  and  condemnation  of  sinful  man;  he  saw  the  perfect  substitu- 
tion for  the  guilty,  of  the  glorious  God  who  died  in  the  stead  of 
all;  he  saw  the  finished  salvation  which  He  had  attained  for  those 
who  believe;  the  glorious  righteousness  which  He  has  perfected  as 
their  hope;  the  sure  redemption  which  He  has  accomplished  in 
their  behalf;  he  saw  the  appointed  agency  of  the  declaration  of 
this  wonderful  work,  as  the  instrument  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  give 
life  to  the  dead,  and  to  convert  the  wandering  soul  to  God.  He 
saw  that  it  was  by  lifting  up  Jesus  to  the  mind,  as  evidently  cruci- 
fied for  their  sins,  and  persuading  the  heart  to  embrace  Him  with 
love,  and  to  rest  upon  Him  with  confidence,  as  all  their  salvation; 
that  the  Holy  Ghosb  was  ministering  godly  sorrow  to  the  awakened, 
and  peace  to  the  penitent,  and  hope  to  the  believer,  and  joy  to  the 
desponding,  and  spiritual  life  and  growth  to  the  fainting  and  the 
weak.  And  these  were  the  habitual  themes  of  his  discourse,  and 
the  unceasing  subjects  of  his  public  and  his  private  teaching. 


SL   Georges   Church,  i6i 

"  He  loved  to  tread  that  blessed  circle  which  starts  from  Christ 
and  runs  round  to  Christ  again;  which  exhibits  Christ  as  every- 
thing, at  every  point;  and  compels  the  tongue  and  the  heart  to 
say:  'none  but  Christ';  in  every  step  and  section  of  its  course. 
He  was  brought  to  a  knowledge  of  this  truth  in  mature  life;  and 
under  circumstances  which  enabled  him  and  compelled  him  to 
weigh  thoroughly,  and  to  examine  well  every  fact  and  doctrine 
which  it  appeared  to  teach;  when  his  practiced  mind  was  too  wise 
to  be  easily  imposed  upon;  and  his  condition  and  prejudices  united 
too  strongly,  to  draw  him  back  from  an  adoption  of  principles, 
which  involved  for  him  self-sacrifice  in  no  ordinary  degree,  to  allow 
him  to  be  led  an  easy  captive;  when  the  limited  influence  of  Evan- 
gelical truth  and  the  few  instances  of  its  renewing  power,  among 
the  class  of  persons  in  which  he  moved,  made  conversion  almost 
synonymous  with  insanity,  and  a  real  love  for  Christ,  the  object  of 
astonishment  and  contempt,  as  the  bewilderment  of  a  low  and  ab- 
surd fanaticism.  Under  such  circumstances,  it  was  no  small  thing 
for  him  to  yield  to  the  power  of  a  revelation  of  which  he  had  known 
so  little,  and  neglected  so  entirely.  Nor  till  he  was  made,  not  by 
man,  but  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  understand  and  feel  the  regenera- 
ting power  of  the  gospel,  did  he  embrace  and  follow  it.  But  then 
lie  was  fixed  like  a  rock  of  adamant;  and  from  that  time,  the  truth 
which  he  then  discerned  so  clearly,  and  which  he  immediately  be- 
gan to  preach  to  others,  he  has  been  unwavering,  uniform  and 
decided  in  proclaiming  on  all  occasions  and  in  every  place;  tes- 
tifying unceasingly  the  glorious  righteousness  of  faith,  '  Christ 
the  end  of  the  law  for  righteousness  to  every  one  that  believ- 
eth.' 

"  His  ardent  love  for  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  and  his  deep  expe- 
rience of  its  inward  power,  made  him  most  sensible  of  its  importance 
and  worth  to  others.  He  felt  the  preciousness  of  free  forgiveness 
through  the  blood  of  Jesus;  the  life  to  the  soul  of  Christ  dwelling  in 
the  heart  by  faith  as  the  hope  of  glory;  the  joy  which  is  found  in 
knowing  the  salvation  perfected  in  the  one  offering  of  the  Lord 
Jesus;  the  firm  and  steadfast  anchor  which  its  clearly  defined  ac- 
complishment gives  to  the  believer,  and  he  coveted  for  all  the  blessed 
privileges  wliich  he  thus  perceived  and  enjoyed  himself.  The 
power  of  this  truth,  had  broken  the  fetters  of  his  pride;  had  out- 
weighed the  honors  of  his  worldly  station;  had  led  him  to  count 
all  things  but  loss  for  Christ,  and  to  consider  shame  as  a  disciple, 
liigher  glory  than  ap])lause  as  an  opposer;  had  brought  him  forth 
from  the  world,  and  in  the  world — to  take  a  position  which  became 


1 62  Rev,   Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

a  wonder  to  many,  and  he  could  not  but  declare  the  things  which 
he  had  seen  and  heard. 

"  He  had  been  sustained  in  trials,  and  refreshed  in  losses,  and 
comforted  in  afflictions,  by  this  life-giving  gospel.  It  imparted 
cheerfulness  to  his  spirit,  animation  to  his  duties,  and  life  to  his 
hopes.  It  was  within  him  a  living  principle ;  a  fountain  springing 
up;  and  he  longed  to  have  the  whole  world  acquainted  with  the 
Saviour,  who  was  so  sufficient  for  his  soul.  Who,  that  has  seen  him 
in  social  religious  exercises,  as  it  has  often  been  my  privilege, 
where  Christian  brethren  and  friends  meet  together  for  prayer  and 
counsel;  or  at  the  bedside  of  the  sick;  or  in  the  house  of  sorrow, 
and  witnessed  his  emotion — his  earnestness — his  tenderness — his 
unquestioned  sincerity  and  love  for  souls — while  tears  successive 
rolled  from  his  cheeks,  as  he  spoke  of  the  things  of  Christ,  has  not 
felt  cor^vinced  that  there  was  an  inward  jDOwer  operating  upon  his 
soul,  of  no  human  origin  or  gift. 

"The  energy  of  gospel  truth  was  quick  and  manifest  within  him, 
and  it  gave  an  influence  to  his  ministry  of  the  Word,  which  was 
instantly  perceived,  and  could  not  be  denied.  This  inward  experi- 
ence of  the  power  of  the  gospel  expressed  itself  constantly  in  an 
affectionate  earnestness  in  proclaiming  it  to  others.  Whether  in 
the  pulpit,  or  in  private,  he  was  always  kind,  yet  always  frank  and 
faithful.  He  endured  patiently  with  error,  when  error  was  invol- 
untaiy  and  in  ignorance,  and  with  great  tenderness  he  desired  and 
labored  to  correct  it.  But  he  never  yielded  to  error,  or  com- 
promised for  peace  with  its  advocates  when  it  was  obstinate  and 
determined.  Boldly  and  candidly  and  fearlessly  he  stood  as  the 
advocate  of  the  gospel,  earnestly  engaged  in  urging  its  acceptance 
upon  sinful  men;  realizing,  that  the  power  with  which  he  was  en- 
trusted as  a  minister  of  Christ,  was  no  mystical  authority,  by  dumb 
rites  and  ordinances  to  apply  salvation  to  whom  he  would,  but  the 
blessed  privilege,  'b}^  manifestation  of  the  truth  to  every  man's 
conscience  in  the  sight  of  God,'  to  be  the  instrument  and  messen- 
ger of  God,  to  enlighten,  guide  and  control  their  minds  and  hearts, 
to  lead  them  to  embrace  and  hold  fast  the  blessed  hoj)e  which 
was  given  them  in  Christ.  Accordingly,  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel,  in  his  view  the  keys  which  are  to  bind  and  loose,  to  retain 
or  remit  the  sins  of  men,  as  Jesus  is  embraced  or  rejected  by  their 
hearts,  was  the  great  treasure  with  which  he  Avas  entrusted,  and 
the  instrument  of  his  power,  and  in  the  degree  of  his  faithfulness 
in  preaching,  did  he  hope  for  the  blessing  from  God  upon  the  souls 
of  men  who  heard.     He  was  ever  therefore  engaged  in  this  work, 


SL   Georges   Church.  163 

ready  to  speak,  anxious  to  persuade,  willing  to  be  spent,  in  the  la- 
bor of  teaching  and  preaching  Jesus  Christ.  And  all  who  heard 
him  were  witnesses,  that  he  certainly  beheved  the  things  which 
he  declared,  and  that  his  heart  was  warm,  while  his  mind  was 
intelhgent  in  the  sacred  cause  of  a  Saviour's  glory,  and  man's 
conversion.  In  this  trait  there  was  an  especial  power  in  his  minis- 
try, insinuating  itself  into  the  hearts  of  men,  subduing  and  meet- 
ing them  under  the  dominion  of  Christ,  in  peaceful  and  glad  sub- 
jection to  his  holy  will. 

"  But  he  was  also  particularly  wise  and  discriminating  in  preach- 
ing the  gospel  purely,  and  in  the  determination  to  preach  nothing 
in  the  place  of  its  eternal  and  living  truth.     The  long  distinction 
between  error  and  truth,  he  readily  discerned,  and  not  less  so  the 
frequently    neglected    distinction   between    vital   and    subordinate 
truths.     Every  thing  was  not,  in  his  mind,   necessarily,  ilie   truth 
because  it  was  true;  multiplied  points  of  doctrine   which  he  was 
ready  to  receive  as  undoubted,  he  would  refuse  to  press  upon  others 
as  indispensable.     For  meat  he  would  not  destroy,  nor  refuse  to 
aid  the   work   of  God.     He  loved  to  unite  with  all  the  people  of 
God  in  efforts  of  usefulness  to  man,  to  the  utmost  extent  of  their 
possible  agreement  in  the  imperishable  truths  of  the  gospel;  and 
whereto  they  had  already  attained,  to  walk  with  them  according  to 
the  same  rule.     And  though  he  was  willing,  in  their  proper  2:>lace 
and  measure,  to  teach  dividing  princi^Dles,  as  they  were  received 
and  adopted  by  his  own  mind,  he  would  only  teach  them  in  their 
due  relation,  as  subordinate — lawful — in  their  measure,  expedient; 
but  not  essential  to  the  life  of  the  soul,  not  able  to  give  it  life  from 
the  dead.     That  error  in  perception  and  judgment,  or  the  mahcious 
design,  as  in  some  cases  it  is  justly  feared  to  be,  of  charging   with 
indifference  to  the  distinguishing  doctrines  among  Christians,  the 
unwilhngness  to  exalt   them  unduly,  which  in  our  day  is  so  com- 
mon, and  to  many    minds  is  so  fearful,  had  no  effect  upon  him. 
Yet,  upon  few  men  was  the  experiment  tried  more  frequently,  or 
for  a  longer  period.     But  in  his  abounding  in  the  spiritual  work  of 
the  Lord,  he  was  steadfast  and  unmovable,  equally  independent  of 
the  intiuence  of  the  actual  novelties  of  the  time,  and  of  the  tritliu'^a 
of  alleged  antiipiity  anew  exposed  to  sight.     I  speak  thus  distinctly 
upon  this  subject,  because  I  would  bear  my  solemn  testimony  up- 
on this  occasion,  of  thorough  approval  of  his  faithful  ministrv,  and 
because  in  this  point  of  view,  I  deem  this  ministry  to  have  been  an 
example  of  exceeding  importance,  of  that  wisdom  and  moderation 


164  R^*  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

which  are  characteristic  of  a  scribe  well  instructed  in  the  kingdom 
of  heaven. 

"  There  was  no  wasted  time,  or  wasted  breath  in  his  ministry. 
The  opening  of  his  lips  was  ever  of  right  things.  And  both  the 
actual  value  and  influence  of  the  truths  which  he  taught,  and  the 
entire  confidence  and  freedom  of  mind  towards  him,  which  his 
teaching  inspired  in  those  who  were  accustomed  to  hear  him,  con- 
stituted an  important  element  of  power  in  his  dispensation  of  the 
gospel. 

"  But  perhaps  the  manifest  influence  of  the  truth  which  he  loved 
and  taught,  upon  his  own  character  and  life,  was  an  instrument  of 
influence,  not  surpassed  by  any  of  the  elements  to  which  I  have  re- 
ferred. Love  to  Christ,  faith  in  Christ,  estimation  of  Christ  as  a 
friend  and  portion,  personally  connected  with  himself,  constituted 
the  pervading  characteristics  of  his  life,  controlling,  sanctifying, 
elevating,  adorning  every  hour  and  every  act. 

"  It  was  the  spring  of  his  cheerfulness,  calmness  and  peace.  To 
dwell  upon  this  subject  particularly  now  as  remarkable,  may  seem 
to  some  younger  Christian  brethren  and  friends,  comparatively  un- 
necessary. But  the  time  is  present  to  my  memory,  when  the  men  who 
preached  and  lived  as  he  did,  were  comparatively  few,  and  when  the 
prejudice  against  his  whole  system  of  teaching  was  exceedingly 
great.  I  can  never  forget  the  astonishment  which  a  clergyman 
expressed  to  me  in  the  first  commencement  of  my  acquaintance 
with  my  revered  friend,  after  parting  with  him  on  one  occasion,  at 
his  great  cheerfulness  of  temper,  '  Considering,'  as  he  said,  '  his 
very  gloomy  views  of  religion.' 

*'  How  little  such  a  mind  perceived  the  excellence  and  precious- 
ness  of  the  gospel,  the  comfort  of  its  pardon  so  freely  proclaimed, 
or  the  joy  of  its  hope  so  securely  founded,  and  so  clearly  revealed 
in  Christ,  is  instantly  manifest  to  many  who  listen  to  me.  But  we 
have  lived  to  see  the  number  of  like-minded  men  greatly  multiplied 
and  similar  lights  shining  brightly  in  their  several  degrees  among 
us,  at  many  points.  In  this  regenerating  operation  upon  our 
Church,  a  precursor,  I  trust,  of  the  hastening  of  Zion's  glory,  no 
man  probably  has  exercised  a  greater  influence  than  this  beloved 
minister  of  God.  And  no  example  of  ministry  among  us,  could  be 
presented  of  more  spotless  value,  or  more  worthy  to  be  imitated  as 
eminently  wise  and  holy,  by  those  who  are  entering  upon  the  sacred 
work  of  preaching  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ. 

"  But  changed  as  has  become  the  state  of  mind  around,  so  that 
multitudes  can  now  understand  and  appreciate  and  love  his  princi- 


S^.   Georges   Church,  i65 

pies,  where  few  used  to  comprehend  or  value  them,  the  influence 
of  his  own  life  as  an  illustration  of  his  ministry  remains  still  a  most 
important  consideration.  He  was  a  living  epistle,  known  and  rend 
of  all  who  could  understand  the  writing  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  No 
Christian  approached  him,  or  was  connected  with  him,  no  anxious 
mind  sought  his  counsel,  no  disciple  listened  to  him,  no  sufferer 
asked  consolation  from  him,  who  did  not  immediately  feel  that  he 
was  a  man  of  prayer  and  holiness.  Though  there  was  absolutely 
nothing  about  him  of  the  cant  of  religious  i)rofession,  the  mere  dia- 
lect of  the  gospel,  there  was  the  unceasing  shining  forth  of  actual 
religious  influence  from  his  conversation  and  conduct  among  men, 
studding  with  countless  brilliant  jDoints  the  whole  framework  of  his 
character  and  life  in  every  relation,  disjDlaying  a  loveliness] and  ex- 
cellence in  attractive  beauty  far  beyond  the  habitual  walk  of  Chris- 
tians around. 

"  In  all  these  points  was  the  power  of  the  ministry  of  our  revered 
and  beloved  friend.  It  was  the  dispensation  of  saving  truth; 
earnest,  afl'ectionate,  discriminating,  and  wise,  in  a  very  remarkable 
degree.  It  honored  God,  and  God  honored  it  in  return.  It  glori- 
fied Christ,  and  Christ  made  it  the  instrument  of  saving  men.  It 
manifested  warm  affection  for  perishing  souls,  and  it  received  the 
warmest  reciprocation  of  affection  from  those  among  whom  it  passed. 
It  has  been  a  faithful,  glowing  ministry  of  love  and  peace,  and  many 
may  study  it  with  much  advantage  and  profit,  as  an  example  and  a 
source  of  instruction  to  themselves.  It  has  passed  in  the  view  of 
multitudes  around,  and  has  been  made  a  centre  of  influence  which 
the  remotest  portions  of  our  land  have  felt.  Its  honored  years 
have  now  come  to  their  conclusion,  and  brethren  and  friends  have 
assembled  here  to  testify  around  the  opening  tomb,  the  estimation 
in  which  a  faithful  man  of  God  has  been  held  in  His  Church  on 
earth;  and  the  love  of  which  he  was  the  object  to  the  multitude  of 
his  people. 

"  To  my  resjjected  brethren  in  the  ministry  of  the  gospel  in  our 
own  Church,  I  would  commend  the  example  and  life  of  my  honored 
friend,  as  a  bright  and  blessed  guide  in  duty.  Remember  the  end 
of  his  conversation,  'Jesus  Christ,  the  same  yesterday,  to-da}*^  and 
forever.'  What  is  now  his  hope,  or  joy,  or  crown  of  rejoicing?  Is 
it  not  the  converted  souls  of  men  whom  we  shall  moot  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Lord  Jesus  ?  They  are  his  glory  and  joy.  This  is  the  end 
for  which  wo  labor;  to  pluck  as  brands  out  of  the  burning,  the  un- 
converted from  the  condemnation  of  sin,  and  to  restore,  as  workers 
together  with  God,  the  wandering,  to  the  faith  and  love  of  Christ. 


i66  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

"  In  proportion  to  our  simple  and  spiritual  j)reacliing  of  Christ, 
as  the  salvation  of  men,  will  be  our  success  in  this  glorious  work. 
In  this,  will  be  the  measure  of  our  comfort  in  the  retrospect  of  life> 
In  this,  will  be  our  joy  in  eternity.  O  let  us  this  day  gird  on  anew 
the  armor  of  light;  resolved  by  the  help  of  God,  to  know  nothing 
but  a  crucified  Christ,  as  the  theme  of  our  instruction  to  the  souls 
of  men.  Let  us  seek  a  deep  and  living  experience  of  this  great 
truth,  in  our  own  hearts,  and  warn  and  admonish,  and  exhort,  with 
all  diligence  and  fidelity,  the  ungodly  and  perishing  to  whom  we 
are  sent,  to  fly  to  Jesus  for  refuge  and  hope.  Linger  not,  trifle 
not,  be  not  turned  aside  by  inferior,  outward,  perishing  objects,  in 
the  pursuit  of  this  one  great  end.  Be  faithful  unto  death,  striving 
with  the  grace  of  God,  which  shall  work  within  you,  that  you  may 
be  found  with  many  ransomed  souls  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
at  His  coming.  And  however  little  the  world  may  understand  or 
esteem  you,  you  will  have  a  name  with  God  and  a  record  on  high. 

"To  our  respected  Christian  brethren  and  friends,  the  ministers 
and  members  of  other  Churches  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  who  have  as- 
sembled with  us  to-day  to  testify  their  love  for  our  venerated 
brother,  I  ought  to  speak  in  the  name  of  my  venerable  friend,  in 
the  fraternal  language  of  affectionate  gratitude  and  encouragement. 
He  has  been  honored  in  your  midst,  as  a  fellow-worker  in  many 
great  and  blessed  efforts  of  usefulness  to  men.  He  was  with  you, 
as  a  guide,  a  counsellor,  and  a  true  yoke-fellow  in  the  cause  of 
Christ,  distinguished  by  wisdom,  gentleness,  moderation  and  love. 
His  presence  hushed  the  spirit  of  controversy  and  rebuked  the  vio- 
lence of  sectarianism.  He  was  eminently  a  man  of  peace;  and  a 
promoter  of  peace  among  the  Churches  of  the  Lord.  The  ardor 
of  this  spirit  burned  in  him  to  the  end. 

"  The  last  sermon  he  delivered  from  this  desk  urged  the  spirit 
of  union  upon  the  people  of  God  in  their  mutual  judgments,  and 
intercourse  and  efforts  on  the  earth.  Precious  link  to  bind  to- 
gether his  earthly  and  his  heavenly  ministry  !  the  last  message  of 
the  aged  departing  saint,  seeming  like  the  anticipation  of  the  first 
lesson  of  the  higher  sanctuary  into  which  he  so  immediately  en- 
tered: taught  of  God,  as  the  instruction  of  that  heavenly  school, 
where  saints  shall  learn  forever,  the  imperishable  truth,  '  My  dove, 
my  undefiled,  is  one.' 

"The  schemes  and  plans  of  benevolence  in  which  he  was  en- 
gaged, were  so  varied  and  numerous,  that  it  is  impossible  to  dwell 
upon  them  minutely.  No  class  of  want  and  sorrow,  temporal  or 
spiritual,  relative  or  individual,  failed  to  interest  or  employ  him. 


Si,   Georges   Church,  167 

"For  the  sorrowing  children  to  whom  sight  or  speech  and 
hearing  had  been  denied,  his  tender  heart  felt  habitual  sympathy ; 
over  these  last,  he  presided  with  paternal  tenderness  and  wisdom 
from  the  foundation  of  the  institution  lor  their  education.  In  the 
circulation  of  the  sacred  Scriptures  he  was  earnestly  engaged.  In  the 
dissemination  of  religious  instruction  by  the  press,  he  labored  as- 
siduously. To  the  heathen  nations,  his  faithful  spirit  turned  with 
affectionate  longings.  "Whatever  plan  of  usefulness  was  presented 
to  him,  either  in  his  own  Church,  or  combined  with  other  Churches, 
which  his  judgment  approved,  was  sure  of  his  efforts  and  affectionate 
co-operation.  Here  his  dei3arture  is  a  loss  which  wiU  be  widely 
felt,  and  many,  many  Christians  will  lift  up  the  heart  to  God  over 
its  sad  annunciation,  in  the  prayer,  '  Help,  Lord,  for  the  godly  man 
ceaseth.'  He  has  been  taken  from  earth  at  a  crisis,  when  men  will 
say,  he  can  ill  be  spared.  But  we  must  cast  our  anchor  upon  God, 
and  remember  that  in  instruments  for  His  honor.  He  can  supply  all 
our  need  out  of  the  riches  of  His  glory  in  Christ  Jesus.  Never 
was  he  more  important  in  the  Christian  community  here.  But  per- 
haps never  would  he  have  become  less  so  until  the  imbecility  of 
age,  or  the  inroads  of  disease  had  buried  up  the  noble  powers  of 
his  mind  and  heart;  and  we  should  have  waited  in  vain  for  an  hour 
short  of  that  sadder  dispensation  than  death,  when  we  might  freely 
say  that  his  work  was  completed,  and  his  place  some  other  one 

might  take. 

"  But  great  as  is  the  public  loss  in  the  departure  of  this  venera- 
ble minister  of  God,  to  this  congregation,  and  his  own  intimate  do- 
mestic relations,  the  sharpest  edge  of  the  dispensation  has  been 
directed.  Of  the  latter  I  shall  not  dare  to  speak;  God,  our  gra- 
cious God,  be  pleased  to  lighten  the  burden,  and  to  make  preparation 
for  the  sad  tidings,  in  distant  hearts,  which  are  yet  to  know  how 
much  a  single  hour  has  darkened  and  desolated  theii'  dwelhng. 
To  the  former  I  may  speak.  Thirty  years,  though  few  of  the  pres- 
ent congregation  have  passed  with  him  through  the  whole,  has  he 
i)reached  in  this  house  the  fulness  and  the  freeness  of  Christ. 
Many,  many  have  gone  home  to  welcome  in  triumjih  his  coming  to 
their  glory,  whom  he  has  led  down  in  his  gentle,  faithful  ministra- 
tions, to  the  margin  of  the  stream,  and  committed  in  death  to  a 

Saviour's  care. 

"  They  were,  they  are,  witnesses  of  his  faithfulness  as  a  guide  of 
redeemed  souls.  Many  remain,  to  h^ld  fast  the  precious  hope, 
which  he  has  set  before  them,  and  to  follow  him  in  the  heavenly 
way.     Your  loss  is  peculiar,  for  the  ministry  which  you  have   had, 


1 68  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D. 

has  been  peculiar.  Its  tenderness  and  watchfulness  have  set  up 
their  monuments  in  every  family  and  in  every  house.  "With  "whom 
has  he  not  mingled  his  tears  in  sorrow?  Whom  has  he  not  ex- 
horted in  paternal  love,  to  find  a  home  and  a  shelter  in  the  bosom 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  ?  The  aged  will  not  forget  his  sympathy  and 
patience  and  courteous  reverence  in  his  intercourse  with  them. 
The  young  cannot  cease  to  remember  his  cheerfulness  and  love  in 
ministering  to  them.  The  little  children  can  not  fail  to  call  to  mind 
his  venerable  aspect,  and  sweet  demeanor,  as  he  laid  his  hand  upon 
their  heads,  in  affectionate  benediction.  His  interest  in  them  was 
particular  and  beautiful. 

"His  work  among  you  has  been  now  completed;  and  while  his 
memory  will  be  embalmed  in  your  hearts  while  life  shall  last,  you 
can  see  him  going  in  and  out  among  you  in  the  flesh  no  more.  His 
departure  has  been  most  instant,  leaving  no  time  for  those  special 
exercises  and  testimonies  which  often  edify  and  encourage  us,  fi'om 
the  Christian  bed  of  death.  But  we  needed  not  a  closing  testimony 
to  be  jDersuaded  that  a  prophet  had  been  among  us.  And  the  more 
rapidly  the  horses  and  chariots  of  fire  ascended  with  him  to  the 
mount  of  glory,  the  happier  for  him.  O  that  there  be  many  Elishas 
to  catch  his  falling  mantle,  to  imbibe  his  heavenly  spirit,  and  to  fol- 
low him  in  the  path  of  faithfulness  to  God  which  he  hath  trodden. 
And  as  we  separate  from  this  house  of  mourning  to-day,  let  it  be 
with  the  solemn  prayer  and  purpose  in  every  mind,  that  to  us,  like 
him,  to  live  shall  be  Christ,  and  to  die  eternal  gain." 

Dr.  Milnor's  remains  were  laid  temporarily  in  the  vault  of  the 
senior  warden,  but  uj^on  the  completion  of  a  vault,  under  the  pulpit 
in  the  church,  were  removed  to  it  in  the  month  of  July  following, 
and  there  reposed  for  many  years,  until  the  sale  and  destruction  of 
the  church  required  their  removal. 

During  the  few  last  years  of  Dr.  Milnor's  life  the  gradual 
decline  of  St.  George's  Church  in  its  numbers  and  income,  had 
brought  before  its  vestry  questions  of  great  importance.  It  was 
evident  that  some  measures  must  be  taken  to  meet  the  impending 
need,  or  the  church  must  lose  much  of  its  ability  for  influence  and 
usefulness.  This  had  arisen  from  no  failure  on  the  part  of  Dr. 
Milnor,  but  wholly  '  from  causes  incidental  to  the  growth  of  the 
city.  The  increasing  demands  of  business  required  increased 
accommodation,  and  necessitated  the  transformation  into  factories 
and  warehouses  of  the  dwellings  in  the  lower  jDarts  of  the  city, 
comj)elling  their  former  occupants  to,  seek  homes  in  the  newer  and 
more    distant   sections.     Every   year   witnessed    more    and   more 


St,    Georges   Church,  16^ 

changes  of  this  kind.  The  course  of  the  current  could  not  be 
stayed,  it  was  vain  to  bemoan  or  resist  it. 

The  location  of  the  church  had  become  less  and  less  desirable 
for  a  place  of  worship.  A  comparatively  small  number  of  persons 
remained,  residing  within  a  moderate  distance,  though  many  who 
had  removed  continued  to  attend  its  services.  So  great  had  been 
its  decline  that  the  income  from  pew-rents  had  fallen  to  about  fifteen 
hundred  dollars,  while  of  the  communicants  recorded  not  more  than 
two  hundred  and  thirty  were  in  actual  connection  with  the  church. 

Such  a  condition  of  afiairs  demanded  earnest  attention.  It  be- 
came of  still  greater  importance  in  the  consideration  of  the  state  of 
the  Episcopal  Church  in  New  York  at  this  time,  which  for  years 
had  not  in  any  degree  kept  pace  with  the  growth  of  the  city  or  the 
increase  in  its  population.  In  this  view  the  responsibility  for  action 
was  much  increased,  as  is  very  clearly  stated  b}^  Dr.  Henry  Anthon, 
in  a  sermon  which  he  dehvered  in  St.  Mark's  Church,  in  May,  1845: 

"  ^Vith  all  the  efforts  making  by  various  Christian  denomina- 
tions in  this  metropolis  to  abate  the  evil,  what  a  terrific  projDortion 
of  a  population  of  near  four  hundred  thousand  souls  are  absolutely 
shut  out  from  our  churches  ? 

"  They  could  find  no  seats  within  the  walls,  were  they  disjjosed 
to  avail  themselves  of  the  privilege.  Have  we  taken  the  estimate 
of  our  responsibility  as  Protestant  Episcopalians  in  the  matter  ? 
Three  years  ago  we  were  reminded  that  it  was  painful  to  conti*ast 
the  condition  of  our  Church  in  this  city,  with  that  which  it  ought  to 
maintain.  Her  course,  with  a  mighty  tide  of  human  life  pouring  in 
on  her  all  the  time,  was  not  merely  stemmed,  but  retrograde.  Within 
ten  years,  as  we  learned,  one  hundred  and  ten  thousand  had  been 
added  to  the  population  of  New  York,  and  during  this  period  only 
five  new  Episcopal  Churches  had  been  consecrated;  affording 
accommodation  to  about  four  thousand  persons,  and  leaving  about 
one  hundred  and  six  thousand  souls,  so  far  as  the  Episcopal  Church 
was  concerned,  unprovided  for.  In  1830  we  had  twenty-two 
churches,  the  various  dissenting  bodies  around  us  had  seventy-two 
places  of  worship.  Now  they  have  one  hundred  and  sixty-three, 
we  have  twenty-seven.  Such  was  the  melancholy  and  reproachful 
picture  of  1842.  Our  Church,  we  were  assured,  and  no  one  could 
gainsay  it,  wan  fast,  very  fast,  going  behind  the  population.  So  far 
as  the  resi)()nHibihty  rests  with  us,  have  these  dark  tints  been 
softened  down  in  1845  ?  No,  the  same,  if  not  greater,  is  the  moral 
waste  encompassing  us.  What  can  be  done  to  meet  this  pressing 
emergency  ?  " 


170  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyiig,  D.D. 

What  should  be  done  by  St.  George's  Church?  This  was  a 
question  which  could  not  be  ignored.  Its  own  condition,  not  less 
than  the  urgent  need  thus  described,  pressed  for  an  early  decision. 
With  its  liberal  endowment,  its  duty  to  do  its  part  in  provision  for 
the  rapidly  increasing  population,  was  manifest  and  clear. 

During  the  winter  of  1845  there  were  many  conferences  on  the 
subject,  between  Dr.  Milnor  and  members  of  the  congregation  and 
the  Yestry.  No  plan  of  removal  could  be  entertained.  The  church 
hallowed  by  so  many  associations  could  not  be  abandoned,  nor 
could  Dr.  Milnor  favor  such  a  movement.  Still,  to  maintain  the 
old  and  establish  a  new  church  seemed  to  require  larger  means 
than  the  church  possessed,  and  to  involve  a  greater  responsibility 
than  could  be  assumed.  In  this  dilemma  a  way  was  unexpectedly 
opened  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  desired  result,  and  it  is  the 
subject  of  the  earliest  recorded  action  of  the  vestry  in  this  connec- 
tion. 

At  a  meeting  held  on  the  2d  of  April,  1845,  less  than  a  week 
before  Dr.  Milnor's  death,  it  is  recorded  that: 

"  The  rector  stated  to  the  vestry,  that  after  service  on  Good 
Friday,  he  was  applied  to  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  his  influence 
and  co-operation  in  the  building  of  a  free  Chapel  of  St.  George's 
Church  in  the  upper  part  of  the  city,  where  the  rich  and  the  poor 
might  worship  together,  according  to  the  spirit  of  the  gospel  and 
ancient  usage.  A  former  member  of  this  parish  had  generously 
offered  a  subscription  of  five  thousand  dollars,  and  to  use  his  efforts 
in  carrying  forward  the  design  to  completion.  The  rector  stated 
his  unwillingness  to  embark  in  the  enterprise  until  he  had  the 
consent  and  concurrence  of  the  vestry;  and  he  felt  the  more  deli- 
cacy after  the  remark  of  a  member  of  the  vestr}^,  who  in  stating  the 
wishes  and  designs  of  those  who  urged  it,  said,  that  in  addition  to 
other  and  weighty  motives,  they  also  designed  it  as  a  lasting 
memento  of  the  piety,  faithfulness  and  extended  usefulness  of  the 
present  rector  of  St.  George's  Church.  He  hoped  that  the  subject 
would  be  thoroughly  investigated  by  the  vestry  through  a  com- 
mittee, to  report  at  a  future  meeting." 

A  committee,  consisting  of  the  rector  and  the  five  senior  mem- 
bers of  the  vestry,  was  accordingly  appointed  to  consider,  and 
report  upon  the  subject,  and  after  consultation  concluded  to  rec- 
commend  the  erection  of  such  a  chapel  as  that  proposed. 

The  aid  of  Trinity  Church  was,  however,  considered  essential, 
and  it  was  believed  that  an  apphcation  to  that  corporation  would 
not  fail  to  obtain  their  hearty  co-operation. 


SL   Georges   Church,  171 

The  preparation  of  a  memorial  to  Trinity  Church  was  committed 
to  Dr.  Milnor,  and  was  probably  the  last  act  of  his  life,  having  been 
found  unfinished  upon  his  desk.  After  his  death  it  was  adopted 
by  the  vestry  and  communicated  to  the  corporation  of  Trinity 
Church.  It  presents,  as  follows,  the  liberal  views  with  which  it  was 
proposed  to  embark  on  the  enterprise  and  carry  it  to  completion. 

"To    THE    Kector,   Church-wardens    and    Vestry:vien     of     Trinity 
Church,  New  York: 

"  The  memorial  of  the  rector,  church-wardens  and  the  vestrymen 
of  St.  George's  Church,  New  York,  respectfully  showeth: 

"  That  it  has  been  represented  to  your  memorialists  that  an 
addition  to  the  accommodations  afforded  for  the  pubHc  worship  of 
Almighty  God,  according  to  the  usages  of  our  venerable  Church,  in 
the  upper  part  of  the  city,  is  extremely  desirable,  and  will  soon, 
from  the  rapid  increase  of  buildings  in  that  quarter,  become  abso- 
lutely necessary;  and  that  there  is  a  disposition  on  the  part  of 
many  individuals  to  contribute  towards  the  erection  of  a  Free 
Church,  in  a  location  in  the  upper  part  of  the  city,  sufficiently 
remote  from  other  Episcopal  Churches,  provided  the  purchase  of 
ground  and  the  erection  of  such  a  building  should  be  undertaken 
by  your  memorialists  and  be  connected  as  a  Chapel  with  St. 
George's  Church. 

"  Your  memorialists,  therefore,  believing  that  the  increase  in  the 
number  of  Episcopal  Churches  in  this  city  for  the  last  thirty  years 
has  not  born  a  just  proportion  to  the  increase  of  the  population 
during  that  time;  and  that  a  commodious  edifice  on  the  plan  pro- 
posed of  having  the  seatings  free,  and  the  current  expenses  to  be 
defrayed  by  the  voluntary  contributions  of  the  worshippers,  would 
be  peculiarly  acceptable  to  many  of  our  members,  and  tend  much 
to  the  enlargement  of  their  numbers;  believing  also  that  the 
accomplishment  of  such  an  undertaking  is  practicable  on  the  part 
of  your  memorialists;  at  an  estimated  cost  of  sixty-five  to  seventy 
thousand  dollars,  provided  they  can  obtain  from  your  b(nly  a  sum 
adequate  to  meet  the  expense  of  purchasing  suitable  h)ts  for  the 
erection  of  such  an  edifice  thereon,  respectfully  request  your  body 
to  make  them  a  grant  of  twenty- five  thousand  dollars  in  money; 
or  lots  of  ground  which  may  be  estimated  to  be  worth  that  sum, 
towards  carrying  the  ])roposed  object  into  execution;  and  your 
memorialists  believe  that  the  erection  of  such  edifice,  without 
interferiu'T  with  the  interests  of  existing  establishments,  will  most 


1 7^  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

essfentially  contribute  to  the  promotion  of  religion,  and  the  growth 
and  prosperity  of  our  Church,  objects  which  they  doubt  not  your 
honorable  body,  as  well  as  your  memorialists  are  anxious  to  pro- 
mote. 

"  In  the  event  of  your  concurrence  in  these  views,  and  a  grant 
being  made  fi'om  your  funds,  of  the  sum  required,  your  memorialists 
propose  to  embark  in  the  undertaking,  and  to  jDledge  themselves, 
with  the  blessing  of  God,  for  its  accomplishment,  upon  a  scale  com- 
mensurate with  the  increasing  wants  of  the  Church,  and  unencum- 
bered ivith  debt 

"  Your  memorialists,  therefore,  respectfully  and  urgently  request, 
that  you  will  take  the  subject  into  consideration,  and  by  a  compli- 
ance with  the  request  now  made,  enable  your  memorialists  to 
proceed  at  once,  with  all  reasonable  expedition,  to  the  commence- 
ment and  accomplishment  of  a  design,  which  they  trust  will  con- 
duce to  the  glory  of  God,  the  welfare  of  the  community,  and  the 
honor  and  advantage  of  the  Church." 

How  grandly  and  successfully  the  whole  spirit  if  not  the  letter 
of  this  plan  was  carried  out  in  the  subsequent  history  of  St. 
George's  Church  ! 

The  necessity  and  duty  of  such  an  effort  had  been  thus  acknowl- 
edged. The  manner  in  which  it  was  to  be  accomplished,  and  the 
many  difficulties  involved  were  as  yet  unknown.  How,  where  and 
when  such  a  plan  was  to  be  completed,  remained  to  be  determined. 
Thus  it  stood  at  the  time  of  Dr.  Tyng's  assumption  of  the  rectorship 
of  St.  George's  Church,  as  its  Third  Bector  in  the  order  of  succession. 
This  was  the  responsibility  which  he  assumed  in  coming  to  New 
York.  It  is  not  difficult  to  realize  the  sacrifice  required  of  him  in 
the  relinquishing  of  all  the  comforts  of  a  peaceful  ministry  in  an 
established,  prosperous  church,  to  enter  upon  a  work  as  laborious 
and  as  uncertain  as  this  must  be. 


CHAPTER  II. 

MINISTRY,  1845  to  1847. 

The  brief  review,  which  has  been  thus  taken,  of  its  history  and 
existing  condition  may  suffice  to  show  the  circumstances  in  which 
St.  George's  Church  was  placed  by  Dr.  Milnor's  sudden  death.  The 
necessity  of  a  speedy  choice  of  a  successor  who  should  carry  on  his 
work  and  steadfastly  maintain  his  principles,  was  apparent  and  at 
once  the  duty  and  desire  of  the  vestry.  Hajopily  there  was  no  doubt 
as  to  the  choice  of  the  people,  and  none  as  to  Dr.  Milnor's  wish. 
Only  a  few  weeks  before  his  death  he  had  expressed  to  Dr.  Tyng 
his  earnest  desire  that  he  should  be  his  successor,  and  doubtless 
had  communicated  it  to  others,  in  anticipation  of  the  event  which 
had  now  occurred.  The  whole  congregation  united  in  it,  and  with 
one  accord  approved  the  action  of  the  vestry  in  the  execution  of  this 
desire.  Much  uncertainty,  however,  existed  whether  Dr.  T}Tig  could 
be  induced  to  accept  an  invitation  when  tendered  to  him,  his 
strong  attachment  to  PhiladeliDliia  being  well  known,  as  also  his 
position  at  the  time  in  reference  to  the  Ej^iscopate  of  Pennsylvania. 

All  these  premises  stand  proven  in  the  action  of  the  vestry,  in 
their  meeting  on  the  17th  of  April,  184:.5,  when  a  committee  was 
apj^ointed  to  wait  upon  Dr.  Tyng,  in  Philadelphia,  and  ascertain  if 
he  would  accept  the  rectorship  of  St.  George's  Church.  They 
were  instructed  to  assure  him  of  the  unanimity  with  whicli  an 
invitation  would  be  given  him,  and  to  state  fully  the  condition  of 
the  parish,  its  resources  and  its  plans.     In  their  report  tliey  state: 

**  They  were  not  limited  in  the  amount  of  pecuniary  considera- 
tion to  be  offered,  otherwise  than  in  general  terms,  the  salary  would 
be  three  thousand  dollars  per  annum,  and  the  rectory  to  live  in. 
They  were  also  requested  to  make  use  of  the  argument,  of  the 
important  sphere  of  usefulness  tluis  presented  for  the  dissemina- 
tion of  sound  doctrines,  etc.,  and  the  expectation  the  public 
entertained,  as  well  as  our  friends,  that  we  should  obtain  the 
services  of  a  j^erson  of  well-known  piety  and  talents  to  fill  the 
173 


174  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D,D. 

vacancy  occasioned  by  the  decease  of  the  late  venerable  rector,  so 
long  and  so  favorably  known  in  this  community,  as  also  the  favorite 
IDlan,  of  a  free  chapel  in  the  upper  part  of  the  city,  he  had  in  view 
at  the  time  of  his  death. 

"  Dr.  Tyng  informed  us  that  his  situation  with  regard  to  many 
of  his  friends  at  that  particular  time  was  such  that  he  could  not 
give  a  decisive  answer,  that  he  viewed  the  situation  as  a  very  impor- 
tant one,  and  that  if,  after  exammingthe  subject,  he  should  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  his  usefulness  in  the  Church  would  be  increased, 
it  would  have  the  controlling  influence  in  his  decision. 

"  He  expressed  apprehension  that  three  thousand  dollars  in  New 
York  would  not  go  much,  if  any,  farther  than  twenty-five  hundred 
in  Philadelphia,  and  stated  that  he  wanted  nothing  more  than  a 
sufficiency  to  support  and  educate  his  family  of  eight  children,  but 
that  he  could  not  consent  to  labor  under  pecuniary  embarrassment 
which  would  operate  to  the  prejudice  and  detriment  of  more  impor- 
tant duties;  that  he  did  not  expend  more  than  was  necessary;  that 
Dr.  Milnor  had  exercised  a  liberal  hospitality  from  his  private 
means,  which  the  rector  of  St.  George's  would  be  expected  in  soDie 
measure  to  continue,  but  if  after  making  the  experiment  for  a  year, 
in  the  event  of  his  coming,  and  finding  that  sum  insufficient,  he 
would  then  withdraw." 

On  the  return  of  this  committee,  at  a  meeting  of  the  vestry,  on 
the  24th  of  April,  Dr.  Tyng  was  unanimously  elected  rector,  his 
election  being  communicated  to  him  by  the  senior  warden,  in  the 
following  letter: 

"  It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  add  that  the  foregoing  resolu- 
tion was  not  only  passed  with  entire  unanimity,  but  with  great 
cordiality,  and  with  the  earnest  wish  and  expectation  that  you  may 
consider  it  your  duty  to  occupy  the  important  position  left  vacant 
by  your  friend,  our  late  venerated  rector.  The  vestry  were  fully 
informed  of  the  conversation  which  took  place  between  yourself 
and  the  committee  on  the  subject  of  an  increased  apioropriation  for 
your  support,  should  it  become  necessary,  and  concurred  in  the 
views  and  j^ledges  made  you  by  the  latter.  We  think,  therefore, 
that  you  may  dismiss  all  anxiety  in  reference  to  your  pecuniary 
affairs,  other  than  a  wise  and  judicious  regulation  of  them,  should 
you  accede  to  our  wishes.  You  will  meet  an  affectionate  congrega- 
tion, who  will  welcome  you  with  warm  hearts,  and  appreciate,  and, 
I  trust,  profit  by  your  ministrations  among  them." 

This  urgent  invitation  Dr.  Tyng  felt  obliged  to  accept,  and  in 
reply  to  it  wrote: 


ST.  (jF.oiicK's  fiiriirn,  hkkkm an  sthk.kt.  nkw  youk. 

{From  an   nld  print.) 


Ministry,  i8^^  to  i8^y,  i75 

Philadelphia,  May  23c?,  1845. 
To  The  Wardens  and  Yestry  of  St.  George's  Church: 

By  the  guidance  of  divine  providence  I  have  been  led  to  the 
determination  to  accept  the  rectorship  of  St.  George's  Church,  to 
which  I  was  called  by  your  resolution. 

I  shall  hope  to  enter  upon  the  immediate  discharge  of  the 
duties  connected  therewith,  and  shall  expect  under  the  Lord's 
blessing  to  occupy  the  pulpit  on  a  week  fi'om  next  Sunday.  I  trust 
it  may  be  the  will  of  God  to  bless  me  in  this  position  with  His 
abundant  grace,  and  to  enable  me  to  carry  forward  a  ministry  in 
its  principles  and  character  such  as  that  to  which  the  congregation 
of  St.  George's  Church  has  been  long  accustomed. 

I  thank  you  for  your  kind  promises  made  in  your  resolution,  for 
the  residence  and  support  of  my  .family,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that 
whatever  wiU  be  found  necessary  for  me,  you  will  be  found  as 
ready  and  willing  to  supply. 

I  earnestly  pray  for  God's  blessing  upon  you  as  a  church,  and 
upon  yourselves  and  families  individually.  May  the  gracious 
presence  of  our  Saviour  and  Redeemer  be  with  you. 

I  am  respectfully  and  affectionately  your  friend  and  servant, 

Stephen  H.  Tynq. 

In  his  personal  narration  Dr.  Tyng  thus  records  his  communica- 
tion with  the  committee,  when  they  called  upon  him  in  Philadel- 
phia, and  the  views  with  which  he  considered  the  invitation  to  the 
rectorship  of  St.  George's: 

"  A  committee  from  the  vestry  of  St.  George's  Church  came  to 
me  in  Philadelphia,  with  a  personal  communication  from  that  body, 
to  consult  me  with  reference  to  the  vacant  rectorship  of  St. 
George's  Church.  I  declined  to  consider  the  terms  which  they 
proposed.  I  answered  them  that  I  was  dwelling  in  my  own  house, 
and  perfectly  satisfied  with  my  condition  and  provision.  I  knew 
how  to  live  where  I  was,  and  I  could  not  go  to  a  new  field  to  strug- 
gle with  personal  difficulties.  They  left  me  "ssntli  manifest  reluc- 
tance that  I  could  not  accede  to  their  proposal,  and  assuring  me 
that  I  should  hear  still  furtlier  from  the  vestry  who  had  sent  them. 
Thus  I  was  most  unexpectedly  brouglit  into  a  new  and  surprising 
relation  to  this  important  object.  Tliat  sucli  an  event  should  have 
resulted  f(^r  my  personal  consideration,  and  especially  at  this  early 
period,  liad  not  occupied  or  awakened  my  tliouglits  with  any  degree 
of  personal  expectation.     It  was  brought  before  me  without  any 


176  Rev,   Stephen  Higginso7i    Tyng,  D.D, 

previous  suggestion  from  those  who  had  the  right  to  speak,  and 
unexpected  as  it  was,  I  was  compelled  to  consider  it. 

"  Dr.  Milnor's  sudden  departure  made  a  chasm  in  the  religious 
histoiy  of  St.  George's  not  to  be  adequately  supplied  by  any  other 
Presbyter  in  the  Episcopal  Church. 

"  No  other  enjoyed  or  merited  more  universal  confidence  and 
respect.  His  own  natural  temper,  his  peculiar  history,  his  truly 
Christian  character  and  spiritual  habit  of  teaching,  combined  to 
settle  upon  his  memory  unlimited  confidence  and  most  affectionate 
reverence  and  esteem. 

"I  had  known  him  personally,  intimately,  had  enjoyed  his  society 
and  received  his  hospitality  in  the  most  frequent  and  intimate 
degree,  during  the  whole  course  of  my  personal  relation  to  him. 

"To  succeed  to  such  a  ministry,  to  be  measured  in  such  a  com- 
parison, to  attempt  the  filling  of  such  a  vacancy,  and  the  occupation 
of  such  a  post  of  public  ministry,  I  was  called  to  New  York,  and  was 
induced  to  make  the  experiment. 

"  Personally,  I  was  conscious  of  no  power  in  myself  to  assume  a 
responsibility  like  this.  I  earnestly  endeavored  to  obey  that  which 
seemed  to  me  a  call  from  the  Lord. 

"  The  amended  invitation  came  to  me  subsequently,  and  after 
long  and  repeated  consideration,  as  impartial  as  I  was  able  to  make 
it,  I  determiDed  to  accept  the  invitation  thus  received,  and  did  so, 
commencing  immediately  an  occasional  ministry  in  that  church, 
and  perfecting  arrangements  for  the  removal  of  my  family.  It 
appeared  to  me  as  the  grand  crisis  of  my  life.  It  overturned  all 
my  happy  relations  to  my  beloved  Epiphany.  No  one  ever  made  a 
more  unwilling  removal.  It  separated  me  from  a  city  and  associa- 
tions in  which  I  had  passed  sixteen  useful  and  happy  years.  I 
knew  how  to  dwell  in  the  quietness  and  social  relations  of  Philadel- 
phia. In  all  its  connections  I  was  perfectly  at  home.  I  was  going 
to  a  congregation  in  which  I  really  had  no  intimate  personal 
acquaintance,  whose  departed  rector  had  been  one  of  the  best  and 
most  distinguished  of  all  our  clergy,  to  whom  for  nearly  thirty 
years  the  affection  of  this  people  had  been  singularly  devoted,  and 
whose  ability  and  renown  I  could  not  reasonably  hope  to  attain. 

"  And  yet,  when  in  my  meditations  I  compared  the  two  fields  of 
Christian  labor,  the  probable  hopes  and  instruments  of  influence 
in  my  Master's  work,  I  was  compelled  to  acknowledge  to  myself 
that  the  argument  of  duty  was  wholly  on  the  one  side,  and  the 
objections  to  this  were  wholly  personal  and  social.  As  I  look  back 
upon  this  crisis  now,  after  the  passage   of  more  than  thirty  addi- 


Ministry,  184^  to  18 4J,  177 

tional  years,  and  upon  all  the  Lord's  gracious  dealings  with  me 
since,  the  propriety  and  the  duty  of  that  removal  appear  more 
clear,  and  the  obhgations  to  it  the  more  imperative.  Restoring 
myself  in  thought  to  that  crisis,  what  might  be  the  issue  of  this  new 
and  important  step  in  my  life  I  could  little  imagine. 

"  As  I  contemplate  the  whole  period  from  my  present  point  of 
retrospection,  it  stands  before  me  as  an  unbroken  scene  of  pros- 
perity and  usefulness,  and  filled  with  divine  mercies  and  human 
friendships  ;  with  the  remembrance  of  dear  and  precious  friends 
whose  personal  kindness  has  made  a  treasure  for  me  never  to  be 
forgotten." 

While  Dr.  Tyng  s  official  relation  dated  from  the  1st  of  May, 
1845,  the  actual  commencement  of  his  ministry  did  not  occur  until 
the  1st  of  June. 

In  his  Sermon  Bible,  which  contains  a  record  of  every  sermon 
and  lecture  delivered  during  his  ministry  in  New  York,  with  the 
text  selected  for  each,  is  found  this  simple  entry  of  the  beginning 
of  his  work  in  St.  George's  Church: 

"  May  1st,  1845—1  was  elected  rector  of  St.  George's  Church, 
New  York. 

' '  May  23d— I  accepted  the  caU. 

"June  1st— I  entered  upon  its  duties  and  preached  that  day  as 
rector. 

"  May  God  be  with  me,  aid  me,  sanctify  me,  and  make  me  the 
humble  instrument  of  gathering  many  of  His  redeemed.  And  to 
His  name  be  eternal  praise.     Amen." 

The  text  of  his  first  sermon  was  in  itself  a  distinct  declaration 
of  his  view  of  the  call  to  succeed  to  such  a  ministry  as  that  of  his 
honored  predecessor.  The  sermon,  a  clear  enunciation  of  his  prin- 
ciples, those  of  the  Evangelical  party  in  the  Church,  those  which 
St.  George's  Church  had  so  long  and  so  prominently  maintained, 
was  in  the  following  words: 

"  '  They  said,  the  spirit  of  Elijah  doth  rest  on  Ehsha.'  II  Kings 
ii    15. 

"  These  two  prophets  were  men  of  exceedingly  different  char- 
acter. The  one,  bold  and  fearless  and  terrible  in  rebuke;— separated 
to  a  great  degree  from  the  society  of  his  countrymen,  and  opposed 
to  the  habits  of  tlie  age  in  which  he  lived,  appearing  to  be  a 
troublcr  of  Israel,  and  in  his  fidelitv  in  the  discliarj^e  of  dutv 
and  to  a  great  degree  opposed  and  hated  by  the  rulers  of  his  na- 
tion. The  otlier,  mild  and  gentle  in  his  demeanor,— liaving  his 
abode  chieHy  with  t)ie  persons  of  the  liigliest  consideration   in  the 


178  Rev»  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

land,  and  mingling  through  a  long  life  with  the  society  of  the  court 
and  capital  of  his  nation.  The  one  was  persecuted  through  life 
by  men,  but  vindicated  in  his  departure,  by  an  honor  from  God, 
which  asked  for  no  addition  of  human  praise,  or  tribute  of  human 
approbation.  The  other  was  respected  and  welcomed  among  men, 
through  his  many  days,  and  wept  over  on  his  dying  bed  by  the 
King  of  Israel,  as  the  '  chariot  of  Israel  and  the  horsemen  thereof.' 
Probably  their  mental  endowments,  had  we  any  opportunity  of 
ascertaining  them,  were  as  unlike  as  the  other  aspects  of  their 
character.  But  their  spiiit,  the  purpose  and  design  of  their  mis- 
sion among  men,  was  precisely  the  same.  They  maintained  the 
same  relation  as  messengers  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  and  they  deliv- 
ered the  same  message  in  His  name. 

"When  Elijah  first  called  Elisha  to  be  his  comi^anion  and 
successor  in  the  office  of  instructing  Israel,  he  cast  his  mantle 
upon  him  as  the  symbol  of  his  office,  and  he  followed  him. 
And  when  Elijah  was  taken  up  into  heaven,  Elisha  took  the 
mantle  which  fell  from  his  ascending  master,  as  an  evidence 
of  the  fulfilxnent  of  his  prayer,  that  a  double  portion  of  his 
spirit  might  rest  upon  him.  With  the  mantle  as  they  went  out 
from  Jericho,  Elijah  divided  the  waters  of  Jordan,  that  they  might 
pass  through.  And  with  this  mantle  which  he  had  just  caught 
from  his  departing  master,  Elisha  also  divided  the  waters  as  he 
returned  alone.  And  when  the  sons  of  the  prophets,  who  had 
assembled  to  view  the  scene,  beheld  the  power  with  which  he  proved 
his  mission  from  God,  they  said:  '  The  spirit  of  Elijah  doth  rest  on 
Elisha.'  It  was  not  a  tribute  to  the  mental  powers  of  the  successor 
of  the  great  prophet  who  had  ascended  to  the  heavens,  but  an 
acknowledgment  of  the  unity  of  their  office,  and  of  the  identity  of 
their  instruction.  They  received  the  one,  as  the  proper  and  ap- 
proved successor  of  the  other,  and  acknowledged  him  as  perpetua- 
ting the  same  peculiar  ministry,  and  as  fairly  representing  the 
same  purposes  and  principles. 

"  The  application  which  I  purpose  to  make  of  this  testimony, 
will  be  very  manifest.  My  venerated  friend  whose  successor  in  the 
ministry  I  have  been  appointed,  (though  most  unworthy,)  was  the 
advocate  and  teacher  of  a  very  specific  system,  both  of  Christian 
truth,  and  of  Christian  duty.  A  system  in  all  its  principles  and 
points  easily  perceived  and  easily  defined.  Of  this  system,  he  was 
long  one  of  the  most  important  and  influential  representatives  in 
our  Church.  And  I  mean  it  to  be  most  distinctly  understood,  that 
there  is  a  perfect  identity,  so  far  as  I  know,  of  sentiment,  and  purpose, 


Ministry,  184.^  to  i8^j,  1 79 

and  principle,  in  the  ministry  which  God  has  been  pleased  to  appoint 
to  succeed  him.  So  that,  however  there  may  be  diversity  of  method, 
and  inferiority  in  wisdom  and  power  and  respect  in  the  succession 
to  his  work,  yet  in  doctrine  and  design  and  effort,  if  God  shall 
please  to  bless  us,  '  the  spirit  of  Elijah  shall  rest  on  Elisha.'  We 
have  no  wish  to  conceal  or  to  qualify  the  fact,  that  we  have  been 
the  teachers  of  doctrines,  and  have  contended  for  principles  and 
rights  in  our  Church,  which  our  opposers  have  been  fond  to  repre- 
sent as  a  troubling  of  Israel. 

"  With  him,  through  the  whole  course  of  my  ministry,  I  have  set 
my  face  as  a  flint,  for  the  maintenance  and  defence  of  great  and 
imperishable  principles  of  truth,  which  have  been  continually  at 
stake.  With  a  mind  unwavering,  I  have  borne  in  other  places  of 
duty,  a  testimony  unchanged.  With  a  mind  unwavering  still,  I  am 
sent  to  bear  in  this  place  a  testimony  equally  unalterable  and  irrev- 
ocable in  the  cause  of  Christ  and  His  gospel.  To  attempt  to  cover 
the  fact  that  our  Church  has  been  exceedingly  divided  in  sentiment 
on  many  important  points,  both  of  doctrine  and  practice,  would  be 
absurd.  To  depreciate  the  importance  of  the  principles  which 
have  been  constituted  the  points  of  this  division,  would  be  to  make 
the  division  itself,  wicked  and  reprehensible  in  a  high  degree.  But 
in  this  whole  history  and  warfare,  we  have  been  uniformly  acting 
on  the  defensive,  against  the  oppression  of  unauthorized  power, 
and  the  imposition  of  unscriptural  doctrines. 

"  Standing  on  the  platform  of  the  established  standards,  and 
within  the  laws  of  our  Church,  desiring  to  impose  nothing  upon 
others,  but  resolved,  by  the  help  of  God,  to  maintain  and  defend 
our  liberty  of  action,  and  our  system  of  instruction,  just  as  the 
Lord  has  delivered  them,  and  as  the  Church  has  received  the  same 
and  committed  them  to  us;  upon  the  platform  of  Protestant  Episcopal 
Christianity,  in  doctrine,  discipline  and  worship,  we  mean,  by  God's 
help,  still  to  stand,  giving  place  by  subjection,  no,  not  for  an  hour, 
to  any  who  may  come  in  privily  to  spy  out  our  liberty,  which  we 
have  in  Christ  Jesus,  that  they  may  bring  us  into  bondage. 

"  We  shall  seek,  as  we  have  uniformly  sought,  the  things  which 
make  for  peace,  willing  to  make  any  concessions  which  truth  will 
warrant,  for  its  attainment;  but  never  ready  to  make  shipwreck  of 
faith,  and  of  a  good  conscience,  to  secure  it  merely  in  a  false  and 
painted  image. 

"It  may  be  well  asked,  and  it  is  often  asked,  wliat  are  the 
things  for  wliich  we  have  contended  ?  It  is  too  likely — amidst  the 
bewildering  and  mazy  theology  of  the  current  day,  our  children 


l8o  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D. 

will  forget  them,  and  lose  sight  of  them  entirely.  The  stream  of 
Evangelical  truth  flows  more  widely  perhaps,  but,  I  fear,  far  less 
deeply  than  it  used  to  do.  Our  more  youthful  agents,  are  exposed 
to  much  confusion,  and  to  much  error  in  the  confusion  which  their 
undiscriminating  minds  will  be  unable  to  detect  and  evolve.  And 
it  becomes  us  therefore  to  state  plainly  what  are  the  principles 
which  we  have  held  absolutely  sacred,  and  which  we  have  never  felt 
at  liberty  to  compromise  for  an  hour.  What  are  the  instructions 
which  have  marked  the  spirit  of  Elijah?  What  are  the  instructions 
which  Elisha  is  to  perpetuate?  They  may  be  regarded  as  princi- 
ples of  doctrine,  of  worship  and  of  Christian  and  ministerial  con- 
duct and  character. 

"  In  doctrine,  we  have  maintained  the  entire  natural  depravity, 
guilt  and  condemnation  of  man.  The  complete  and  eternally  fin- 
ished redemption  of  man  by  the  obedience  and  death  of  God 
manifest  in  the  flesh.  The  full  and  perfect  justification  before  God, 
of  every  believing  man,  in  the  personal  obedience  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  imputed  to  Him  by  the  grace  of  God — the  righteous- 
ness of  God  by  faith ;  the  necessity  and  the  actual  accomplishment 
in  all  the  people  of  God,  of  a  new  birth  of  the  soul  by  the  Holy 
Ghost,  through  the  instrumentality  of  the  word  of  truth;  constitut- 
ing every  one  who  is  in  Christ  a  new  creature:  the  universal 
fruit  and  evidence  of  this  new  creation  to  be  found  in  a  life  of  faith 
and  holiness,  the  operation  and  result  of  a  spiritual  mind. 

"To  bring  men  to  this  conversion,  unto  God,  and  to  edify  and 
to  nourish  them  as  converted,  we  have  uniformly  preached  Christ 
Himself,  as  personally  all  theii'  salvation,  as  made  of  God  unto  them, 
wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctification  and  redemption.  We  have 
maintained  that  the  appointed  instrument  for  this  end,  is  the 
preaching  of  the  salvation  which  is  in  Christ,  and  the  sole  agent  in 
attaining  it  is  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God,  accompanying  the  word  with 
the  demonstration  of  His  power.  We  have  taught  that  the  ap- 
pointed sacraments  of  the  gospel,  are  signs  and  seals  of  the  right- 
eousness of  faith,  and  instruments  of  renewing  grace,  to  those  who 
rightly  receive  them;  that  baptism  is  to  such  the  sign  and  seal  of  a 
spiritual  regeneration  which  is  bestowed  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
the  instrument  of  an  outward  and  formal  regeneration  of  condition 
and  state,  in  regard  to  the  visible  Church,  to  which  it  is  the  intro- 
duction; that  the  Lord's  Supper,  is  to  the  behever  in  whose  heart 
Christ  dwells  by  faith,  a  blessed  commemoration  of  a  Saviour's  suf- 
ferings and  merits  and  love,  and  thus  the  instrument  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  of  a  spiritual  strengthening  and  refreshing  of  his  soul,  as  it 


Ministry y  184^  to  18 4^,  181 

brings  him,  in  contemplation  and  affection,  nearer  to  Christ;  but 
that  in  no  sense  or  manner  whatever,  does  Christ  dwell  in  the  ma- 
terial elements,  or  become  connected  with  them;  that  in  the  whole 
ordinance,  the  believer  in  Christ  truly  but  spiritua%  feeds  upon  the 
precious  body  and  blood  of  his  adorable  Lord,  and  thus  in  the  in- 
crease of  faith  and  love  in  his  own  heart,  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  through 
this  ordinance,  maintains  and  perpetuates  his  personal  communion 
with  his  Lord.     We  have  taught  that  the  Church,  the  spiritual 
body  of  Chi'ist,  is  composed  of  the  whole  company  of  His  elect,  knit 
together  in  one  communion  and  fellowship,  by  one  faith,  which  is 
the  operation  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  uniting  them  to  one  glorious  head; 
that  the  gathering  and  creation  of  this  Church  is  the  office  and 
work  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  forming  Christ  in  their  hearts,  as  the  hope 
of  glory;  that  tne  ministry  and  outward  appointments  of  the  visible 
Church  are  incidental,  secondary  and  subordinate  to  this  abiding 
spiritual  body;  designed  and  appointed  to  minister  to  its  increase, 
as  the  instrument  of  its  edifying  and  perfection.     We  have  taught 
that  apostolic  example  and  practice  have  authorized  and  required  the 
three-fold  ministr}^  which  from  that  beginning  has  been  continued 
in  the  Church.     And  though  we  have  never  felt  allowed  to  deny 
the  validity  and  usefulness  of  a  faithful  ministry  differently  consti- 
tuted, or  to  call  that  common  which  God  hath  manifestly  cleansed, 
we  have  not  hesitated  to  proclaim  at  all  times  the  necessity  of  this 
organization,  to  the  regular  and  entire  outward  constitution  of  the 
Church. 

"  But  we  have  refused  to  insist  upon  this  or  any  special  arrange- 
ment of  the  ministry,  as  in  itself  absolutely  essential  to  the  being  of 
a  Church;  so  that  the  want  of  this  ministry  should  destroy  the 
existence  of  the  Church  which  is  deprived  of  it. 

"  These  are  points  of  doctrine  which  we  have  taught,  and  for 
which  we  have  at  all  times  contended.  In  these  points  there  has 
been  an  unity  of  sentiment  in  the  Church.  And  we  have  pleaded 
for  an  acknowledged  and  satisfied  union  on  these  points,  as  sufficient 
for  a  foundation  of  peace.  Had  men  been  contented  with  these, 
which  are  the  teaching  of  our  Church  itself,  there  would  have  been 
no  warfare  at  any  time  among  us.  But  it  has  been  at  the  line  where 
others  have  attempted  to  force  upon  us  other  doctrines  as  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Church,  and  to  drive  us  to  their  adoption  by  the  as- 
sumed authority  of  the  Church,  tliat  our  contest  has  commenced,  a 
contect  which  with  us  has  been  uniformly  a  defence. 

"  While  other  men  have  taught  other  additional  things,  as 
their   own   personal  judgment   and   conclusions,   we    have    never 


1 82  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng^  D.D. 

attempted,  or  felt  at  liberty  to  attempt,  any  other  restraint  of 
them,  than  free  and  fair  discussions  of  the  subjects.  But  when 
they  have  undertaken  to  coerce  us  into  the  adoption  of  them, 
as  if  they  were  of  absolute  Church  authority,  and  to  denounce 
us  as  not  holding  the  doctrines  of  the  Church,  because  we  have 
refused  these  impositions  of  men,  then  we  have  stood  upon  the 
defence  of  the  liberty  which  Christ  has  given  us,  and  which  the 
Church  of  our  fathers  has  secured  to  our  possession. 

"  It  is  very  certain  that  if  the  rights  here  claimed,  and  which 
have  been  in  substance  exercised  by  others,  who  denied  them  to 
us,  had  been  peaceably  conceded,  we  should  have  had  no  contention 
on  such  subjects.  They  constitute  a  fair  and  legitimate  exercise  of 
that  private  judgment  in  matters  respecting  which  the  Canons  and 
Constitution  are  silent,  that  the  Church  herself  allows,  and  which 
none  are  more  certain  to  employ,  when  it  suits  their  convenience, 
than  those  who  have  most  vehemently  objected  to  the  particular 
application  of  it  here  described. 

"  The  truth  ^is,  that  moderate  Episcopalians,  in  their  contest 
with  High  Churchmen,  in  reference  to  matters  in  which  the  gospel 
is  not  essentially  involved,  have  always  and  only  acted  on  the 
defensive.  All  that  they  have  felt  concerned  to  do,  was  simply  to 
repel  assaults.  They  never  insisted  that  their  brethren  should 
adopt  their  views,  respecting  points  of  internal  order.  They  only 
asked  that  they  should  be  allowed  to  think  and  act  freely  for  them- 
selves, except  so  far  as  their  thoughts  and  actions  were  controlled 
by  the  legitimate  authorities  of  the  Church.  It  is  true,  indeed, 
that  the  position  of  things  has  been  somewhat  altered  vrithin  a  few 
years  by  the  avowal  and  vigorous  maintenance  of  erroneous  doc- 
trines in  religion.  False  churchmanship  has  of  late  formed  a  very 
close  alliance  with  false  theology,  and  is  now  assailing  with  great 
boldness  and  power  the  very  foundations  of  our  Protestant  faith. 
On  such  subjects  Evangelical  religion  must  ever  be  aggressive  in 
its  character.  Christianity  itself  becomes  an  aggressive  system 
where  fundamental  errors  are  concerned. 

"  '  In  worship '  we  have  maintained  the  duty  of  a  strict  con- 
formity to  the  prescribed  liturgy  of  the  Church,  upon  the  pub- 
lic occasions  not  inhibited  by  law.  After  all  sermons  and  lect- 
ures, however  public,  and  on  all  occasions  of  private,  personal, 
family  and  social  worship,  we  have  considered  ourselves  secured 
in  the  liberty  of  employing  such  prayers,  whether  extempora- 
,neous,  written,  or  printed,  as  seemed  to  us  individually  expe- 
dient  and   applicable.     We    have   maintained  the   right  of  con- 


Ministry,  184s  to  1847.  183 

ducting  our   Sunday  Schools,  Bible-classes,  lectures  and  prayer- 
meetings  precisely  according  to  our  own  judgment  of  usefulness 
and    duty.      And    though   we    have    often    conceded    in    practice 
the  liberty  which  we   have   claimed  as  our  right,  from  a  regard 
to    the    sentiments    and    wishes    of    others,    or    in    subjection  to 
our   own   conceptions   of  the   expediency    of  the   case,   we   have 
never    yielded    for    a   day,    and    never    shall    yield,    until    some 
change  in  our  laws  shall  restrain  and  limit  our  present  rights, 
the   liberty  of  action  with  which  in  this  respect  we  are  by  the 
Church  endowed.     Had  this  right  been  conceded  to  us  in  quiet- 
ness, as   it  ought  to  have  been,  we   should  have  had  no  warfare 
upon  this  subject.     We   have  "never    attempted     nor    desked   to 
impose  our  views  or  habits  upon  others.     We  have  freely  left  to 
them  the  liberty  of  action  here,  which  we  have  claimed  for  our- 
selves.    But  it  is  just  at  this  line,  in  defence  and  maintenance  of 
this  liberty,  that  we  have  been  obliged  to  contend,  resisting  the 
encroachments  of  a  power  and  personal   interference,  which   we 
have  considered  uncanonical  and  intolerant. 

"The    rights    which    we    have    claimed    in    this    respect    we 
have   seen   c*ontinually   exercised    by   those    who   have   forbidden 
us.      Books    of   prayer,    for    aU    occasions,    have    been   published 
and    recommended,    though    the    order    of    family    worship    and 
for    the    visitation    of    the    sick    are   as    much    authoritative    im- 
positions  as    any   other    office    in    the    Prayer-book.     Missionary 
meetings   and   any   other   similar    meetings    of   the    most    public 
character   have   been  habituaUy   conducted    in    our    midst    with- 
out the  morning  or  evening  prayer  and  a  sermon,  according  to 
the  liturgy,  but  with  a  selection  of  various  other  prayers,  some  of 
which  were  not  even  to  be  found  in  the  liturgy,  ana  with  a  succes- 
sion of  extemporaneous  addresses  from  the  chancels  of  our  churches, 
and  this  under    the  countenance    and    by  the  direction  of   those 
who   are  known  as  censuring  the  liberty  which  we  have  claimed. 
We  are  far  from  complaining  of  this  usage;  we  thoroughly  approve 
it      We  rejoice  to  encourage  it.     But  we  insist  upon  the  mamte- 
nance  for  ourselves  also  of  the  rights  and  liberties  which  others  have 
thus  claimed  and  enjoyed,  standing  upon  the  same  authority,  and 
secured  bv  the  same  laws. 

« In  Christian  and  ministerial  conduct  we  have  taken  ground 
equally  intelli-ible  and  decided.  We  have  maintained  the  duty  of 
professing  Christians  to  keep  themselves  from  conformity  to  the 
sinful  vanities  of  the  world;  to  govern  both  themselves  and  house- 
holds as  the  people  of  God,  setting  an   example  of  holiness,  and 


184  R^"^*  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

striving  to  shine  as  lights  to  the  Lord's  glory.  The  gay  and  giddy 
amusements  of  fashionable  society  we  have  considered  as  utterly 
inconsistent  with  Christian  character.  The  habitual  indulgence  in 
them  we  have  regarded  as  an  evil  living,  whereby  the  congregation 
is  justly  and  reasonably  offended.  And  we  have  maintained  the 
duty  of  all  who  call  themselves  by  the  name  of  Christ,  to  keep 
themselves  unspotted  from  the  world,  and  to  walk  holily,  justly  and 
unblamably  among  men.  Upon  this  subject  we  always  felt  com- 
pelled to  bear  a  faithful  and  an  uniform  testimony,  and  though 
among  those  who  would  maintain  the  name,  but  dislike  the  power 
of  godliness,  it  has  exposed  us  to  much  reproach,  we  cannot  feel  at 
liberty  to  yield  a  single  point  of  duty  here  to  the  hostility  or  caprice 
of  men. 

"  We  have  insisted  upon  the  right  to  maintain  an  union  with 
«ther  Christians  in  works|of  benevolence  which  are  common  to  us 
all.  Nor  have  we  ever  been  willing  to  allow  that  our  doing  a  thing 
which  was  in  itself  right,  could  be  made  wrong,  because  others 
united  with  us  in  it,  who  did  not  unite  with  us  in  judgment  or 
action  in  many  other  points.  To  give  the  word  of  G-od  to  perishing 
men,  to  send  it  abroad  in  all  languages,  if  it  be  possible,  to 
save  the  souls  of  all,  is  in  itself  a  work  of  transcendent  importance 
and  benefit  to  men.  How  can  it  be  made  less  so  because  all  who 
call  themselves  Christians  unite  with  us  in  accompHshing  it  ?  Can 
our  acceptance  in  the  discharge  of  a  personal  portion  of  common 
Christian  duty  be  prevented  and  destroyed  by  the  presence  and 
combination  of  even  unworthy  men  in  its  fulfilment?  How  much 
less  by  the  union  of  those  who  are  themselves  as  acceptable  before 
God  as  we !  To  bestow  a  copy  of  books  like  Baxter's  '  Call,' 
Doddridge's  '  Eise  and  Progress,'  Wilberforce's  '  Practical  Yiew,'  is 
a  benefit,  often  an  unspeakable,  incalculable  benefit  to  the  souls  of 
men.  Myriads  have  been  eternally  saved  by  an  instrumentality 
like  this.  Does  such  a  gift  to  man  become  an  evil  immediately, 
because  some  with  whom  I  do  not  agree  in  all  things,  some  even 
whom  I  do  not  personally  like,  or  who  do  not  like  me,  unite  in  it  ? 
Such  a  doctrine  is  absurd,  and  cannot  bear  the  examination  of  a 
moment.  These  engagements  are  to  be  individually  considered  in 
their  objects  and  ends,  and  in  the  arrangements  to  gain  the  end 
proposed,  exclusively.  If  these  are  right  the  union  of  other 
persons  in  them  can  never  sustain  a  reasonable  objection. 

"  If  I  am  required  to  concede  in  such  an  union,  principles  of  truth 
which  are  important,  or  to  withhold  by  other  instrumentality  instruc- 
tion which  I  esteem  essential,  or  to  sanction  impressions  justly  re- 


Ministry y  i8^^  to  184'/,  :85 

ceived,  whicli  I  deem  to  be  vitally  erroneous,  upon  this  ground,  objec- 
tions may  be  justly  made,  and  ought  to  be  maturely  considered.  And 
if  such  be  the  fact  in  any  particiilar  case  of  demanded  or  invited  union, 
the  instance  should  be  thoroughly  examined  and  'weighed  upon  its 
own  merits.  The  union  itself  must  always  be  right,  and  whereto 
we  have  already  attained,  we  are  to  walk  by  the  same  rule,  and 
mind  the  same  thing.  How  expedient  or  inexpedient  in  certain 
circumstances  such  an  union  may  be,  is  a  wholly  different  subject 
for  consideration.  For  many  years  we  maintained  it  in  many 
important  works,  amicably  and  usefully,  with  mutual  kindness,  for- 
bearance and  respect.  Our  Church  was  respected  and  our  minis- 
ters were  received  and  honored.  For  the  few  last  years,  I  mourn 
to  say,  there  have  been  from  various  quarters  almost  unceasing  and 
very  unjusc  assaults  upon  us  as  a  Church;  affecting  to  identify  our 
whole  system  with  the  corruptions  of  individuals,  and  charging 
them  upon  us  all,  displaying  a  spirit  which,  however  provoked,  we 
personally  had  never  excited,  and  the  bitterness  of  which  rendered 
our  continuance  in  such  engagements  exceedingly  painful,  and  of 
very  doubtful  expediency.  In  such  contingency  we  have  not  hesi- 
tated to  say  that  the  advantages  of  apparent  union,  if  they  were  to 
be  purchased  thus,  were,  after  our  full  experience,  very  question- 
able; and  that  our  ends  of  good,  while  this  spirit  prevailed,  might 
be  better  attained  by  labors  confined  to  ourselves.  But  if,  on  the 
one  side,  this  individual  intolerance  barring  our  road  to  union  with 
others,  shall  yield  to  truth  and  Christian  duty,  as  we  would  hope 
from  late  appearances  it  is  likely  to  do,  and  if,  on  the  other,  our 
engagements  in  efforts  nominally  our  own,  is  to  throw  us  into  the 
inevitable  position  of  advocates  for  corruptions  in  doctrine  which  we 
abhor,  as  many  recent  publications  indicate,  our  views  of  expedi- 
ency in  duty  must  certainly  unite  with  our  solemn  conviction  of 
the  rights  which  we  have  always  maintained.  And  we  shall  far 
prefer  to  unite  with  those  who  have  no  Episcopacy  in  propagating 
truth,  to  an  union  with  those  who  are  in  this  point  combined  with 
UB,  in  the  dissemination  and  support  of  error.  The  right  of  union 
with  other  Christians  we  sternly  maintain.  The  propriety  and 
advantage  of  employing  it  we  choose  to  determine  for  ourselves  by 
such  considerations  as  seem  to  us,  at  one  time  or  another,  severally 
adequate  and  imperative. 

"  These  are  illustrations  of  points  of  doctrine  and  duty  for  which 
we  personally  have  always  contended  in  our  Church,  and  the  con- 
cession of  whicli  to  us,  as  our  own  right,  would  have  precluded  all 
contest  among  us.     I  believe  I  have  justly  stated  the  principles  for 


1 86  Rev,  Stephen  Higguison    Tyng^  D,D, 

the  defence  of  which  my  venerable  predecessor  in  this  church  has 
always  stood.  This  has  been  the  spirit  of  Elijah's  testimony. 
This  is  the  spirit  of  Ehsha's  determined  testimony  also.  For  many 
years  past  in  the  beloved  city  and  the  dear  church  which  I  have  , 
left  (I  believe  under  God's  own  call)  for  j^ou,  I  have  maintained, 
and,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  not  without  success,  this  unchanging 
and  decided  stand.  I  have  no  new  course  to  pursue  here.  I  come 
bound  in  the  spirit  for  the  work  of  the  Lord.  It  has  cost  me  the 
breaking  of  the  strongest  ties  that  can  ever  entwine  my  heart, 
the  forsaking  in  presence  (I  can  never  do  it  in  heart)  of  the  most 
united  and  affectionate  flock  that  was  ever  gathered  under  a 
pastor's  care,  the  separation  of  me  and  mine  from  scenes  and  con- 
nections which  in  every  possible  aspect  were  most  dear  to  us.  I 
cannot  hope  in  any  degree  to  be  personally  benefited  by  the 
change.  You  can  never  honor  and  love  me  more  than  I  have  been 
loved  and  honored  there;  you  can  never  provide  for  me  more 
tenderly  and  affectionately  than  they  have  provided  for  me  there  ; 
and  since  the  step  has  been  taken  my  heart  has  often  misgiven  me 
whether  I  can  ever  be  more  useful  here  than  I  have  been  there. 
But  I  have  come  under  a  solemn  consciousness  of  duty  to  God  and 
His  Church;  and  I  hope  in  Him  that  my  coming  unto  you  will  not 
be  in  vain.  "You  have  the  reputation  of  an  affectionate  and  zealous 
people.  I  trust  that  I  shall  find  you  so.  I  can  bear  labor  and  toil 
without  concern,  if  I  am  sustained  and  loved;  I  can  endure  outward 
contests  without  fear,  if  I  have  a  flock  united  and  attentive;  ready 
to  second  and  uphold  me  in  my  work  at  home.  That  I  shall  ever 
remove  from  here,  but  to  the  house  appointed  for  all  the  living,  is 
not  at  my  age  to  be  supposed.  I  trust  that  I  shall  be  allowed  to 
inherit  with  the  place  of  my  venerable  friend  the  affection  which 
has  cherished  him  in  life,  and  the  reverence  which  has  honored  his 
grave  in  death.  And  that  you  will  endeavor  to  make  up  to  me  the 
kindness,  and  tenderness  and  care  which  I  have  sacrificed  in  others, 
not  without  a  painful  struggle,  for  your  sakes.  Thus  shall  the 
great  work  which  we  have  here  to  do  prosper  in  our  hands,  and 
God,  our  great  God  and  Saviour,  be  with  us  and  give  us  His  bless- 

ing." 

Continuing  his  narrative  of  the  beginning  of  his  ministry  in 
New  York,  Dr.  Tyng  says: 

"  The  month  of  June  was  occupied  in  the  necessary  vacation  of  our 
house  in  Philadelphia,  though  during  this  time  I  made  several  visits 
to  New  York.  The  first  week  of  July  1845  perfected  our  removal 
to  New  York,  as  our  future  permanent  abode,  but  instead  of  an 


Ministry,  184^  to  1847.  187 

immediate  occupation  of  a  city  dwelling,  we  removed  for  a  period 
of  rest  to  Staten  Island,  where  we  had  secured  agreeable  accom- 
modations for  the  summer.  We  remained  there  until  the  opening 
of  the  autumn,  when  we  exchanged  these  lodgings  for  similar  tem- 
porary ones  in  a  boarding  house  in  Vesey  Street,  unwilhng  that  the 
family  of  Dr.  Milnor  should  be  removed  from  the  rectory  for  our 
convenience. 

"  Thus  the  summer  of  1845  was  occupied  and  the  month  of 
November  found  us  at  last  quietly  estabhshed  in  our  new  home  in 
Beekman  Street,  adjoining  the  Church. 

"  From  that  day,  all  the  members  of  the  vestry  and  the  congre- 
gation vied  with  each  other  in  expressions  of  affectionate  welcome 
and  of  grateful  acceptance  of  my  ministry,  both  public  and  private. 
I  was  welcomed  by  all  classes  and  families  in  the  congregation  with 
a  cordiality  of  expression  w^hich  was  gratifying  and  encouraging  in 
a  high  degree,  and  which  did  much  to  displace  my  feeling  as  a 
stranger  and  one  but  partially  known  among  the  people.  At  this 
time,  the  family  of  Dr.  Milnor  had  removed  to  Brooklyn,  but  it  was 
an  increased  gratification  to  enjoy  the  expression  of  their  kindness, 
and  to  be  welcomed  to  all  the  advantages  of  their  affectionate  ac- 
quaintance. To  m^  personally  and  to  my  family,  the  kindest  hos- 
pitality and  the  most  affectionate  welcome  made  us  haj)py  in  every 
home. 

"  The  Church  in  Beekman  Street  would  accommodate  an  audi- 
ence of  near  one  thousand  people.  It  was  habitually  weU  fiUed 
with  attentive  hearers,  and  a  general  spirit  of  seriousness  in  listen- 
ing to  the  instruction  from  the  pulpit,  appeared  always  as  a  cheer- 
ing and  encouraging  element  in  this  particular  relation. 

"  The  people  were  in  unison  with  the  minister,  and  heard  his 
instruction  with  reverence  and  interest.  They  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  an  evening  lecture  in  the  week,  and  to  the  maintenance 
of  a  weekly  meeting  for  prayer,  which  were  attended  with  much 
regularity  and  seriousness.  Thus  I  felt  myself  entirely  at  home 
among  them. 

"Dwelling  in  the  rectory  which  Dr.  Milnor  had  occupied  so  long, 
and  in  which  I  had  been  so  often  welcomed  as  a  guest,  and  mov- 
ing among  a  people  who  concurred  with  me  in  sentiment,  I  felt  my- 
self satisfied  and  thankful  under  the  gracious  providence  which 
had  placed  me  here. 

**  Beyond  the  limits  of  the  congregation  of  St.  George's  I  was 
encouraged  and  conforted  in  my  new  position,  by  the  relations 
which  I  was  invited  to  occupy  with  others.     I  was  welcomed  with 


1 88  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D. 

much  kindness  by  the  clergy  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  found  an 
encouraging  salutation  among  all  the  Churches  and  from  ministers 
of  all  denominations.  They  seemod  to  transfer  freely  to  me  tbe 
kind  and  fraternal  emotion  with  which  my  eminent  predecessor  had 
been  so  constantly  regarded  and  welcomed. 

"  All  my  wants  were  abundantly  supiDlied,  all  my  labors  encour- 
agingly welcomed  among  all  with  whom  I  was  called  to  associate. 

"  Such  was  the  opening  of  my  work  in  St.  George's  Church. 
Such  was  the  commencement  of  the  ministry  which  has  now  been 
prolonged  for  more  than  thirty-three  years.  This  was  '  my  manner 
of  entering  in '  to  the  occupation  and  demands  of  this  extensive  field 
of  obligation  and  duty," 

The  period  at  which  Dr.  Tyng  entered  the  Diocese  of  New  York 
was  one  marked  by  great  excitement  in  the  Episcopal  Church  and 
he  was  soon  compelled  to  take  a  prominent  part  in  the  discussions 
of  the  time.  The  "  Carey  ordination "  had  separated  the  two 
parties  in  the  Church  more  distinctly  than  perhaps  ever  before, 
wbile  the  trial  of  the  Bishop  of  New  York,  terminating  in  his  sus- 
pension, had  brought  into  the  controversy  an  element  of  personal 
antagonism  which  added  much  to  the  intensity  of  party  feeling. 
The  Diocese  of  New  York  was  naturally  the  field  of  the  sharpest 
conflict,  and  there  the  adherents  of  ^the  two  schools  were  arrayed 
in  the  most  open  opposition. 

The  memorable  convention  of  the  diocese,  which  met  on  the 
24th  of  September  1845  was  the  first  which  Dr.  Tyng  attended  as  a 
member  and  though  he  had  been  in  the  diocese  for  so  short  a  time, 
the  established  and  recognized  position  which  he  held  in  the  Church 
made  him  a  prominent  figure  in  its  debates.  Its  sessions  continued 
for  a  week,  and  were  at  times  a  scene  of  such  excitement  and  dis- 
order as  would  seem  incredible.  It  was  the  first  meeting  of  the 
convention  after  the  Bishop's  suspension,  and  the  chief  subjects  of 
discussion  were  therefore  the  anomalous  condition  of  the  diocese 
and  the  measures  necessary  for  its  relief.  These  questions  gave 
rise  to  a  sharp  debate  between  the  leading  men  on  either  side  and 
elicited  from  them  speeches  of  remarkable  eloquence  and  power. 

The  well-known  independence  of  Dr.  Tyng's  views  and  actions 
caused  not  a  little  uncertainty  as  to  the  position  he  would  hold  in 
the  controversy,  and  he  was  looked  to  to  declare  himself  in  the  new 
relation  to  it  in  which  he  now  stood.  He  had  defended  Bishop 
Orderdonk  in  his  action  as  to  the  Carey  ordination  and  had  openly 
expressed  disapproval  of  his  trial  and  suspension  upon  the  evidence 
which  had  been  offered,  in  both  instances  opposing  many  of  his  own 


t 


Ministry,  184^  to  1847.  189 

friends  and  those  with  whom  in  doctrinal  views  he  was  in  perfect 
accord.  Strong  in  his  convictions,  unhesitating,  and  fearless  in  tho 
expression  of  his  judgment,  his  speeches  at  this  convention  are  of 
special  interest  as  displaying  these  qualities  so  clearly,  and  are  not 
less  notable  for  the  soundness  of  their  conclusions  and  the  force  of 
their  arguments. 

The  question  first  presented  was  whether  by  the  suspension  of 
the  Bishop,  the  episcopate  was  canonically  vacant.     Upon  this  Dr. 
Tyng  spoke  as  follows,  after  reciting  the  action  of  the  Standing  Com- 
mittee, in  receiving  his  testimonials  and  issuing  to  him  the  required 
certificate : 

"  The  principle  is  as  fundamental  as  the  existence  of  our  Church, 
that  there  can  be  no  Church  '  without  a  Bishop.'  If  the  power  of 
performing  Episcopal  functions  is  not  in  the  hands  of  an  individual, 
by  reason  of  his  being  incapacitated  from  exercising  it,  it  is  in 
commission.  That  commission  assumes  all  the  responsibilities  and 
duties  of  the  episcopal^,  as  if  held  by  an  individual.  It  is  Episco- 
pal still,  though  the  functions  may  be  fulfilled  by  a  commission. 
We  cannot  have  two  bishojDs.  There  can  be  no  episcopizing  in  an- 
other man's  diocese.  If  one  is  overseer,  the  other  is  not.  When 
one  Bishop  comes  in,  is  there  no  power  to  say  who  has  the 
power  in  the  diocese,  an  individual  or  a  committee  acting  in 
his  place  ?  When  I  heard  read  yesterday  the  document  ema- 
nating from  the  Kt.  Eev.  Bishop  of  New  Jersey  (Bishop  Doane), 
I  supposed  it  to  luaintain  doctrines  as  clear  as  the  sunbeam,  and  to 
state  the  question  beyond  the  power  of  contradiction .  If  one  side 
of  the  scale  is  down,  the  other  must  be  up.  If  the  stand  now  taken 
by  the  Standing  Committee,  that  there  is  no  vacancy  in  the  bishop- 
ric, be  correct,  I  feel  compelled  to  say,  with  the  independence  of  a 
minister  of  this  diocese,  and  the  independence  of  a  citizen,  that  I 
have  been  deluded  in  then*  representations  to  me,  as  to  the  proi)er 
ecclesiastical  authority.  So  far  as  I  am  concerned,  the  Standing 
Committee  has  given  me  a  certificate  that  the  diocese  is  vacant, 
and  I  consider  it  my  first  duty  to  see  that  vacancy  filled. 

*'  Though  I  am  but  a  babe  of  yesterday  in  the  diocese,  as  it 
were,  I  have  the  right  of  a  member  of  it,  and  in  questions  of 
future  facts  I  am  deeply  concerned.  I  do  not  want  to  enter  in- 
to the  meaning  of  the  sentence  imposed  upon  the  late  Bishop 
of  this  diocese.  Whether  the  sentence  of  suspension  for  an  in- 
definite period  is  equivalent  to  actual  deposition  or  not,  is  not 
now  a  matter  for  examination,  but  I  will  state  that  at  the  last 
General  Convention,  the  House  of  Bishops  sent  to  the  House  of 


I  go  Rev,   Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D. 

Clerical    and   Lay    Delegates,  a  Canon    under  the   provisions  of 
which  a  sentence  of  indehnite  suspension  voided  jurisdiction. 

"When  the  House  of  Bishops  prepared  and  sent  down  this 
Canon,  they  were  called  on  soon  after  to  enter  into  a  practical 
explanation  of  the  meaning  of  it,  and  their  first  act  was  to  pass 
that  very  sentence  of  indefinite  suspension  which  vacated  jurisdic- 
tion. I  challenge  denial  upon  this  point,  and  I  challenge  denial 
that  they  have  brought  that  principle  into  action  in  this  very  case. 
And  when  that  sentence  comes  before  this  house  I  am  prepared  to 
give  it  the  same  interpretation.  I  have  the  testimony  of  the  Standing 
Committee  that  the  diocese  is  vacant.  I  have  the  testimony  of  the 
action  of  the  House  of  Bishops  that  the  intention  of  the  sentence  of 
indefinite  suspension  was  to  declare  the  diocese  vacant.  And  how- 
ever gentlemen  may  in  secret  whispers  confer  upon  these  facts,  and 
however  they  may  determine  that  a  certain  proposition  shall  not 

prevail — " 

Here  a  call  to  order  interrupted  him,  and  he  continued: 
"  I  submit  with  the  utmost  deference,  and  if  the  chair  will  with 
equal  promptness  correct  the  whispering  and  concerting  around 
me,  he  will  not  be  compelled  to  speak  of  that  which  he  does  not 
know.  I  had  no  intention  to  impute  any  motives  to  the  gentlemen 
who  surround  me,  but  most  deliberately  do  I  submit.  I  was  about 
to  say,  that  with  these  two  things  before  me,  I  can  come  to  no 
other  conclusion  than  that  this  diocese  is  entirely  and  absolutely 
vacant,  and  that  the  convention  is  at  perfect  liberty,  if  it  so  choose, 
at  this  moment  to  elect  my  brother  who  now  looks  me  in  the  face, 

for  its  diocesan — " 

Here  again  being  interrupted,  amid  much  excitement,  he  waived 
the  privilege  of  saying  anything  more,  but  being  called  on  to  pro- 
ceed, continued: 

"  I  had  but  little  more  to  say,  sir,  and  it  was  hardly  worth  while 
to  interrupt  me.  I  am  sorry  that  I  should  be  the  instrument  of 
creating  disturbance  here  or  elsewhere.  No  man,  sir,  is  more 
deeply  impressed  with  the  solemnity  of  this  occasion  than  myself, 
and  if  there  be  any  man  present  who  has  more  fervently  raised  his 
soul  to  God;  who  has  more  earnestly  sought  strength  and  grace  at 
his  bedside  for  this  occasion,  I  am  glad  of  it. 

"  I  have  not  uttered  a  word  calculated  or  intended  to  call  out 
any  display  of  feeling,  and  if  I  am  to  be  held  responsible  for  the 
excitement  which  pervades  this  audience,  I  shall  hold  it  to  be  a 
burthen  which  will  keep  me  silent. 

"  I  have  stated  my  reasons  for  believing  that  the  diocese  is  vacant 


Ministry,  iS^^  to  184.^,  191 

I  hold  that  it  is  in  the  power  of  this  convention  to  move  that  at 
twelve  o'clock  to-morrow  it  will  proceed  to  elect  a  Bishop  to 
fill  that  vacancy,  and  I  hold  that  such  an  act  would  be  sus- 
tained by  a  majority  of  the  Standing  Committee  and  the  House  of 
Bishops,  and  so  sure  am  I  of  it,  that  I  do  not  believe  any  other 
remedy  can  be  applied  by  the  Standing  Committee  and  the  House 
of  Bishops. 

"  I  am  thankful,  sir,  for  your  admonitions,  and  thankful  for  the 
attention  with  which  you  have  listened  to  my  remarks,  which  I  will 
now  bring  to  a  close." 

The  supporters  of  the  Bishop  were  very  earnest  in  their  deter- 
mination to  obtain  his  restoration  if  possible,  and  endeavoring  to 
commit  the  convention  to  their  view,  insisted  upon  the  claim  that 
there  was  no  vacancy. 

There  were  those,  however,  who  thought  that  the  charges,  even 
if  true,  were  not  of  sufficient  magnitude  to  require  the  Church  to 
present  him  for  trial;  and  others  who  held  that  the  evidence  had 
been  insufficient  to  justify  his  conviction.  "V^^hen,  however,  the 
question  had  been  adjudicated  by  the  proper  tribunal,  both  these 
classes  united  in  holding  that  by  the  sentence  the  Bishop  had  been 
disqualified  from  ever  re-assuming  Episcopal  functions.  They 
would  concur  in  an  application  to  the  General  Convention  for  aid, 
but  would  at  the  same  time  express  their  opinion  that  the  Bishop 
should  never  be  restored. 

When,  therefore,  a  resolution  was  offered  requesting  the  Gen- 
eral Convention  to  enact  the  necessary  Canons,  an  amendment  was 
at  once  proposed,  stating  it  as  the  judgment  of  the  convention  that 
no  Canons  should  be  enacted  which  would  lead  in  any  contingency 
to  Bishop  Onderdonk's  restoration. 

The  whole  discussion  at  once  turned  upon  this  amendment,  and 
in  support  of  it  Dr.  Tyng  spoke  as  follows,  and,  as  it  was  said,  "  with 
almost  matchless  eloquence. " 

"  No  man,"  he  said,  "  would  approach  the  point  under  discus- 
sion without  a  deep  feeling  of  responsibility  for  every  word  he  might 
utter,  if  he  had  the  heart  of  a  man  in  him.  Gladly,  sir,  would  I 
liave  been  silent  from  the  beginning,  and  much  more  at  this  stage 
of  the  discussion,  and  could  I  retire  from  this  church  as  a  minister 
of  the  Church,  and  face  with  a  clear  conscience  the  congregation 
to  wliom  I  minister,  you  would  not  listen  to  a  single  word  from  my 
mouth.  I  am  not  accustomed  to  tremble  when  I  see  the  face  of  man, 
and  there  are  few  cases  which  compel  my  nervous  system  to  quiver. 
But  now,  sir,  all  within  me  trembles  and  is  ready  to  sink,  and  while 


192  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

I  ask  myself  whether  it  is  not  possible  that  I  may  do  injustice  to  a 
fellow-being  whom  I  must  meet  at  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ,  I 
ask,  on  the  other  hand,  whether  I  may  not  be  in  danger  of  sacrific- 
ing principles  to  personal  sympathies?  I  have  considered  this 
question,  sir,  over  and  over  again  with  the  deepest  soHcitude,  to 
arrive  at  the  truth.  Sir,  I  have  no  prejudice  on  this  subject.  The 
individual  whose  name  is  mentioned  in  this  amendment  has  to  me 
been  always  courteous  and  kind,  and  has  shown  me  personal 
respect,  the  remembrance  of  which  is  grateful  to  me,  and  it  is 
known,  sir,  to  you  and  others  that  I  have  separated  from  friends, 
with  whom  I  had  generally  acted,  in  a  course  in  which  I  thought 
they  were  manifestly  in  the  wrong,  to  sustain  and  defend  the  action 
of  the  individual  of  whom  I  speak,  and  could  I  this  day  restore  to 
him  the  confidence  of  this  community,  could  I  raise  him  up  from 
the  position  in  which  he  is  placed,  to  preside  with  that  amenity, 
dignity,  courtesy  and  great  preciseness  exhibited  by  him  on  all 
occasions  when  I  have  met  him,  securing  the  universal  respect  of 
every  assemblage,  I  dare  not  say,  sir,  what  I  would  not  sacrifice  or 
imperil  to  attain  such  a  result.  But  looking  at  the  condition  in 
which  we  are  placed,  it  is  impossible  that  any  man  who  is  conscious 
of  hie  responsibility  to  God,  can  fail  to  meet  this  crisis  irrespective 
of  personal  feelings  and  sympathies,  and  whether  my  reverend 
friend,  who  has  just  spoken,  imagines  that  the  majority  will  be 
against  me  or  not,  my  own  heart  and  conscience  shall  not  be  against 
me,  and  I  wiU  return  to  my  church  and  the  community  able  to  lift 
up  a  front  that  at  least  shall  not  be  crimsoned  in  this  connection 
with  any  reproach.  The  great  question,  sir,  is  the  amendment,  and 
I  wiU  not  trouble  you  with  minor  questions.  FuU  well  do  I  know 
the  temper,  character  and  feelings,  the  habitual  mind  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  General  Convention,  and  I  am  prepared  to  throw  this 
whole  subject  into  their  hands,  and  abide  by  their  decision.  I  have 
no  desire  personally  to  instruct  them  on  the  subject,  or  make  out  a 
line  of  duty  for  them  to  pursue.  If  at  any  period  in  the  history  of 
the  Church  later  than  the  records  of  inspiration  speak  of,  God  has 
guided  the  councils  of  the  Church  by  His  personal  agency,  it  has 
been  during  the  last  session  of  that  convention;  their  sittings  have 
been  watched  over  by  that  Spirit  who  has  honored  the  Church  by 
His  presence,  and  to  the  calmness,  and  investigation,  and  dignity, 
and  noble  self-control  of  that  body  when  it  meets  two  years  hence, 
I  can  safely  leave  this  question. 

"  Ought  the  person  named  in  the  amendment  to  be  restored  to 
the  control  of  this  diocese  ?     Can  he  be  restored  to  that  position  ? 


Ministry,  184^  to  18 ^y.  193 

This  is  the  simple  question  in  this  amendment.     I  "will  discuss  the 
last  inquiry  first. 

^'  Sir,  character  depends  not  upon  acts  of  repentance  consum- 
mated by  reformation.  "We  may  receive  the  penitent  back  again 
into  our  affections.  We  may  open  the  doors  of  the  father's  house 
to  the  prodigal  wandering  child,  and  forget  in  the  flowing  out  of  our 
paternal  affection  and  confidence  that  he  has  ever  stepped  aside 
from  the  paths  of  truth  and  duty.  We  may  weep  over  this  indi- 
vidual in  the  depths  of  his  fall,  and  the  time  may  come  when  on 
his  contrition  and  reformation  we  may  greet  him  with  joy  as  one 
restored  to  the  fold  of  Christ,  when  we  may  receive  him  to  our 
hearts  and  entirely  restored  affections,  and  weep  with  gushing  joy 
over  him,  as  we  repeat  the  blessed  testimony,  '  He  was  dead  and  is 
alive  again,  he  was  lost  and  is  found.' 

"  But  repentance  never  restores,  and  cannot  restore  pubhc  confi- 
dence and  reputation.  As  well  might  you  attempt  to  gather  the 
fragments  of  a  crystal  vase  which  you  have  hurled  upon  the  granite 
block,  and  reunite  them  so  that  no  seam  or  scar  shall  appear,  as 
reinstate  the  fallen  minister  of  God  to  a  position  in  which  he  may 
again  create  around  him  a  holy  and  blissful  influence.  You  may 
load  your  table  with  resolutions  to  that  effect,  but  you  will  not 
thereby  touch  a  single  feehng  of  a  single  heart,  they  will  not  turn  the 
frown  into  a  smile  upon  a  single  countenance  that  may  meet  him  in 
the  house  of  God,  they  will  not  bring  back  a  single  portion  of  that 
feeling  of  holy  and  reverent  affection  which  has  brought  the  flock 
of  Christ  to  his  feet  to  receive  his  holy  benediction  in  the  sacred 
rites  of  the  Church.  No,  sir,  it  is  not  in  the  power  of  laws  and 
Canons  to  accomplish  this  result,  no  declarations,  however  unani- 
mous or  decided,  can  build  up  the  breach,  wide  as  the  ocean-bed, 
which  because  of  crime,  believed  crime,  exists  between  pubhc  con- 
fidence and  the  individual  named. 

"  Oh,  could  I  reach  his  private  ear  with  the  language  of  influence, 
could  I  put  the  arm  of  affection  around  his  neck,  could  I  address 
him  with  passionate  solicitation  and  entreaty,  having  no  other 
desire  than  to  rescue  him  from  the  deep  tide  of  contumely  that  has 
assailed  him,  I  could  not  procure  for  him  a  greater  favor  than  his 
calm  and  peaceful  retirement  from  this  scene  of  conflict.  Generous 
and  noble  as  his  nature  is,  few  men  are  so  likely  to  be  crushed,  and 
tortured,  and  ground  to  powder  beneath  the  withering  sentence  of 
pubhc  rebuke.  But  this  is  not  within  my  power.  In  another 
similar  instance  I  made  tlie  effort,  and  without  success.  I  perilled 
everything  for  myself,  without  conferring  any  benefit  upon  him  for 


194  ^^^'  Stephen  Higginso7i    Tyng,  D,D, 

whom  I  labored.  Nay,  sir,  I  can  say  nothing,  but  breathe  an  earnest 
solicitation  to  heaven  that  some  blessed  influence  may  move  his  heart 
to  make  the  sacrifice  for  the  benefit,  the  resuscitation  from 
death,  of  a  body  of  which  he  has  been  for  years  considered  an 
ornament,  and  in  which,  with  sorrow  and  grief,  we  miss  the 
shining  of  his  influence  and  his  counsel  from  among  us.  I  say, 
again,  sir,  it  is  vain  to  seek  to  reproduce  public  *  confidence,  or  to 
let  him  return  to  any  congregation.  The  influence  would  be  the 
same  in  every  place.  You  could  not  retain  a  congregation  with- 
in the  walls  of  any  place  to  meet  him  in  these  peculiar  circum- 
stances. 

"But  consider,   sir,   the   influence   of  this  restoration  on  the 
Church  itself.     This  is  the  main  point  of  the  amendment,   and 
it  is  so  because  all  the  action  of  the   committee  has  tended  to 
this,  all  other  propositions  and   amendments  have  been  but  the 
mountain    rivulets    running    down    into   this  last    ocean,   where 
they  were  all  to  sink.     The  purport  of  this  report  of  the  ma- 
jority is  restoration,  and  the  restoration  to  office  of  the  late  di- 
ocesan, has  been  the  polar  star  that  has  conducted  the  barque  of 
the  majority  over  the  devious  ways  of  this  discussion.     Can  he 
minister  with  benefit  to  the  Church  ?     That  depends  on  the  settle- 
ment of  the  former  principle.     Can  men  teach  their  children  to 
look  up  to  him  with  that  deep  feeling  of  reverence  with  which  his 
office  has  ever  been  regarded  in  our  families  ?    Can  the  members 
of  the  Church  receive  him  into  their  domestic  circles  ?     Nay,  would 
it  not  be  as  a  lay  gentleman  said   the  other  day,  '  his  first  visit 
would  be  the  last  '  ?     I  do  not  wish  to  excite  anything  but  solemn, 
tender  sympathy.     There  is  no  feehng  in  my  breast  that  would  not 
make  any  sacrifice  for  the  honor,  benefit  and  comfort  of  this  man. 
But  when  we  look  at  the  character  of  the  Church,  what  is  the  effect? 
What  is  to  be  gained  by  the  restoration  of  this  gentleman  to  his 
office  ?     Sir,  it  is  vain  to  hide  from  our  eyes  the  influence  of  his 
reputation  on  the  community  and  the  Church.     We  are  compara- 
tively a  small  body  in   the  land,  and  have  been  gaining  for  years, 
with  rapidity,   moral   and  religious     strength.      Men  have   been 
accustomed  to  look  up  to  our  Bishops  as  lights,  as  guides,  as  they 
have  moved  through  the  community.    What  would  at  this  day  have 
been  the  influence  of  Bishops  White,   and  Moore,  and  Griswold, 
and    Bowen,   had  their   names   come   down  to    us  tainted   with 
believed  immorality,  had  they  been  convicted  of  impurity  in  their 
intercourse  with  their  flocks  ?    Their  character  has  been  our  capital. 
That  they  were  such  men  as  they  were,  has  been  the  grand  secret 


Ministry,  184^  to  184J,  196 

of  their  influence  and  ours,  tlie  lives  which  God  has  given  us  to 
extend  the  borders  of  our  Zion. 

"  But,  sir,  I  have  been  sorry  to  hear  in  the  course  of  the  pre- 
ceding remarks  an  attempt  to  bring  in  one  venerable  and  great 
man  as  an  aegis  to  cover  up  a  case  like  this.     Sir,  I  heard  a  rever- 
end brother  call  upon  those   who  were  venerators  of  Hobart,  to 
support  in  this  case  that  holy  man's  views,  contending  at  the  same 
time  that  the  report  touched  only  princij)le.     I  do  not  feel  called 
upon  to  define  my  position.     Those  who  desire  it  will  know  my 
principles  in  due  time.     Perhaps  I  should  not  be  allowed  to  come 
under  such  a  designation.     But  who  that  admires  genius  the  most 
exalted,  integrity  the  most   unbounded,  candor  and  frankness  the 
most  open  and  child-like,  is  not  a  venerator  of  Hobart  ?     I  do  not 
and  did  not  agree  with  many  of  his  principles.    But  I  have  partaken 
of  his  hospitality.     I  have  been  entertained  beneath  his  roof,  and 
have  well  known  the  generous  candor  with  which  he  allowed  men 
honestly  to  differ  with  him.     And,  sir,  his  name  is  not  to  be  used  to 
cover  up  anything  that  is  partial  in  the  Church  to  which  we  belong. 
All  that  was  partial  in  him  is  gone ;  they  were  but  the  spots  on  the 
sun's  disk  as  it  rolled  across  the  heavens;  when  that  sun  is  set  the 
spots  are  remembered  no  more,  and  men  are  glad  to  reflect  that 
they  have  seen  the  light;  and  shall  that  name  be  brought  down  to 
cover  up   cases  like  this  ?     Go,   sir,    to  that   magnificent  temple 
where  in  solemn  marmorean  pomp  his  effigies  repose  with  uplifted 
eye,  indicative  of  confidence  and  hope,  and  call  him  there  to  throw 
the  shield  of  his  spotless  name  over  the  guilt  of  his  successor.     Sir, 
the  very  marble   seems  to  live,  the  brow  contracts  with  a  solemn 
frown,  the  eyes  turn  round   in  holy  indignation,  the  lips  open  to 
utter  a  denunciation  of  the  man  who  would  employ  his  character 
to  clothe  and  cover  up  such  corruptions  as  have  befallen  the  Church 
he  loved. 

"  Go,  sir,  to  the  public  corners  of  your  streets;  would  the  com- 
munity tolerate  '  Hobartism  outdone'  placarded  upon  the  walls,  as 
the  title  of  books  unholy  and  corrupt?  Would  they  suffer  pictures 
to  be  displayed  and  circulated  of  Satan  slapping  him  on  the  back 
in  scenes  of  ministerial  dishonor,  with  the  superscription,  *  This  is  the 
Bishop  for  us.'  No,  sir;  no,  sir;  there  is  a  public  feeling  in  this  com- 
munity which  would  tread  such  a  reproacli  indignantly  beneath 
their  feet.  And  men  would  not  submit  to  such  an  outrage  on  his 
incorruptible  charact-cr  and  integrity.  Bring  not  that  stainless 
name  to  be  the  rngis  of  believed,  if  not  convicted  and  determined, 
crime.     If  tliis  gentleman  is  to  be  restored  to  office,  what  is  to  be 


106  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

the  effect  of  the  confidence  of  the  people  in  the  ministry  ?  Sir,  a 
feehng  on  this  subject  glows  in  my  heart's  blood  and  beats  in  every 
pulse.  Take  away  pubhc  confidence  in  our  characters,  destroy 
that  freedom  of  affection  with  which  we  may  mingle  in  the  scene 
of  domestic  retirement,  and  you  destroy  that  which  is  the  great 
instrument  of  our  usefulness  among  men.  We  are  commanded  to 
abstain  from  the  very  appearance  of  evil,  and  can  we  ask  confidence 
in  the  character  of  ministers,  the  majority  of  whom  are  prepared  to 
say  that  they  do  not  beUeve  these  facts  an  absolute  disqualification 
for  the  pubhc  ministry.  Wo  shall  perish  before  the  breath  of  such 
a  furnace  like  flax,  nor  can  we,  nor,  sir,  ougl/ii  we,  to  be  sustained  by 
those  whose  nicer  sensibilities  we  have  thus  driven  over  and  out- 
raged. 

"  What  would  be  the  influence  of  this  restoi:ation  on  our  rising 
clergy  ?  We  find  it  already  difficult  to  gain  for  youthful  ministers 
of  the  cross  the  character  and  position  which  they  require.  And 
are  we  to  cripple  the  feebleness  of  ths  fledgling  who  tries  to  soar, 
instead  of  bearing  him  on  our  wings  in  his  upward  flight  of  truth 
and  usefulness  ?  Are  we  to  send  him  out  contaminated  ?  Is  he  to 
go  out  on  a  message  in  reference  to  which  apostles  tremble,  poor, 
alone,  youthful,  feeble,  away  from  parental  control  and  paternal 
support,  and  at  the  same  time  are  we  to  set  a  mark  upon  him  that 
he  is  one  of  a  stock  to  which  it  is  considered  no  reproach  to  be 
convicted  of  absolute  immorality '? 

"  Again,  sir,  we  are  compelled  to  ask  what  will  be  the  effect  of 
this  restoration  on  the  favor  and  blessing  of  God  ?  Can  the  Church 
sustain  the  burden  of  accredited  and  assumed  corruption  ? 

"Can  we  uphold  our  office  in  the  midst  of  the  community 
around  ?  Can  we  maintain  our  influence,  when  at  the  outset  we 
take  the  authority  of  God's  commandment  and  trample  it  under 
our  feet  ?  Vam  mdeed  are  all  our  ordinances,  unless  the  Spirit 
breathe  His  holy  influence  through  them,  but  will  that  Spirit  breathe 
life  into  our  ordinances,  can  we  ask  Him  so  to  do,  when  we  disre- 
gard His  authority  and  the  principles  which  He  has  estabhshed,  by 
permitting  among  us  an  accredited  or  assumed  iniquity  ? 

"  Less  than  this,  sir,  I  could  not  say,  and  do  justice  to  my  own 
soul.  More  than  this  I  do  not  desire  or  think  it  necessary  to  say. 
If  my  brethren  do  sanction  a  course  of  action  looking  to  this 
restoration  to  office,  I  can  do  nothing  but  personally  protest  against 
it.  I  shall  be  no  rebel  in  the  Church.  If  ho  is  restored,  he  be- 
comes my  diocesan,  and  I  must  submit  myself  cheerfully  to  his 
authority  or  leave  the  field  he  oversees. 


Ministry,  i8/j.^  to  iS^y,  197 

"I  will  never  be  the  instrument  of  rebellion  in  the  Churcli. 
But  can  the  members  of  this  convention  say  in  the  language  of  the 
solemn  testimonial,  '  they  appeal  to  Almighty  God  that  he  is  not 
justly  liable  to  evil  report  either  for  error  in  religion  or  for  vicious- 
ness  in  life,'  that  they  do  in  their  consciences  believe  him  to  be  of 
such  sufficiency  in  learning,  such  soundness  in  faith,  and  of  such 
virtuous  and  pure  manners,  and  godly  conversation  that  he  shall 
minister  in  the  office  to  the  edification  of  the  Church,  and  the  glory 
of  God  ?  I  cannot  say  it,  I  do  not  believe  it.  Are  they  prepared 
to  take  this  stand  ?  When  they  take  a  course  that  leads  to  this,  I 
can  only  say  that  if  they  will  do  it,  I  trust  so  far  as  the  church 
which  is  placed  under  my  pastoral  care  is  concerned,  they  will 
second  and  sustain  me  m  a  solemn  stand  and  protest  against  it. 

"  However  the  question  may  be  settled,  I  must  adhere  to  the 
Church,  in  the  bosom  of  which  1  was  born,  and  shall  die. 

*'  By  one  venerable  Bishop,  long  since  gone  to  his  rest,  was  1 
received  by  baptism  into  the  flock  of  Christ,  by  another,  who  has 
followed  him  to  glory,  was  1  trained  and  sent  forth  to  the  ministry. 
Many  years  have  passed,  and  I  must  transmit  to  my  children  the 
privilege  which  from  many  generations  of  my  ancestors  1  received. 
They  will  never  be  compelled  to  blush  with  shame  that  their 
father,  through  perverseness  or  fear,  allowed  himself  to  conceal,  or 
justify,  or  protect  crime  and  immorality  in  the  sacred  ministry  of 
the  Church  in  which  he  lived  and  died.' 

The  debate  was  continued  for  some  time,  and  at  its  close  a  vote 
was  taken  by  orders.  AVhen  the  significance  of  the  question  is 
considered,  it  seems  remarkable  that  only  forty  of  the  clergy  voted 
for  the  amendment,  while  seventy-six  opjjosed  it,  the  vote  of  the 
laity  being  equally  divided.  The  amendment  was  thus  lost,  but 
the  influence  of  the  discussion  was  far-reaching  in  its  results,  the 
whole  question  being  finally  postponed  for  another  year. 

Despite  every  effort  on  the  part  of  the  Bishop's  sup2>orters,  his 
restoration  could  never  be  accomi^lished,  however,  though  for  many 
years,  and  even  until  his  death,  it  wcs  the  cause  of  constant  agita- 
tion in  the  diocese. 

Notwithstanding  the  decided  stand  which  Dr.  Tyng  liekl  upon 
this  question,  it  was  in  the  utmost  sympathy  with  the  Bisliop,  who 
in  after  years,  it  is  worthy  of  note,  was  a  frequent  attendant  upon 
the  services  in  St.  George  s  Church. 

During  the  autumn  of  1845,  the  project  of  a  chapel  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  city  was  the  subject  of  constant  consideration  by  Dr. 
Tyng  and  the  vestry  of  St.  George's. 


iq8  Rev,  Slephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

No  definite  action  was  taken,  however,  until  March,  1846,  though 
an  offer  had  been  in  the  meantime  received  from  Mr,  Peter  G.  Stuy- 
vesant,  iDrojoosing  to  sell  certain  lots  on  Stuyvesant  Square  for  the 
sum  of  twenty  thousand  dollars.  No  rej^ly  had  been  made  to  the 
memorial  presented  to  the  corporation  of  Trinity  Church,  and  hence 
the  enterprise  must  be  undertaken  by  St.  George's,  on  its  own  re- 
sources and  by  its  own  efforts  alone.  At  a  meeting  on  the  7th  of 
March,  the  vestry  adopted  a  resolution  declaring  it  to  be  "  incum- 
bent on  this  corporation  to  erect  a  chapel  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
city,  to  be  under  the  charge  of  the  rector  of  this  church  and  in 
connection  therewith,"  and  the  undertaking  was  at  once  proceeded 
with,  a  committee  consisting  of  Dr.  John  Stearns  and  Mr.  Wm.  Whit- 
lock,  Jr.,  the  wardens,  and  Mr.  Frederick  S.  Winston,  of  the  ves- 
trymen, being  appointed  to  select  a  suitable  site  for  the  proposed 
chapel. 

Of  the  various  plots  of  ground  submitted,  the  lots  on  the  south- 
east corner  of  Fourteenth  Street  and  Irving  Place,  where  the 
Academy  of  Music  was  afterwards  built,  and  those  at  the  northwest 
corner  of  Seventeenth  Street  and  Fourth  Avenue,  where  the  Everett 
House  now  stands,  were  most  favorably  considered,  and  an  offer  of 
thirty  thousand  dollars  was  ordered  to  be  made  for  the  land  on 
Fourteenth  Street. 

This  property,  however,  was  found  to  be  unavailable,  and  at  the 
next  meeting  of  the  vestry,  it  was  reported  that  Mr.  Stuyvesant  had 
made  the  gratuitous  offer  of  ground  on  Stuyvesant  Square  on  which 
to  erect  the  proposed  church,  with  the  choice  of  the  present  site  of 
the  church,  or  of  the  lots  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Seventeenth 
Street  and  Second  Avenue. 

The  property  on  Sixteenth  Street  was  selected,  and  in  accepting 
the  gift  the  resolution  was  adopted: 

"That  the  vestry  present  their  grateful  acknowledgments  for 
Mr.  Stuyvesant's  munificent  gift  to  this  corporation,  with  the  assur- 
ance of  their  determination  to  commence  immediately  the  erection 
of  a  church  building  of  a  style  of  architecture  and  of  an  extent  of 
accommodation,  for  those  who  desire  a  place  of  worship  in  that  vicin- 
ity, such  as  shall  prove  a  permanent  and  appropriate  record  of  his 
liberality,  and  a  great  and  lasting  blessing  to  our  Church." 

On  this  question  of  the  selection  of  a  suitable  location  for  the 
church.  Dr.  Tyng  expressed  his  views  most  decidedly,  and  in  a  re- 
markable TDrediction  of  that  which  after  years  fully  realized: 

"This  property,"  he  says,  referring  to  the  lots  on  Seventeenth 
Street  and  Fourth  Avenue,  "was  then  an  old  and  neglected  garden. 


Ministry,  184s  to  184J,  199 

An  abundant  lot  for  the  new  cliurch  was  here  offered  to  the  cor- 
poration of  St.  George's  Church  for  thirty  thousand  dollars.  The 
choice  and  purchase  of  this  lot  was  earnestly  pressed  by  me,  but  in 
the  circumstances  in  which  we  were,  other  influences  prevailed,  and 
my  effort  was  without  success. 

"At  the  next  meeting  of  the  vestry,  a  new  intelligence  was 
brought  for  theh'  consideration.  The  committee  reported  that 
Peter  Gr.  Stuyvesant,  Esq.,  had  made  to  them  the  gratuitous  offer  of 
ground  on  which  to  erect  the  proposed  church  and  rectoiy  on 
Kutherford  Place  and  Stuyvesant  Square,  and  they  earnestly  recom- 
mended the  acceptance  of  this  generous  offer.  In  expressing  my 
views  upon  this  subject  at  that  time,  I  simj^ly  affirmed  that,  in  my 
opinion,  the  ground  offered  by  Mr.  Stuyvesant,  though  a  noble 
gift  from  him,  would  be  found,  as  the  result  of  its  location,  com- 
pared with  the  one  on  Fourth  Avenue,  by  far  the  most  costly  of 
the  two.  It  would  not  grow  old  or  become  unsatisfactory  with 
time.  The  other,  I  was  sure,  would  not  be  found  so  valuable  or 
desirable  in  its  relation  to  the  population  which  would  be  gathered 
there  in  the  future. 

"This  would  be  the  result  of  the  experience  of  the  church. 
I  objected  to  the  ground  on  Fourteenth  Street,  as  being  evidently 
upon  a  future  thoroughfare  for  active  business,  for  which  imagina- 
tion I  was  ridiculed  by  some  who  doubted  any  such  future  growth 

of  the  city. 

"The  ground  on  Seventeenth  Street,  I  earnestly  selected,  as 
facing  that  beautiful  Square,  and  in  its  relation  manifestly  secure  ag 
well  as  attractive.  As  I  look  at  it  now  facing  south  on  Union 
Square,  with  all  its  connections,  I  can  never  lose  the  impression 
of  its  admirable  adaptation  to  our  purpose  and  prosperity,  but  I 
was  overruled  by  gentlemen  of  business  habits  and  long  experience 
around  me.  At  that  time,  the  whole  surrounding  region  was  unoc- 
cupied by  buildings  or  habitations  between  Broadway  and  the  East 
River.  It  was  not  that  I  undervalued  Mr.  Stuyvesant's  gift,  but 
that  the  moving  population  on  which  we  must  depend  was  not  ad- 
vancing, or  likely  to  grow,  in  that  direction.  My  judgment  did  not 
prevail,  and  tlie  resolution  was  passed." 

The  property  received  from  Mr.  Stuyvesant,  was  in  dimension, 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  on  Sixteenth  Street  and  one  hun- 
dred and  four  feet  on  Rutherford  Place,  but  a  lot  fifteen  by  one 
hundred  and  four  was  afterwards  added  to  this  gift,  and  lots  ad- 
joining, ninety  by  ninety-two  feet,  acquired  by  purchase  from  him. 
"When   the   deed    of  this  property  had  been  received,    the    same 


200  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

gentlemen  who  had  been  before  deputed  to  select  a  location,  were 
ao-ain  designated  a  committee  to  procure  plans  and  superintend  the 
erection  of  the  church,  and  they  diligently  supervised  the  whole 
work  until  its  completion. 

Among  the  i)lans  presented,  were  designs  from  leading  archi- 
tects in  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  but  preference  was  unqual- 
ifiedly given  to  those  submitted  by  Mr.  Leopold  Eidlitz  and  Mr. 
Charles  Blesch,  his  partner,  and  their  plans  were  unanimously 
adopted.  Mr.  Eidlitz  was  then  a  very  young  man,  who  had  but  re- 
cently arrived  in  this  country,  this  being  his  first  work  of  such  a 
character,  but  from  that  time,  no  other  architect  was  ever  employed 
in  the  construction  of  any  building  erected  by  St.  George's  corpo- 
ration. 

On  Tuesday  afternoon  the  23d  of  June,  1846,  the  corner-stone 
was  laid  by  the  Right  Rev.  William  Meade,  Bishop  of  the  Diocese 
of  Virginia,  Bishops  Mcllvaine,  of  Ohio,  Alfred  Lee,  of  Delaware, 
Carlton  Chase,  of  New  Hampshire,  and  Alonzo  Potter,  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, assisting;  a  large  number  of  the  clergy  of  New  York  and 
other  dioceses  being  also  present. 

An  address  was  delivered  by  Dr.  Tyng  to  the  very  large  audi- 
ence assembled  on  this  interesting  occasion,  but  no  report  of  it  has 
been  preserved.  Thus  the  important  work  was  at  last  formally 
initiated  and  the  new  St.  George's  Church,  so  prospered  and  so 
powerful  in  all  its  influence   and  efforts,  was  placed  in  course  of 

erection. 

As  the  corner-stone  was  the  symbol  of  the  foundation  of  its 
material  building,  so  the  articles  it  contained  demand  special  atten- 
tion, as  "-he  significant  testimony  of  that  of  its  spiritual  building, 
which  alone  could  give  the  church  its  energy  and  life.  Beside  the 
names  of  members  of  the  corporation,  the  architects  and  builders, 
they  comprised: 

2d.  The  Holy  Scriptures. — In  token  that  the  Bible,  and  the  Bible 
alone,  contained  the  system  of  religion  in  acceptance  of  which  the 
Church  was  built. 

3d.  The  Booh  of  Common  Prayer. — In  token  of  the  adoption  and 
the  design  to  cherish  and  perpetuate  the  truly  scriptural  liturgy 
there  contained 

4th.  The  Journals  and  Canons  of  the  General  Convention  and  of  the 
Diocese  of  New  York. — In  token  of  adherence  to  the  discipline  and 
government  which  in  the  great  principles  of  its  system  have  been 
transmitted  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

5th.  The  last  sermon  of  the  Bev.  Dr.  Mdnor,  and  the  address  and 


Ministry,  184^  to  184J,  201 

sermon  delivered  at  his  funeral.* — lu  token  that  the  topic  of  his  sermon 
"  The  duty  of  a  charitable  judgment  of  the  opinions  of  others,"  and 
all  the  principles  and  characteristics  of  his  ministry  were  to  testify 
the  fraternal  relation  which  St.  George's  Church  should  hold  to  all 
who  loved  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity. 

6th.  Copies  of  tlie  pyhlislied  tvorJcs  of  tJie  present  rector  of  St.  George's 
Church. — In  token  that  the  continual  preaching  of  a  crucified 
Saviour  as  the  one  and  only  way  of  salvation,  was  to  be  the  theme 
and  the  mission  to  which  the  church  should  be  bound. 

7th.  Copies  of  the  last  religious  papers. — To  certify  to  a  future 
generation  the  events  and  the  questions  amid  which  the  principles 
of  file  Church  were  thus  firmly  enshrined. 

Such  were  the  foundations  upon  which  the  new  St.  George's 
Church  was  to  be  firmly  established  and  on  which  it  was  to  endure. 

Immediately  upon  the  beginning  of  the  new  chrrch,  the  gather- 
ing of  a  congregation  became  the  subject  of  consideration,  and  in 
the  anticipation  of  the  increased  labor  which  would  be  necessarily 
involved  to  Dr.  Tyng  in  this,  his  son  Dudley  was  elected  his 
assistant. 

He  had  then  just  been  graduated  from  the  Alexandria  Seminary, 
and  ordained  by  Bishop  Meade,  in  Christ  Church,  Alexandiia,  on 
the  9th  of  July,  1846. 

Referring  to  this  action  by  the  vestry  and  to  his  ministry  during 
the  faU  and  winter  of  1846-1847,  Dr.  Tyng  says,  in  his  Record: 

"  Another  step  in  the  line  of  kindness  to  me  was  the  appoint- 
ment of  my  dear  son,  Dudley,  as  my  assistant  in  this  new  field  of 
labor.  With  this,  was  also  another  appointment  for  my  oi3eniug 
work.  One  of  the  Presbyterian  Churches  from  the  lower  part  of 
the  city  had  been  removed  in  this  passing  year  to  Astor  Place. 
This  edifice  still  remains  there  and  has  been  occupied  for  many 
different  purposes  since. 

"  Early  in  the  winter  of  1846,  this  edifice  was  engaged  by  the 
vestry  of  St.  George's  for  a  regular  Sunday  night  service,  and  as 
an  addition  to  my  two  engagements  for  the  day  in  Beekman  Street, 
I  assumed  the  duties  of  this  third  appointment.  The  location  was 
then  quite  in  the  upper  j)recincts  of  the  city. 

"  Here  a  crowded  audience  met  me  on  every  Sabbath  even- 
ing. They  habitually  filled  all  the  aisles  and  tlie  pulpit  steps. 
There  was  the  constant  manifestation  of  deep  interest  in  the  ser- 
vice, and  a  grateful  acceptance  of  the  truth  which  they  hoard.     The 

*  See  Appendix  I. 


202  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

Lord  was  iu  this  place.  Many  conversions  of  precious  souls  were 
there;  several  of  them  among  the  highest  and  most  instructed 
class,  and  men  of  talent  and  power  were  there  converted  to  the  Lord 
by  the  power  of  the  Spirit. 

"  This  regular  service  was  maintained  through  the  whole  winter 
of  1846-1847,  and  its  precious  fruits  were  among  those  who  after- 
ward made  up  a  portion  of  the  large  and  effective  congregation  of 
the  new  St.  George's,  so  well  known  and  so  effective  for  the  glory 
of  God.  These  three  services  made  a  laborious  work  for  Sunday, 
but  I  was  in  the  fulness  of  my  personal  strength,  encouraged  by 
enlarging  prosperity  in  the  station  and  the  work  prepared  for  me, 
and  by  the  divine  gift  of  power  and  patience,  for  all  the  demands 
thus  made  upon  me.  It  was  a  season  of  gracious  results.  I  could 
relate  many  instances  of  the  exercise  of  divine  power  in  the 
calling  of  some  of  the  most  valuable  minds  to  the  work  of  the 
Lord. 

"  On  one  Sunday  evening,  amidst  a  crowd  of  others,  a  very  dis- 
tinguished man  was  seated  on  the  upper  step  of  the  stairs  to  the 
pulpit  looking  intently  upon  me.  Within  a  few  weeks  I  became 
acquainted  with  him  by  his  own  solicitation.  He  was  a  man  of 
commanding  aspect,  and  a  well  known  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court. 
He  became  to  me  a  devoted  friend,  and  to  the  Saviour  a  faithful 
and  effective  servant.  His  whole  family,  with  three  most  useful 
young  men,  his  sons,  united  with  him  in  an  earnest  Christian 
stand  of  life  with  great  influence.  To  call  to  mind  many  such 
practical  illustrations  of  the  work  of  the  Lord  among  us  would 
be  a  pleasure.  But  I  must  confine  myself  to  more  general 
views. 

"In  the  spring  of  1847,  the  vestry  obtained  the  use  of  the 
chapel  of  the  University  on  Washington  Square,  for  our  Sunday 
morning  worship,  and  we  were  thus  completely  furnished  for  the 
gathering  congregation,  in  anticipation  of  the  new  and  large  edifice 
which  we  had  undertaken  for  a  permanent  home." 

The  services  of  the  church  in  Beekman  Street  were  not  inter- 
rupted in  this  time.  The  exhausting  labors  of  these  Sunday  ser- 
vices, added  to  his  pastoral  work  in  connection  with  the  two  con- 
gregations and  the  unremitting  anxiety  and  care  which  the  building 
of  the  new  church  imposed;  proved  to  be  more  than  Dr.  Tyng's 
strength  was  adequate  to  sustain,  and  in  the  spring  of  1847  he  was 
completely  prostrated  by  this  accumulation  of  toil,  and  compelled  to 
seek  a  period  of  rest.  It  was  suggested  that  a  European  voyage 
would  be  most  beneficial  to  him;  generous  provision  being  made 


Ministry,  1845  to  184'/,  203 

by  the  vestry,  not  only  for  his  absence  but  for  all  its  attending  ex- 
pense, while  the  senior  warden  of  the  church,  his  faithful  friend  Mr. 
Whitlock,  tendered  him  a  passage  in  one  of  his  packet-ships  to 
Havre.  Gladly  accepting  this  invitation,  he  sailed  from  New  York 
in  the  ship  "  A5-go,"  on  the  16th  of  April,  seeking  by  this  means  the 
health  which  was  necessary  for  the  arduous  l^bor  waiting  him  on 
his  return. 


CHAPTER  III. 

VISIT  TO  EUROPE,  1847.     MINISTRY,  1847  to   1853. 

On  all  his  successive  visits  to  Europe,  it  was  Dr.  Tyng's  invaria- 
ble habit  to  keep  a  journal  for  the  entertainment  and  instruction 
of  his  children,  for  whose  gratification  he  was  ever  seeking.  The 
arrival  of  this  weekly  packet  was  looked  for  with  eager  expectation, 
and  its  pages  read  and  reread  with  unceasing  pleasure.  The  de- 
scriptions of  the  various  places  which  he  visited,  novel  as  they  then 
were,  have  since  become  too  familiar,  however,  to  be  of  interest 
now,  and  it  is  therefore  needless  to  make  other  quotations  than  of 
such  passages  as  reflect  some  habit  of  his  life  or  thought. 

From  Havre,  where  he  arrived  on  the  6th  of  May,  his  journey 
was  taken  to  Paris,  and  a  fortnight  spent  there  is  thus  summed  up: 

"  I  have  lost  no  time  in  this  place,  so  far  as  the  seeing  of  it  is 
concerned.  I  have  been  in  every  section  of  the  city,  and  have  be- 
come acquainted  with  the  most  of  its  main  objects  of  observation.  I 
leave  it  without  regret.  I  hope  the  time  I  have  spent  in  it  will  not 
be  lost  to  me.  But  other  days  and  other  scenes  must  determine 
this,  everything  is  lost  which  is  not  improvement  for  the  future. 
God  be  praised  with  heart  and  voice  that  He  has  not  fixed  my 
home  in  a  land  like  this." 

Embarking  at  Marseilles,  he  stopped  at  various  points  on  the 
coast  of  Italy,  and  on  the  29th  of  May  landed  at  Civita  Yecchia,  to 
proceed  by  diligence  to  Home,  whence  he  writes: 

"  Sunday,  May  30th.  My  first  day  in  Home.  How  many 
thoughts  of  faithful  men  departed,  of  that  great  master  builder  in 
the  house  of  God  who  dwelt  two  whole  years  in  his  own  hired 
house,  came  into  my  mind.  I  could  hardly  realize  that  I  was  in  the 
same  place.  O  that  I  could  imbibe  something  of  their  spirit,  who  in 
former  days  witnessed  for  Christ  in  this  corrupt  place.  I  went  out 
this  morning  to  the  little  English  Chapel,  in  the  upper  part  of  cj 
building  outside  of  the  gate,  the  only  place  which  is  allowed  them 
in  this  citadel  of  Satan.     Here  some  fifty  persons  were  assembled. 

204 


Visit  to  Europe,  2o5 

In  the  plainest  possible  way,  with  no  music,  was  the  service  per- 
formed. The  sermon  was  sound  in  its  doctrine,  and  I  was  gratified 
to  bo  there,  though  the  scene  and  all  its  circumstances  were  most 
humiliating  to  the  mind.  But  this  is  the  only  Protestant  worship 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Kome.  The  permission  for  this  was  ob- 
tained only  after  years  of  solicitation.  This  is  the  toleration  of 
Rome.  The  residue  of  the  day  I  have  passed  in  my  room.  I  can- 
not go  to  Eomish  Churches  for  curiosity  on  the  Sabbath  day.  I  must 
defer  these,  even  my  visit  to  St.  Peter's,  to  another  day.  I  cannot 
profess  to  delight  in  the  religion  of  the  place." 

Of  St.  Peter's,  he  says:  *'  Monday,  May  31st.  The  magnificence 
of  its  appearance,  its  wonderful  dome,  its  vast  extent,  certainly  do 
not  disappoint  my  expectations.  They  cannot  be  described.  They 
could  hardly  be  exceeded  by  man.  Its  profusion  of  ornament  be- 
wilders the  mind.  I  roved  through  the  whole,  entered  every 
chapel,  stood  before  every  mosaic  and  statue,  and  what  shall  I  say  ? 
In  grandeur,  elegance,  grace,  finish,  display,  this  building  stands 
alone  probably  on  the  earth.  But  it  produces  no  solemn  impres- 
sion. It  looks  too  new,  has  too  much  show,  seems  all  of  the  pres- 
ent age,  brings  one  into  no  connection  with  the  past.  Its  Grecian 
and  Roman  architecture  does  not  admit  of  the  infiuence  of  serious 
impression.  And  after  all  the  unrivalled  glory  of  this  temple,  it 
reminds  me  more  of  '  Diana  of  the  Ephesians,  and  the  image  which 
fell  down  from  Jupiter,"  than  of  Him  who  had  not  where  to  lay  His 
head.  A  stroll  through  York  Minster  or  Westminster  Abbey,  pro- 
duces an  impression  which  St.  Peter's  has  no  power  to  make. 

"  It  requn-es  months  to  see  Rome  to  advantage.  Yet  I  have 
obtained  in  this  hurried  visit  just  the  general  view  which  I  desired, 
and  I  have  neither  time  nor  wish  to  prolon;^  my  stay.  I  am  not  an 
artist,  and  profess  not  to  be  even  a  connoisseur  in  the  arts.  I  gain 
at  a  glance  the  view  I  wish.  Every  aspect  of  this  city  to  the  mere 
imagination  and  interest  becomes  enchanting.  Men  with  no  other 
views  than  present  gratification  may  well  select  it." 

"  Thursday,  June  3rd.  This  is  one  of  the  great  days  of  Rome, 
Corpus  Christi,  or  a  festival  in  honor  of  the  peculiar  idolatry  of  this 
establishment.  It  is  perhaps  tlie  greatest  and  the  peculiar  ceremony 
of  Rome.  I  suppose  from  all  that  I  have  been  Lble  to  learn,  it 
was  celebrated  with  unusual  attempt  at  display.  It  was  the  first  of 
a  most  popular  Pope.  The  military  were  dressed  with  new  uni- 
forms. The  Pope  himself  in  a  new  dress,  of  course.  This  sacra^ 
ment  has  been  the  great  Juggernaut  of  Rome.  Thousands  have 
been  put  to  death  for  its  sake,  who  would  not  and  could  not  ao- 


2o6  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

knowledge  this  piece  of  bread  to  be  an  infinite  God  to  be  wor- 
shipped by  man.  Its  impression  therefore  was  horror  upon  my 
mind.  And  as  I  looked  upon  the  multitude  of  monks  following  in 
procession,  I  could  not  but  be  convinced  from  the  whole  appear- 
ance, that  there  wants  but  the  permission  and  the  opportunity  and 
they  are  ready  for  the  very  same  work  of  death  again.  My  visit  to 
Home  has  disgusted  me  far  more  with  all  the  superstitions  of  this 
manifested  Anti-Christ,  than  I  have  ever  been  before.-  "  Ho,  as  God, 
sitteth  in  the  temjDle  of  God,  shewing  himself  that  he  is  God."  In  the 
weekl}"  paper  of  Saturday,  he  is  called  '  That  Great  Being,  to  whom  as 
a  guiding  star  the  interests  of  Catholic  Christendom  have  been  com- 
mitted.' What  beyond  this  can  be  said  of  the  Glorious  Redeemer 
Himself?     I  was  glad  when  the  hour  came  to  leave  this  place." 

After  leaving  Rome,  a  visit  was  made  to  Naples,  Florence,  Nice 
and  Milan;  when  writing  of  the  Church  of  St.  Ambrose,  he  says: 

**  Our  next  visit  was  to  the  Church  of  St.  Ambrose,  where  the 
remains  of  this  great  and  good  man  repose.  It  is  perhaj)s  the  old- 
est Church  in  Europe,  built  wholly  upon  the  ancient  model,  wdth  a 
court  in  front  for  the  catechumens,  and  though  the  most  of  it  was 
rebuilt  in  the  ninth  century,  the  earliest  column  and  style  were  still 
preserved.  The  doors  of  bronze  which  Ambrose  shut  against  the 
Emperor  Theodosius,  when  he  returned  from  the  massacre  of  Thes- 
salonica  are  there,  and  the  undoubted  tomb  of  Ambrose.  The  lat- 
ter is  covered  with  a  golden  case,  set  with  precious  stones  of  amaz- 
ing value  and  beauty.  I  cared  but  little  for  the  gold  or  jewels. 
But  I  could  not  repress  deeply  solemn  thoughts  at  the  tomb  of  a 
man  like  him;  nor  avoid  breathing  a  secret  prayer  for  grace  to 
be  as  faithful  and  devoted  in  duty  in  my  appointed  place. 

"  In  an  ancient  Church  like  this,  there  are  many  thoughts  most 
interesting  to  a  Christian  scholar.  We  cannot  but  mourn  over  the 
suj^erstitions  even  of  the  age  of  Ambrose.  But  there  was  a  zeal 
and  devote dness  to  Christ  of  inestimable  worth  and  beyond  all 
praise.  From  here  we  went  to  the  great  Cathedral  of  Milan, 
which  has  now  been  five  hundred  years  in  building  and  is  not  yet  com- 
pleted. I  was  perfectly  entranced  with  the  magnificence  of  the 
edifice.  The  front,  however,  is  very  defective;  it  wants  majesty 
and  unity.  And  you  feel  immediate!}^  a  peculiar  disappointment  in 
looking  at  it,  after  examining  the  interior." 

On  the  22Dd  of  June,  Dr.  Tyng  left  Milan  for  Geneva,  but 
on  arrival  there  his  travelling  companion  (Mr.  Willis)  became  ill, 
and  it  seemed  necessary  to  hasten  to  Paris. 

"  But, "  he  writes,  "  I  am  saddened  to  find  there  is  no   possi- 


Visit:  to  Europe,  207 

ble  method  to  avoid  travelling  on  the  Sabbath.  I  have  had 
much  consideration  and  thought  upon  the  subject  before  I  could 
consent.  But  after  trying  every  way  to  avoid  it,  I  came  to  the  con- 
clusion in  my  present  circumstances  it  was  a  matter  of  duty,  and 
therefore  agreed  to  go.  We  have  taken  the  whole  coupe  of  the 
dihgence  for  Paris  to-morrow,  and  I  hope  by  filling  it  well  with 
pillows  to  get  my  friend  comfortably  there." 

"  Paris,  June  28th.  After  three  days'  hard  journeying,  we  ar- 
rived here  this  evening,  glad  indeed  to  be  back  again  and  safely 
through  the  work.  Here  Mr.  W.  finds  his  brother  and  his  family, 
and  I  feel  released  from  my  responsibilities." 

Two  pleasant  days  were  passed  with  friends  whom  he  met 
in  Paris,  and  as  his  passage  home  had  been  taken  in  the  steamer 
**  Washington,"  which  was  not  to  sail  until  the  10th  of  July,  he  de- 
termined to  pass  the  intervening  time  in  England. 

"  Worried  with  aU  the  oppressions  and  extortions  and  gloom 
of  Continental  Europe,"  he  says,  "  I  gladly  left  its  shores.  I  joy- 
fully found  the  steamer  in  motion  for  England.  I  had  done 
with  passports,  extortion  and  popery.  Never  was  I  such  a  Prot- 
estant or  such  a  republican  before.  I  was  the  very  first  to 
spring  upon  English  ground.  Here  no  passports  and  no  inso- 
lence. My  trunk  was  treated  with  respect,  and  I  was  soon  seated 
in  the  train  for  London.  O  how  beautiful  did  this  country  look 
after  having  come  through  the  desolation  of  Italy  and  France. 
I  seemed  to  be  among  another  race  of  beings,  so  cleanly,  so  re- 
spectable, so  intelligent  appeared  all  who  were  with  me  and  about 
me.      I   came  to  London    about   four  o'clock.     Here  I  was  soon 

settled. 

"  On  arrival  in  London,  however,  he  learned  with  great  surprise 
that  his  letters,  Recollections  of  England,  which  he  had  written 
for  the  Episcopal  Becorder  in  1842,  had  been  lately  republished 
in  England. 

"  I  refused  permission  for  this  some  years  ago,"  he  writes,  "  and 
yet  to  my  extreme  mortification  I  find  it  done.  There  is  such  an  ex- 
posure of  private  families  and  concerns  as  must  make  me  appear 
very  ill-bred  to  others;  I  have  no  means  of  relief.  I  shall  write 
letters  of  ap()logy  to  my  friends  and  insist  upon  withdrawing 
from  circulation  the  books  which  are  unsokl.  But  I  shall  have 
great  difficulty  in  satisfying  others.  Indeed,  the  mortification  is 
GO  great  to  mo  that  it  has  made  me  sick. 

"  Thursday,  July  Gth.  I  left  London  with  different  feelings  from 
those  with  which  I  entered  it.     This  unfortunate  book  has  marred 


2o8  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

all  my  peace,  and  I  was  glad  to  get  away  from  all  who  liad  ever 
seen  me  or  known  me  here.  I  made  the  remainder  of  the  day 
a  rest  at  Southampton." 

To  any  readers  of  the  letters  thus  referred  to,  it  will  seem 
strange  that  their  pubHcation  should  have  caused  him  such  regret 
as  he  expresses,  and  that  he  should  have  been  so  pained  must  be  ac- 
cepted as  evidence  of  the  extreme  sensibility  and  delicacy  of  his  feel- 
ing. They  contain  few  passages  which  could  be  construed  in 
other  than  the  highest  approbation  and  praise  of  those  with 
whom  he  was  brought  into  any  relations  or  upon  whose  words 
any  comment  was  made. 

The  few  days  which  remained  before  the  day  of  saihng  were 
occupied  in  visits  to  Winchester,  Sahsbury  and  the  Isle  of  Wight, 
and  on  the  10th  of  July  he  went  on  board  the  steamer  anticpat- 
ing  a  quick  passage  home,  Here,  however,  he  was  to  suffer  a  great 
disappointment.  Soon  after  the  pilot  was  discharged,  it  was  dis- 
covered that  the  coal  purchased  in  Southampton  had  so  injured 
the  bars  of  the  furnaces  that  it  was  impracticable  for  the  steamer 
to  proceed.  A  return  to  Southampton  was  necessary,  and  an  in- 
evitable delay  until  the  damage  could  be  repaired  and  the  coal  re- 
placed. 

"  How  many  days  all  this  would  require,"  he  says,  "  it  was  im- 
possible to  say.  I  have  meditated  much  whether  I  should  remain 
with  the  vessel,  and  after  the  utmost  consideration,  it  appears  to  me 
to  be  in  my  line  of  duty,  in  which  I  can  hope  and  ask  for  the  divine 
protection.  I  therefore  shall  remain  where  I  am  and  commit  my- 
self to  Him  who  is  able  to  protect  and  keep  me.  I  am  deeply  un- 
worthy of  any  of  His  mercies,  and  feel  myself  to  be  more  and  more  so. 
That  He  has  thus  far  defended  me  is  only  to  be  ascribed  to  His  distin- 
guishing forbearance  and  tender  mercies.  How  great  His  goodness 
and  grace  have  been  to  me  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  declare.  May 
I  so  live  as  to  show  forth  His  glory." 

The  repairs  having  been  completed,  the  steamer  sailed  on  the 
16th  and  arrived  at  New  York  on  the  30th  of  July,  and  the  journal 
closes  with  the  following  ascription  of  thankfulness  and  praise. 

"  To  me  the  passage  has  been  particularly  tedious.  Never  could 
I  have  welcomed  home  with  all  its  cares  and  labors  as  I  now  shalL 
Thus  God  has  graciously  preserved  and  guarded  me  in  safety  to  a 
better  home,  eternal  in  the  heavens.  Praised  be  my  gracious  God, 
who  has  thus  far  brought  me  through  many  dangers  and  a  long 
journey  to  my  own  happy  home  in  peace." 

During  Dr.  Tyng's  absence  in  Europe  the  vestry  had  rented 


Ministry,  184^  to  18^3,  209 

for  his  use  a  house  in  Sixteenth  Street,  near  the  church,  to  which 
he  removed  soon  after  his  return.  He  was  thus  located  more  con- 
veniently for  his  constantly  increasing  work.  Notwithstanding  this 
vacation  of  its  rectory,  there  was  no  intention  of  any  interruption 
or  change  in  the  services  of  the  old  church.  On  the  contrary,  an 
effort  was  made  to  provide  for  their  permanence,  by  the  settlement 
of  an  assistant  rector,  the  Kev.  Thomas  M.  Clark  being  elected. 
When,  however,  he  declined  the  invitation  extended  to  him,  further 
action  in  this  matter  was  postponed.  Meantime,  the  Rev.  Dudley 
A.  Tyng  having  been  called  to  Columbus,  Ohio,  the  services  in  the 
chapel  of  the  University  and  the  church  in  Beekman  Street  were 
conducted  by  Dr.  Tyng  and  his  temporary  assistant,  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Y.  Rooker. 

The  work  on  the  new  church  was  now  far  progressed,  and 
rapidly  approaching  completion.  From  its  first  inception  nothing 
had  been  proposed  in  opposition  to  the  original  plan,  a  church  in 
connection  with  St.  George's  Church,  under  the  charge  of  its 
rector  and  vestry,  and  bearing  the  title  "  St.  George's  Church, 
Stuyvesant  Square."  When  the  purchase  of  land  was  at  first 
proposed,  two  members  of  the  vestry  had  protested  that  the  plans 
adopted  would  involve  too  great  expenditure,  and  be  a  departure 
from  the  original  plan  of  building  a  free  chapel.  They  had,  how- 
ever, coincided  in  the  measures  subsequently  taken,  or  had  not 
openly  opposed  them,  but  now,  eighteen  months  after  the  work 
had  been  undertaken  and  successfully  continued,  a  proposition 
was  made  subversive  of  the  whole  scheme.  This  in  its  terms  pro- 
vided that  upon  completion  the  new  church  should  be  sold  to  a  new 
corporation,  and  thus  alienated  entirely  from  Si  George's  Church. 

It  met  no  approval  from  a  majority  of  the  vestry,  nor  did  it 
cause  any  change  in  their  plans,  but  it  introduced  an  element 
which  was  calculated  to  impede  their  work,  and  which  in  the  pre- 
vailing circumstances  was  of  great  moment. 

It  was  important  that  a  definite  settlement  of  the  question 
should  be  made,  and  that  the  relation  in  which  the  new  church 
should  stand  should  be  clearly  established.  Dr.  Tyng  had  ex- 
pressed his  views  freely  upon  the  subject,  and  a  majority  of  the 
vestry  were  in  perfect  accord  with  him,  but  in  order  that  the  ques- 
tion might  be  presented  to  the  congregation,  he  embodied  in  a 
series  of  resolutions  the  changes  which  in  his  view  should  be  made 
from  the  original  plan. 

These  resolutions,  submitted  to  the  vestry  on  the  0th  of  March, 
1S48,  and  by  his  request  retained  for  future  consideration,  stated: 


2IO  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng^  D.D, 

"  That  it  is  the  intention  of  this  vestry  that  the  church  edifice 
which  they  are  now  erecting  on  Stuyvesant  Square,  and  which  was 
originally  proposed  as  a  free  chapel  in  connection  with  St.  George's 
Church,  should  be  considered  and  used  after  its  completion  for 
public  worship,  as  the  Parish  Church  of  the  parish  of  St.  George's 
Church,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  shall  be  known  by  the  title 
of  St.  George's  Church,  New  York. 

"  That  it  is  the  intention  of  this  vestry  that  the  church  edifiee  in 
Beekman  Street,  heretofore  known  as  the  parish  church  of  St. 
George's  Church,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  shall  be  maintained  as  a 
chapel  in  connection  with  St.  George's  Church,  under  the  sole  and 
entire  control  of  the  rector,  church-wardens  and  vestrymen  of  St. 
George's  Church,  to  be  known  by  the  title  of  St  George's  Chapel, 
the  seats  of  which  shall  at  some  suitable  time  hereafter  be  made 
free  from  all  ground  rent  charge  to  be  paid  to  St.  George's  Church. 

"  That  it  is  not  the  wish  or  intention  of  this  vestry,  under  any 
circumstances,  hereafter  to  sell  or  alienate  the  said  chapel  and 
grounds  on  which  it  stands  on  Beekman  Street,  but  for  the  purpose 
of  purchasing  or  building  another  chapel  in  some  more  convenient 
location  in  the  lower  part  of  the  city  of  New  York,  if  hereafter  such 
a  course  shall  be  considered  most  expedient  for  the  interests  of  the 
congregation  which  shall  assemble  in  said  chapel,  and  best  calcu- 
lated to  promote  the  religious  and  temporal  welfare  of  the  parish. 

"  That  it  is  the  purpose  of  this  vestry  to  elect  a  permanent  assist- 
ant minister  of  St.  George's  Church,  at  some  suitable  period  here- 
after, whose  services,  duties  and  responsibilities  in  connection  with 
the  worship  and  pastoral  duties  of  the  whole  parish,  including  the 
church  and  the  chapel,  shall  be  regulated  by  the  directions  of  the 
rector,  wardens  and  vestry  of  St.  George's  Church." 

The  alleged  ground  of  all  opposition  was  affection  for  the  old 
church,  and  the  desire  that  it  should  not  be  destroyed,  but  these 
resolutions  clearly  state  that  there  was  no  such  intention. 

"  That  they  were  not  completely  carried  out  in  the  end,"  says 
Dr.  Tyng,  in  a  pamphlet  to  be  hereafter  referred  to,  "  arose  from 
no  change  of  purpose  or  desire  on  the  part  of  the  vestry  of  St. 
George's  Church,  but  from  the  extremely  oppressive  course  which 
Trinity  Church  pursued  toward  St.  George's  in  the  subsequent 
settlement  of  their  questions  of  property.  But,  arrested  as  they 
were  in  their  full  accomplishment,  these  resolutions  still  show  that 
it  was  not  the  desire  of  the  corporation  of  St.  George's  Church  to 
destroy,  or  sell,  or  raze  to  the  ground  St.  George's  Chapel  in 
Beekman  Street,  as  affirmed. 


Ministry,  184J  to  iS^j,  2 1 1 

"  They  manifest  that  it  was  their  -anehanging  desire  and  inten- 
tion to  preserve  it,  and  to  maintain  it  as  a  free  church  as  long  as  it 
should  seem  suitable  or  desirable  for  that  purpose  in  the  circum- 
stances of  its  location. 

"  The  corporation  of  St.  George's  had  no  power  to  sell  that 
building,  if  they  had  desired  to  do  it.  The  deed  by  which  they 
received  it  from  Trinity  Church,  in  1812,  required  it  to  be  used 
*  for  the  purpose  of  divine  service,  according  to  the  rites  and  cere- 
monies of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  as  long  as  it  should  continue  and  endure.'  In  case  this  con- 
dition should  be  violated,  the  property  was  forfeited  to  Trinity 
Church,  from  whom  it  was  received.  Trinity  Church  thus  held  a 
firm  grasp  of  legal  authority  and  right  over  that  building.  There 
could  have  been  no  title  given  to  it  without  her  consent.  If  the 
building  was  ever  sold,  therefore,  it  must  be  with  the  active  con- 
currence of  Trinity  Church,  and  could  not  have  been  without  it." 

As  the  facts  in  connection  with  the  disposition  of  the  church  in 
Beekman  Street  by  St.  George's  belong  to  a  later  period,  further 
reference  to  it  is  unnecessary  here,  but  another  difficulty  which 
arose  in  the  affairs  of  the  church  at  this  time  is  mentioned  as 
follows  by  Dr.  T^mg,  in  the  same  pamphlet: 

"  In  the  deeds  of  all  the  property  which  St.  George's  originally 
received  from  Trinity  there  was  a  restrictive  clause,  which  pre- 
vented any  advantageous  sale  of  this  property  by  St.  George's. 
"When  the  corporation  of  St.  George's  undertook  the  erection  of 
their  new  church,  in  1846,  their  reliance  for  the  means  of  its  com- 
pletion was  on  the  sale  of  this  corporate  property  held  by  them. 
They  confided  in  the  original  covenant  of  friendly  co-operation 
under  which  they  were  peacefully  separated  from  Trinity,  in  the 
hope  that  no  obstacle  to  their  work  would  be  interposed  by  the 
corporation  of  Trinity  Church. 

"  Accordingly  they  addressed  their  application  to  Trinity 
Church,  to  grant  them  a  clear  title  to  all  their  property,  and  offer- 
ing to  transfer  the  same  restriction  to  the  new  property  which  they 
Iiad  acquired  on  Stuyvesant  Square.  Of  the  memorial  which  they 
thus  addressed  to  Trinity  Church,  no  notice  was  taken.  The  cor- 
poration of  Trinity  Church  knew  to  what  an  embarrassing  extent 
St.  George's  had  gone  in  the  erection  of  their  new  church.  They 
saw  them  struggling  with  a  noble  energy  to  erect  one  of  the  most 
substantial  and  desirable  houses  for  worship  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  and  yet  they  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  their  petition,  endeavoring 
to  force  them  to  a  ruinous  sale  of  their  property,  burdened  with 


212  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

its  restrictions,  or  to  compel  them  to  sacrifice  tlie  unfinished  edifice 
which  they  were  endeavoring  to  complete.  It  is  sickening  to  read 
the  record  of  this  cruel  action  on  the  part  of  Trinity.  The  corpo- 
ration of  St.  George's  nobly  persevered.  One  individual  of  their 
body  raised  and  secured  the  whole  amount  of  funds  by  which  their 
edifice  was  built  and  paid  for,  while  Trinity  Church  stood  by  in 
silent  neglect,  and  would  not  even  reply  to  or  notice  theii*  applica- 
tions." 

When  difficulties  were  thus  threatening,  St.  George's  met  with 
a  grievous  loss  in  the  death  of  Dr.  John  Stearns,  its  honored  and 
valued  senior  warden.  Those  who,  like  him,  were  so  truly  the 
"  Fathers  of  St.  George's,"  claim  a  record  on  the  pages  of  its  his- 
tory, and  though  it  would  be  impossible  to  commemorate  them 
as  fully  as  desired,  the  minutes  of  the  vestry  furnish  a  brief 
memorial  of  each,  as  they  were  called  from  their  labors  in  the 
Church  on  earth.  In  his  long  ministry  in  St.  George's  it  was  the 
painful  privilege  of  Dr.  Tyng  to  attend  many  of  them  in  their 
closing  hours,  and  prepare  the  short  minute  with  which  the 
records  of  the  vestry  perpetuate  the  remembrance  of  their  services, 
until  at  the  close  of  his  rectorship  he  remained  the  only  represent- 
ative of  those  who  had  so  unitedly  labored  in  the  erection  of  the 
new  church. 

Upon  the  death  of  Dr.  Stearns  the  vestry  inscribed  upon  its 
minutes  the  following  record: 

"  It  having  pleased  a  wise  Providence  to  remove  by  death  John 
Stearns,  M.  D.,  a  venerable  and  distinguished  physician  of  this 
city,  and  for  many  years  the  Senior  Warden  of  this  parish, 

"  'Resolved:  That  in  the  purity  of  life,  elevation  of  character, 
fidelity  to  duty,  fervent  charity  exhibited  during  a  long  professional 
and  religious  life,  by  our  late  associate  and  friend,  this  vestry  recog- 
nizes the  power  and  influence  of  that  religion  he  professed  and 
loved. 

^'Besolved:  That  while  we  mourn  the  loss  of  a  zealous  and 
devoted  associate,  who  for  many  3-ears  has  taken  a  deep  interest  in 
all  the  temporal  and  spiritual  concerns  of  this  parish,  and  that  the 
Church  at  large  has  also  lost  in  him  a  man  of  enlarged  benevolence 
and  Catholic  spirit,  yet  we  are  comforted  with  the  hope  that  our 
loss  is  his  great  gain,  and  that  his  bright  and  consistent  Christian 
example  will  animate  us  to  do  with  all  dilif^ence  the  duties 
entrusted  to  us,  that  we  may  be  enabled  with  like  precious  faith 
and  joyful  hope  to  look  forward  to  that  rest  which  remaineth  for 
the  people  of  God." 


Ministry,  184J  to  18 §j.  213 

On  a  Sunday  succeeding,  in  a  memorial  sermon  upon  the  text: 
Colossians  iv.  14,  "  Luke,  the  beloved  physician,"  Dr.  Tyng  paid  a 
just  tribute  to  the  exemplary  life,  of  which  so  large  a  part  had  been 
devoted  to  the  service  of  St.  George's  Church. 

The  annual  election  of  wardens  and  vestrymen  at  Easter,  1848, 
was  awaited  with  not  a  little  anxiety.  Three  influential  members  of 
the  vestry  were  arrayed  in  opposition  to  the  work  now  so  nearly 
completed.  To  what  extent  they  might  be  supported  by  members 
of  the  congregation  could  not  well  be  known.  The  treasurer  of  the 
corporation,  Mr.  William  Whitlock,  Jr.,  had  personally  advanced  the 
sum  of  one  hundred  andthirty  tJwusand  dollars,  as  it  had  been  required 
to  make  the  necessary  payments,  and  much  concern  was  felt  lest  a 
change  in  the  corporation  should  involve  him  in  loss,  through  his 
liberal  action.  It  was  a  crisis  in  the  history  of  St.  George's 
Church. 

In  order  that  there  should  be  no  misunderstanding  of  the  case, 
and  no  objection  to  any  subsequent  action.  Dr.  Tyng  prepared  a 
full  statement  of  the  facts,  which  he  read  in  giving  notice  of  the 
Easter  election,  thus  presenting  the  subject  freely  and  fully. 

After  explaining  the  provisions  of  law  under  which  the  members 
o-f  the  corporation  were  elected  and  under  which  it  acted,  he  pro- 
ceeded with  a  statement  of  the  qualifications  of  voters;  of  the 
property  owned  by  the  church;  of  the  history  of  the"  movement 
toward  the  erection  of  a  church  up  town,  so  far  as  it  had  progressed 
before  he  became  the  rector  of  the  church,  and  continuing  said  : 

"  The  subject  was  first  brought  before  my  notice  on  the  22d  of 
April,  1845,  by  a  committee  of  the  vestry  of  St.   George's  Church, 
who  were  appointed  to  visit  me  at  my  residence  in  Philadelphia,  to 
ask    my   acceptance   of  a  call  to  the  rectorship    of  St.    George's 
Church.     Among  other    considerations  presented  to  me   by   that 
committee  in  the  name  of  the  vestry,  to  induce  my  accej^tance  of 
their  invitation,  the  chief  one  was  the  very  important   prospect  of 
religious  usefulness,  which  was  offered  in  this  proposed  enterprise 
of   erecting  a  new  church  in  the  upper  part  of  the  city,  according 
to  the  views  presented  in    the   preceding  memorial     (to    Triniiy 
Church).     The  exhibition  of  this  prospect  was  the  main  inducement 
which  led  me  to  believe  it  my  duty  to  forsake  a  procious  and  happy 
field  of  usefulness  where  I  had  labored  in  perfect  peace  without  a 
foe,  and  with  an  incroasiTig  blessing  from  God  upon  my  work,  nnd 
at  a  sacrifice  both  of  feeling   and  pecuniary  interest,  which    is  not 
necessary  to  describe,  to  accept  the  offer  of  the  laborious   post  of 
duty,  which  in  the  providence  of  God  I  now  occupy.    The  principles 


2  14  ^^^-  Stephen  Higginso7i   Tyng,  D.D, 

of  the  plan,  as  expressed  in  the  memorial  to  Trinity  Church,  were 
that  the  new  church  was  to  be  a  free  chapel  united  with  St. 
George's  Church,  under  the  one  vestry  and  rector,  and  to  be  built 
at  a  cost  of  from  $65,000  to  $70,000,  from  the  funds  of  St.  George's 
Church,  and  subsequently  supported  from  the  same  funds,  demand- 
ing an  annual  allowance  from  the  same  source,  which  could  hardly 
be  computed  at  less  than  the  interest  of  $50,000  more. 

"  The  enterprise  proposed  was  thus  to  be  at  a  cost  of  from 
$115,000  to  $120,000  to  the  corporation  of  St.  George's  Church. 
It  was  expected  that  private  contributions  would,  to  some  extent, 
assist  in  the  endurance  of  this  cost. 

"  As  no  effort  was  ever  made  for  this  purpose,  it  is  impossible, 
however,  to  make  any  just  calculations  concerning  it.  When  this 
enterprise  wa.;  presented  to  me  by  the  committee  of  the  vestry,  I 
stated  my  views  upon  the  subject  to  be :  that  it  would  be  a  better 
plan  to  erect  the  new  church  proposed,  which  was  to  be  in  the 
midst  of  a  rising,  flourishing  and  prominent  part  of  the  city,  for 
the  parish  church  of  St.  George's  Church,  and  to  constitute  the  old 
church  a  free  chapel  as  proposed,  to  be  connected  vsdth  it.  This 
Tiew  I  have  invariably  presented  on  all  occasions  since,  as  my  con- 
Tiction  of  duty  and  interest  in  the  case.  I  have  embodied  it  in  a 
series  of  resolutions  which  I  presented  to  the  vestry  March  9th, 
1848,  as  distinctly  expressing  my  judgment  in  the  case.  And  this 
one  fact  constitutes  the  only  change  proposed  by  me,  from  the 
original  plan  proposed  by  my  venerated  predecessor,  whose  views 
in  this  enterprise  it  has  been  my  solemn  desire  fully  to  carry  out,  a 
change  which  I  have  much  reason  to  believe  he  would  have 
approved  and  adopted,  had  his  life  been  spared.  In  presenting 
these  resolutions  I  have  carried  out  the  original  plan  proposed  in 
the  first  undertaking  of  this  enterprise,  with  the  single  change  of 
constituting  the  new  edifice  the  parish  church,  and  the  old  one 
the  free  chapel.  This  is  the  plan  with  which  I  have  gone  on  from 
the  beginning  in  this  undertaking,  some  of  my  own  views  of  which, 
and  reasons  for  which,  I  propose  to  present  to  the  congregation. 

"  It  seemed  to  me  unwise  to  attempt  to  maintain  St.  George's 
parish  in  a  location  which  was  every  day  failing  to  collect  a  perma- 
nent congregation,  and  to  expend  the  funds  of  the  corporation  for 
the  erection  of  an  edifice,  which  should  be  considered  a  chapel 
merely,  in  a  portion  of  the  city  certain  to  be  permanent  as  the 
residence  of  private  and  settled  families.  It  appeared  to  me  un- 
necessary and  wrong  to  erect  a  building  for  free  worship  in  the 
very  midst  of  a  community  perfectly  able  to  sustain  the  worship  and 


Ministry,  184J  to  18 ^j,  2 1 5 

ordinances  of  the  gospel  for  themselves,  and  to  continue  an  imposed 
tax  upon  a  building  where  the  worshippers  were  to  a  much  larger 
extent  in  limited  circumstances,  and  necessarily  transitory  in  their 
connection  with  the  church.  I  have,  therefore,  constantly  urged 
that  we  should  build  a  church  for  the  parish  in  the  new  location, 
and  maintain  a  chapel  for  the  pubHc  in  the  old  one.  Such  a 
church  the  vestry  are  now  erecting,  and  on  my  part,  and  on  the 
part  of  the  majority  of  the  vestry,  with  such  designs. 

"  We  have  devoted  to  this  work  the  property  of  St.  George's 
Church,  which  was  given  to  the  corporation  for  this  very  purpose, 
without  laying  a  tax  upon  any  individual  of  a  single  dollar.  We 
shall  hope  to  complete  it  according  to  the  original  proposal,  '  upon  a 
scale  commensurate  with  ths  increasing  wants  of  the  church,  and 
entirely  unincumbered  with  debt.' 

"  When  completed  this  new  edifice  will  be  perfectly  competent 
to  support  itself.  The  moneys  which  are  realized  from  the  sale  of 
its  pews  will  go  to  constitute  a  fund  for  the  maintenance  of  the 
chapel  free  of  charge  to  the  worshippers  therein.  The  income  of 
the  funded  property  of  the  corporation,  when  my  ministry  here 
was  commenced,  was  little  more  than  $5,000.  The  result  of  this 
investment  will,  beyond  all  question,  from  the  same  property,  more 
than  double  this  income.  We  had  accommodations  in  our  j^resent 
church  for  about  one  thousand  worshippers ;  with  the  same 
property  we  have  added  a  new  church,  with  accommodations  for 
two  thousand  five  hundred  more.  We  have  thus,  in  the  erection 
of  a  building,  which  in  size,  and  convenience,  and  appearance  will 
have  no  equal  among  our  churches,  and  in  durability  and  worth 
wiU  testify  to  other  generations  the  spirit  by  which  we  were  moved 
in  its  erection,  provided  for  the  preaching  and  ordinances  of  the 
gospel,  in  the  most  convenient  method,  to  tens  of  thousands  of  our 
fellow-men,  and  probably,  in  the  result,  at  a  less  charge  upon  the 
funds  of  the  corporation  than  was  originally  proposed  in  the  first 
opening  of  the  undertaking  to  Trinity  Church. 

"  These  two  opposite  series  of  resolutions  now  upon  the  table 
of  the  vestry,  are  left  there  by  common  consent,  to  be  considered 
and  determined  by  the  vestry  to  be  now  elected.  And  in  thus  pre- 
senting them  I  have  exhibited  the  facts  which  have  occurred  in  this 
enterprise  under  my  supervision  and  knowledge.  Of  the  wisdom 
of  the  different  courses  and  plans  which  have  been  thus  detailed, 
the  members  of  the  congregation  of  St.  George's  Church  must 
decide  for  themselves.  They  have  to  elect  now  a  vestry  by  whom 
a  final  settlement  of  this  whole  matter  must  be  made.     They  can 


2i6  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

now  act  with  entire  intelligence  on  the  whole  matter.  If  their 
views  coincide  with  the  plans  of  the  rector  and  a  majority  of  the 
present  vestry,  they  will  sustain  them  in  thi-  course.  If  the  views 
of  a  majority  of  the  voters  dissent  from  these,  and  accord  with  the 
views  of  the  minority  of  the  present  vestry,  in  the  substitute  pre- 
sented, they  have  now  an  opportunity  of  giving  a  practical  declara- 
tion of  their  judgment.  But  I  take  the  liberty  particularly  to  urge 
upon  the  members  of  the  congregation  a  punctual  attention  to  their 
duty  in  this  respect. 

"  I  trust  every  one  entitled  to  vote,  will  without  fail  exercise  his 
right  upon  this  occasion,  that,  whatever  shall  be  the  decision  of  the 
congregation  at  this  election,  no  imputation  may  hereafter  arise  ; 
that  the  course  adopted,  whatever  it  shall  be,  was  the  wish  and  act 
of  but  a  minority  of  the  congregation. 

"  I  have  felt  it  my  duty  to  make  this  precise  statement  to  you, 
because  I  considered  the  interests  of  the  gospel,  as  connected  with 
this  church,  vitally  involved  in  its  decision.  I  feel  it  to  be  my  duty 
to  express  my  own  deliberate  and  settled  judgment  in  this  matter, 
and  then  I  leave  every  member  of  the  congregation  to  judge  and 
act  intelligently  and  conscientiously  for  himself.  My  own  line  of 
personal  duty  will  be  determined  by  the  action  of  the  congregation, 
and  it  will  be  in  sufficient  season  hereafter  to  determine  and 
announce  that.  But  I  feel  it  my  duty  frankly  to  declare  to  you 
that  no  separation  of  these  churches  and  congregations  can  be 
made  by  any  vestry  without  my  consent  as  the  rector  of  this  church, 
and  that  consent  will  under  no  circumstances  whatever  be  given  to 
the  alienation  of  the  property  of  St.  George's  Church  to  another 
corporation. 

"  My  sincere  desire  and  earnest  prayer  are  that  different  judg- 
ments may  be  entertained  without  hostility  of  feeling,  and  while 
every  one  frankly  avows  his  own  judgment  and  purpose,  all  should 
agree  to  study  the  things  which  make  for  peace,  and  things  where- 
with you  may  edify  each  other,  that  God  may  graciously  overrule 
it  to  the  permanent  prosperity  of  the  portion  of  His  vineyard  com- 
mitted to  my  charge." 

The  issue  thus  frankly  presented  was  decided  by  the  election 
of  a  vestry,  in  hearty  accord  with  Dr.  Tyng  and  the  future  position 
of  the  new  church  thus  established,  but  the  approval  of  his  judg- 
ment and  wish  thus  obtained  was  at  the  cost  of  many  months  of 
severe  trial.  The  circumstances  of  this  case,  as  related  by  him,  are 
particularly  notable,  as  the  occasion  of  the  only  act  of  ecclesiastical 
discipline  performed  in  the  whole  course  of  his  ministry. 


Ministry,  184'/  to  iS^j,  2 1 7 

"  This  statement,"  he  says,  "  was  read  on  the  16th  of  April,  1848. 
A  member  of  the  vestry  (Mr.  B.  L.  Woolley)  in  conversation  with 
another,  on  leaving  the  church,  pronounced  it  to  be  false.  Within 
the  next  three  days,  there  were  two  meetings  held,  professedly  of 
members  of  the  congregation,  at  which  the  same  gentleman  read  a 
statement  in  which  he  declared  the  assertions  of  the  public  state- 
ment to  be  false.  The  day  after  the  last  oi  these  meetings,  the  ves- 
try were  elected,  and  the  whole  subject  of  discussion  was  settled, 
so  far  as  the  congregation  were  concerned. 

**By  this  election,  he  with  some  others  was  removed  from  the 
office  of  vestrymen.  Immediately  subsequent  to  this,  and  for  some 
months  afterward,  he  was  engaged  m  reading  the  same  or  similar 
statements  to  various  families  and  individuals  of  the  congregation, 
and  on  the  23rd  of  May  he  addressed  a  communication  to  me,  con- 
taining these  and  other  charges  against  my  personal  character,  to 
which  I  made  no  reply.  On  the  5th  of  July,  he  again  addressed  a 
similar  letter,  containing  additional  charges  against  me,  which  I  im- 
mediately returned  by  mail  to  him.  On  the  19th  of  July,  these  two 
letters,  with  an  introductory  note  addressed  to  the  congregation  of 
St.  George's  Church,  containing  another  charge,  of  deliberate  and 
wilful  falsehood,  against  me  were  published  by  him  in  the  Com- 
mercial Advertiser  of  this  city.  Some  of  my  personal  friends 
called  upon  the  editors  of  that  paper  and  found  the  publication  had 
been  made  in  the  absence  of  the  senior  proprietor  of  the  paper, 
who  had  previously  refused  to  insert  such  a  communication,  and 
has  since  expressed  his  regret,  for  the  publication,  in  very  strong 
terms.  The  editors  then  present,  being  convinced  of  the  false  and 
libellous  character  of  these  letters,  on  the  next  day  published  an 
expression  of  their  regret  at  the  publication  of  them,  and  their  con- 
viction that  the  charges  were  false. 

"  I  took  no  personal  notice  of  the  publications,  though  I  was 
uro-ed  by  many  friends  to  have  the  matter  judicially  examined,  and 
even  by  some,  whose  opinion  was  of  weight,  to  have  the  author  in- 
dicted for  libel.  I  frequently  heard  of  his  reading  in  various 
houses  the  charges  he  had  made  against  me,  thus  very  greatly  in- 
juring my  ministry  and  destroying  the  peace  of  the  Church,  and  I 
was  urged  by  several  of  the  communicants  to  suspend  him  from  the 
communion.  I  resolved,  however,  as  the  case  was  so  much  a  per- 
sonal one,  after  consultation  with  a  clerical  brotlior  in  whose  jud^'- 
ment  I  had  great  coutidcnce,  to  bear  as  long  as  it  could  be  possible 
with  him.  I  had  hoped  he  would  in  time  see  for  himself  the  vast 
injury  and  injustice  he  had  done,  and  be  led  to  make  a  proper  repara- 


2i8  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

tion.  Thus  the  matter  rested  on  my  part.  But  on  his,  there  was 
a  frequent  repetition  of  the  same  statements  to  individuals  in  the 
congregation.  On  the  30th  of  November  an  advertisement  appeared 
in  the  New  York  Courier  and  inquirer,  signed  '  A  Member  of  St. 
George's,'  accusing  me  of  very  gross  and  fraudulent  conduct  in 
the  conducting  of  the  election  of  the  vestry  at  St.  George's,  on 
the  25th  of  April,  1848.  The  editor  gave  the  name  of  the  au- 
thor to  some  of  my  friends  who  called  upon  him.  In  consequence 
of  this  article,  which  I  pronounced  a  grossly  false  and  malicious  libel, 
I  gave  to  him  on  the  first  of  December,  1848,  the  '  advertisement,'  re- 
quired by  the  rubric  before  the  Communion  office. " 

Immediately  subsequent  to  the  publication  of  the  first  of  these 
letters,  the  vestry  met,  without  Dr.  Tyng's  presence  or  knowledge, 
and  adopted  a  resolution: 

"  That  the  fervent  piety,  unwearied  zeal,  single-hearted  devo- 
tion of  eminent  gifts  to  the  duties  of  his  sacred  calling,  and  inces- 
sant labor  in  every  good  word  and  work,  tending  to  promote  the 
spiritual  and  temporal  happiness  of  mankind,  ought  to  shield  the 
character  and  reputation  of  our  rector  from  the  assaults  of  enemies, 
and  at  all  times  render  the  shafts  of  malignity  impotent  and  power- 
less." 

This  was  at  once  published  in  the  Commercial  Advertiser  on  the 
21st  of  July,  and  throughout  the  whole  proceeding  he  had  their 
unqualified  sympathy  and  support,  but  the  charges  Avere  peculiarly 
malignant,  and  the  position  which  their  author  had  held  made  them 
peculiarly  dangerous. 

The  required  notice  of  suspension  having  been  given  to  the 
Standing  Committee  of  the  Diocese,  and  an  appeal  made  for  an 
early  investigation,  a  commission  of  inquiry  was  duly  appointed. 
This  commission,  consisting  of  the  Kev.  Henry  J,  Whitehouse,  D.  D., 
the  Kev.  William  H.  Lewis,  the  Hon.  Luther  Bradish,  and  Stephen 
Cambreling,  Esq.,  held  their  first  meeting  on  the  22nd  of  January, 
1849.     In  submitting  the  case  to  them  Dr.  Tyng  said: 

"  I  present  this  whole  matter  to  the  consideration  of  the  Board 
of  Commissioners,  desiring  nothing  but  a  thorough  examination  of 
the  facts  in  the  case.  The  board  will  see  the  vital  importance  of 
this  examination  to  myself.  Charges  of  wicked  and  immoral  con- 
duct have  been  made  against  me,  which,  if  in  the  opinion  of  this 
board  are  sustained  by  facts,  and  the  truth  of  which  are  proved  to 
their  satisfaction,  involve  the  consequent  necessity  of  my  own  per- 
sonal trial  before  the  proper  ecclesiastical  tribunal  He  has  done 
the  utmost  in  his  power  to  injui'e  and  destroy  me.     He  has  publicly 


Ministry,  i8^y  to  i8^j,  219 

and  repeatedly  accused  me  of  wilful  falseliood,  arbitrary  and  violent 
conduct,  a  creating  of  divisions  in  the  coDgregation  committed  to 
me,  and  pecuniary  fraud.  To  the  utmost  extent  of  the  influence 
of  his  name  and  character  he  has  attempted  to  destroy  my  charac- 
ter, to  break  up  my  livelihood,  to  annihilate  my  ministry  and  to 
bring  reproach  upon  my  family.  He  has  had  all  the  advantage  in 
doing  this,  of  his  secret  and  uninterrupted  personal  representations, 
of  his  long  residence  in  the  community,  of  his  occupation  of  many 
responsible  offices  of  public  trust,  of  his  long  connection  with  St. 
George's  Church,  of  my  position  as  a  stranger  in  "this  community, 
brought  here  by  his  action  and  consent,  and  therefore  supposed  to  be 
personally  known  to  him.  Had  not  God  raised  me  up  friends  in 
this  city,  from  among  strangers,  and  protected  me  from  the  effect 
of  his  assaults  upon  me,  his  efforts  would  probably  have  accomplished 
their  purpose,  and  he  would  have  triumphed  over  the  destruction 
of  me  and  my  family.  I  have  borne  these  assaults  without  reply  or 
vindication  of  myself.  He  has  repeatedly  represented  my  silence 
to  be  from  a  consciousness  of  my  guilt,  and  the  impossibility  of  deny- 
ing the  charges  which  he  has  made.  I  have  taken  no  steps  in  any 
way  to  avenge  the  bitter  wrongs  which  I  have  received  through  his 
means. 

"  For  more  than  nine  months  past,  he  has  persevered  in  a  system 
of  secret  persecutions  and  misrepresentations  of  me,  which  have 
alienated  many  persons  from  me,  destroyed  my  happiness,  created 
distrust  in  reference  to  my  ministry,  and  exceedingly  undermined 
my  health. 

*'  No  earthly  consideration  could  have  induced  me  to  undergo 
all  that  I  have  been  thus  required  to  bear.  This  whole  important 
subject  is  now  brought,  as  I  have  much  desired  to  have  it  brought, 
before  a  legal  and  honorable  tribunal.  I  respectfully  ask  a  full 
examination  of  the  facts  involved.  I  have  called  the  charges 
'  grossly  false.'  I  am  ready  to  be  held  responsible  for  the  truth  of 
this.  I  respectfully  ask  that  he  may  be  required  thoroughly  io 
prove  their  truth.  I  have  called  them  *  maliciuus. '  They  have 
bad  no  conceivable  object  or  tendency  but  to  destroy  my  char- 
acter, and  to  hold  me  up  to  public  reprobation  and  reproach, — 
there  being  no  single  point  or  end  which  they  even  profess  to 
accomplish,  but  to  state  what  he  declares  to  be  facts  in  reference 
to  mvself. 

•'  For  the  first  time  in  near  thirty  years'  ministiy,  am  I  to 
answer  for  the  exercise  of  pastoral  discipline.  I  regret  to  trouble 
your  honorable  board  with  such  a  subject  in  connection  with  my- 


220  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

self  I  am  conscious  of  having  endeavored  to  do  my  duty  in  the 
fear  of  God,  and  to  Him  and  to  your  board  under  His  direction,  I 
humbly  and  reverently  entrust  my  cause." 

After  nearly  sixty  sessions  of  from  three  to  four  hours  each,  and 
a  most  exhaustive  examination  of  the  whole  case,  the  commission, 
on  the  5th  of  July,  1849,  in  a  long  and  full  report  reviewed  the 
testimony  minutely,  and  completely  vindicated  Dr.  Tyng  in  all  his 
action. 

It  was  supposed  that  the  whole  case  was  here  concluded,  so  far 
as  the  commission  was  concerned.  A  supplemental  report,  how- 
ever, by  its  chairman,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Whitehouse,  subsequently  made 
to  the  Standing  Committee,  presented  a  further  history.  In  this 
Dr.  Whitehouse  communicated  the  correspondence  and  conversa- 
tions which  he  had  had  with  Mr.  Woolley,  in  which  he  indicated 
the  desire,  through  the  commission,  to  make  a  suitable  expression 
of  his  repentance  and  to  seek  restoration.  The  completion  of  this 
desire  was,  however,  prevented  by  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the 
20th  of  August,  1849.  In  referring  to  it,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lewis,  a 
member  of  the  commission,  in  the  following  letter  expressed  more 
personally  and  even  more  fully  to  Dr.  Tyng  the  complete  vindica- 
tion which  he  had  received: 

Brooklyn,  L.  I.,  Sept.  12,  1849. 

"B&o.  and  "Dear  Brother: — The  sad  termination  of  that  business 
which  has  so  long  occupied  our  attention,  by  the  death  of  Mr. 
Woolley,  has  been  much  in  my  thoughts,  and  undoubtedly  has  had 
a  large  place  in  yours.  And  it  would  be  to  suppose  you  to  be  des- 
titute of  all  feeling,  not  to  conclude,  that  his  decease  under  such 
circumstances  has  caused  you  great  grief.  I  have  felt  as  if  it  was 
my  duty  to  express  to  you  my  sympathy,  under  this  and  all  your 
trials,  and  my  hope  and  prayer,  that  out  of  all,  God  in  His  own 
good  time  may  give  you  deliverance. 

In  the  decision  of  our  commission  exonerating  youTrom  'all 
blame,  in  the  matters  involved  in  Mr.  Woolley's  charges,  I  fully 
concurred. 

My  prejudices  were  in  favor  of  Mr.  Woolley  at  the  outset,  as  T 
am  free  to  confess,  thinking  that  from  your  known  temperament, 
you  might  have  been  hasty  with  him.  But  the  weight  of  strong 
evidence  has  led  me  to  a  different  conclusion,  and  I  rejoice  in  the 
complete  vindication  of  your  character,  a  vindication  which  seems 
to  be  confirmed  by  God's  own  solemn  seal  to  it. 

Excuse  the  liberty  I  have  taken  in  writing  to  you.     My  wish 


Ministry,  iS^y  to  i8^j,  221 

was,  to  express  to  you  my  satisfaction  with  your  whole  course  in 
regard  to  Mr.  WooUey,  and  my  hope  that  you  will  not  let  his  de- 
cease in  any  way  prey  upon  your  mind,  or  give  you  acy  more  than 
that  sorrow  which  all  ought  to  feel  at  such  a  departure  out  of  life. 
I  have  written  in  haste  and  hope  to  see  you  some  time  and  talk 
over  these  things.  And  in  the  meantime,  pray  that  all  may  fit  you 
more  earnestly  and  faithfully  to  discharge  the  great  work  to  which 
you  are  called. 

Very  truly  yours, 

William  H.  Lewis. 

In  a  "Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Congregation  of  St.  George's 
Church,"  in  October,  1849,  the  report  of  the  commissioners  was 
submitted  by  Dr.  Tyng,  and  he  thus  concludes: 

"And  now,  my  beloved  friends  of  the  congregation  of  St. 
George's  Church,  having  furnished  you  with  the  official  documents 
in  this  painful  case,  I  leave  the  whole  matter  for  your  deliberate 
consideration.  You  will  see  that  the  commissioners  appointed  by  the 
Standing  Committee  have  completely  vindicated  my  character  from 
the  libels  published  against  me  by  Brittain  L.  Woolley,  and  sus 
tained  and  justified  my  action  in  maintaining  the  discipline  of  the 
Church. 

"You  will  see  that  probably  the  very  last  writing  of  Mr.  Woolley, 
before  his  death,  was  an  acknowledgment  of  his  regret  over  his 
past  course  in  this  relation,  and  a  declaration  of  his  wish  to  make 
the  restitution  which  should  be  required  for  the  wrong  he  had 
done.  This  action  of  his,  of  course,  furnishes  for  me  the  most 
entire  vindication  and  defence  I  could  have  asked  in  the  case.  I 
exceedingly  regret  that  no  information  was  given  me  of  this  last 
action  of  Mr.  Woolley  until  after  his  death.  The  reason  is  very 
manifest  and  sufficient.  I  had  no  information  of  his  sickness  or 
death  until  after  his  burial.  I  had  no  opportunity,  therefore,  to 
hear  of  any  expressions  of  sorrow  from  him  or  to  act  in  any  way 
regarding  them.  Had  his  views  and  feelings,  as  they  are  stated  in 
his  communications  to  the  commissioners,  been  made  known  to  me 
before  his  death,  I  should  have  been  willing  to  receive  them  as  the 
fulfilment  of  the  rubric  in  reference  to  the  case.  But  he  was  re- 
moved without  the  opportunity  being  thus  given  for  his  restora- 
tion to  the  communion  of  the  Church  on  earth.  The  whole  case 
was  taken  from  the  hands  of  man  before  the  unerring  tribunal  of 
God. 

"  Yet,  his  removal  under   these   circumstances, — his  last   acts 


222  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyngy  D.D. 

being  a  justification  of  the  sentence  under  which  he  had  been 
placed,  and  an  avowal  of  his  sorrow  for  the  wrongs  which  he  had 
(Jone, — furnish  us  a  remembrance  of  him  which  I  think  ought  to 
cover  the  memory  of  his  previous  course  of  error  and  wrong.  And 
I  desire  to  think  of  him,  and  to  have  you  think  of  him,  not  as  a 
Christian  brother  who  had  sinned  and  fallen,  but  as  one  who  had 
acknowledged  his  faults  and  declared  his  repentance;  and  who  had 
been  forgiven  and  restored,  so  far  as  the  act  and  judgment  of  man 
could  have  been  permitted  to  reach. 

"  I  trust,  that  this  whole  dispensation,  painful  and  injurious  as 
it  has  been  to  me,  may  be  made  the  seed  of  lasting  benefit  to  our 
Church,  and  of  glory  and  honor  to  the  great  Master  and  Saviour 
whom  we  serve." 

In  speaking  of  this  case,  Dr.  Tyng  at  one  time  said:  "  It  was  a 
bitter  persecution,  the  most  violent  I  endured  in  my  whole  minis- 
try. It  almost  killed  me.  It  drove  me  down  almost  to  absolute 
death,  literally  so,  for  before  it  came  to  its  conclusion,  I  fell  down 
as  dead  in  the  pulpit,  and  they  carried  me  out.  They  thought  I 
was  dead,  that  I  had  come  before  them  for  the  last  time.  It  seemed 
to  me  it  was  the  article  of  death.  But  the  effect  of  that  trial  was  to 
start  an  energy  in  the  church  which  has  continued  ever  since." 

In  the  midst  of  all  these  anxieties  and  trials,  he  found  oppor- 
tunity, notwithstanding,  to  prepare  a  new  edition  of  his  former 
work,  *'  The  Israel  of  God,"  and  also  a  new  volume,  to  which  he 
gave  the  title,  "  Christ  Is  AJil." 

"The  great  kindness  with  which  his  former  publications 
have  been  received  in  the  Christian  community,"  he  writes, 
in  the  preface  of  this  work,  "  has  emboldened  the  author  to 
offer  also  the  present  work  to  their  acceptance.  His  object  in 
it  is  a  very  distinct  one.  How  far  it  has  been  successfully  ac- 
complished, he  does  not  presume  to  say.  His  purpose  and  wish 
are  to  display  the  spiritual  safety  of  man,  as  found  solely  in  his 
personal  union,  by  a  living  faith,  to  Christ, — a  faith  which  is  of  the 
operation  of  God;  the  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost  within  the  heart. 
He  believes  that  there  is  a  very  extended  tendency  and  disposition 
displayed  in  the  current  writings  upon  the  subjects  of  spiritual  in- 
struction, to  exalt  that  which  is  outward  and  visible  in  religious 
profession  above  that  which  is  inward  and  spiritual  in  religious 
experience.  It  is  a  tendency  which  goes  far  towards  making  the  real 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  the  heart,  appear  fanatical  and  con- 
temptible, while  it  elevates  the  means  and  agencies  which  are  in  the 
hands  of  man,  into  an  undue  place  of  honor  and  regard.     It  almost 


Ministry,  184J  to  18 ^j.  223 

completely  substitutes  the  outward  Church  for  Christ  Himself;  and 
the  form  of  godliness  for  its  power.  It  is  often  united  with  a  mys- 
ticism of  expression,  which  wears  a  false  appearance  of  depth  of 
thought;  and  a  serious  earnestness  of  statement,  which  would  claim 
the  aspect  of  a  real  reverence  for  truth. 

"  Against  this  whole  system  of  ecclesiastical  exaltation,  the 
author  of  this  work  feels  a  deep  repugnance,  as  being  un- 
scriptural  in  its  character,  and  destructire  of  true  spiritual 
piety  in  its  operation.  Without  a  direct  or  avowed  conflict  with 
the  principles  of  this  system  of  error,  as  he  esteems  it,  he  has  at- 
tempted, in  these  pages,  to  state  to  the  best  of  his  ability,  the  oppo- 
site principles  of  gospel  truth. 

*'  They  are  the  gospel  for  which  he  must  contend,  and  which  it 
is  impossible  for  him  to  yield.  Living  or  dying,  all  his  hope  and  all 
his  desire  are  indissolubly  bound  to  the  great  and  precious  truths 
which  are  here  proclaimed." 

In  the  autumn  of  1848,  the  new  St.  George's  Church  was  suffi- 
ciently completed  to  permit  its  occupation  for  public  worship.  The 
opening  service  was,  therefore,  appointed  for  Sunday,  the  19th 
day  of  November. 

An  event  so  anxiously  anticipated,  and  which  had  been  attained 
by  such  effort,  was  indeed  one  which  might  justify  the  expression 
of  exultation  and  be  considered  a  cause  for  rejoicing,  but  Dr.  Tyng's 
only  allusion  to  it  is  found  in  a  letter  written  a  few  days  later  to 
his  son  Dudley,  in  which  he  says: 

"  We  opened  our  new  church  on  Sunday  with  an  immense 
crowd.  How  it  will  succeed  I  am  not  sure.  God  can  carry  us 
through,  if  it  be  His  sacred  will.  I  am  very  much  hurried  and  very 
much  harassed." 

In  the  sermon  which  he  preached  on  this  occasion,  there  is 
no  reference  to  it,  his  topic  being,  "  The  duties  of  the  gospel  min- 
istry," as  suggested  by  the  text,  "Who  is  sufficient  for  these 
things  ?"     II  Corinthians  ii.  16. 

All  questions  as  to  the  future  relations  of  the  new  church  were 
now  finally  settled  by  the  recorded  declaration  of  the  vestry,  that 
it  should  be  thereafter  the  "  Parish  Church,"  and  known  as  "  St. 
George's  Church  in  tlie  City  of  New  York."  In  a  series  of  resolutions 
tho vestry  also  recorded  their  thankfulness,  "to  Almighty  God  in 
prospering  thorn  thus  far;"  to  the  building  committee,  "for  giving 
their  time  and  watchful  attention  to  the  carrying  out  of  the  plan;  '* 
to  tho  treasurer,  Mr.  ^AHiitlock,  for  "  furnisliing  them  witli  the 
necessary   means;  "and   in   conclusion,  "to   their   beloved  pastor. 


224  ^^^-  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

for  the  watchful  and  unremitted  attention  to  the  rise  and  pro- 
gress of  this  sanctuary,  praying  as  they  most  devoutly  would, 
that  his  hfe  and  health  may  be  precious  in  the  sight  of  God, 
and  that  he  may  long  live  to  go  in  and  out  among  thpia 
breaking  the  Bread  of  Life,  and  may  the  blessing  of  God  the 
Saviour  be  upon  him,  never  leaving  him  to  his  own  wisdom  or 
strength,  but  ever  leading  him  to  rely  on  the  wisdom  and 
strength  of  Jehovah,  Jesus,  the  Lord  his  Kighteousness,  and  when 
his  work  is  finished  in  the  sanctuary  below,  may  he  have  an  abun- 
dant entrance  into  the  kingdom  of  God  above." 

Measures  were  at  once  taken  for  the  sale  of  the  pews,  of  which 
there  were  two  hundred  on  the  ground  floor,  and  ninety-three  in 
the  gallery,  the  aggregate  valuation  being  one  hundred  and  fifteen 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  Those  not  sold,  were  di- 
rected to  be  rented  at  an  assessed  annual  rental  of  fifteen  per  cent, 
and  as  the  highest  valuation  was  seven  hundred  dollars,  the  range  being 
from  that  down  to  one  hundred  dollars,  the  rent  in  any  case  was  incon- 
siderable.  In  order,  however,  that  no  one  might  be  debarred  from 
the  possession  of  a  pew  by  reason  of  inability  to  pay  even  the  mod- 
erate rents  designated,  permission  was  given  to  the  committee  to 
modify  the  rents  according  to  their  judgment,  and  in  several  cases 
pews  were  occupied  and  enjoyed  year  after  year  without  any  charge 
whatever.  Such  was  the  care  exercised  that  no  one  should  be  ex- 
cluded from  the  church,  or  the  rightful  occupation  of  their  own 
seat,  and  thus,  if  not  in  form  and  name,  St.  George's  was  from  its 
earliest  opening  essentially  an  open  and  free  church  to  all  who 
wished  to  hear  the  gospel  there  proclaimed. 

The  cost  of  the  church  to  the  time  of  its  opening  for  service 
was  one  hundred  and  ninety-two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars, 
the  whole  of  which  sum  had  been  advanced  by  Mr.  Whit- 
lock.  His  assumption  of  this  responsibility,  even,  as  it  was  known, 
to  the  endangering  of  his  own  commercial  credit,  was  a  remarkable 
proof  of  devotion  and  fidelity  to  the  church  of  which  he  was, 
through  life,  an  earnest  and  honored  member,  as  he  was  an  unwa- 
vering faithful  friend  to  its  pastor.  Of  his  action.  Dr.  Tyng  says  in 
one  of  his  anniversary  sermons: 

"  One  of  the  most  remarkable  of  all  the  features  of  the  history, 
was  the  providence  by  which  internal  dissensions  in  the  congrega- 
tion and  outward  hostility  from  others,  in  whose  hands  there  was 
power  to  annoy,  were  made  to  arrest  the  premature  sale  of  the 
property  of  the  corporation,  and  to  tie  it  up  until  such  a  change  in 
its  value  as  should  fully  reheve  our  obligations  had  taken  place. 


fiiANCKL  OK  ST.  (;koi{(;i:"s  (  111  i;rii. 

1,S|.S      IS(M. 
(Frutn  a  phutoyrapli.) 


Ministry,  184^  to  18 ^j,  225 

"  The  opposition  was  meant  for  evil;  God  was  pleased  to  over- 
rule it  for  remarkable  good.  In  the  meantime  He  gave  to  one  faith- 
ful friend  of  the  church,  the  ability  and  the  will  to  meet  the  whole 
responsibility,  and  it  must  never  be  forgotten  that,  to  his  energy 
and  noble  conception  of  Christian  duty,  this  church  is  wholly  in- 
debted for  the  edifice  in  which  we  now  worship. 

"  The  subsequent  application  of  the  property  of  the  church,  and 
the  complete  overcoming  of  all  the  obstacles  which  were  placed  in 
the  way  of  its  successful  sale,  enabled  the  vestry  to  meet  all  the 
obligations  which  he  assumed.  But  the  prospect  of  such  a  result 
at  the  time  when  this  burden  was  undertaken  by  him,  the  most  pru- 
dent men  would  have  been  ready  to  think  the  least  probable." 

To  render  the  property  of  the  church  available  to  meet  the 
heavy  indebtedness  thus  incurred,  was  the  constant  effort  of  the 
vestry,  but  such  a  result,  unfortunately,  could  not  be  attained  with- 
out the  agreement  of  Trinity  Church.  More  than  a  year  passed 
in  negotiation  before  that  consent  could  be  obtained. 

The  history  of  this  negotiation  is  related  as  follows  by  Dr.  Tyng, 
in  the  pamphlet  before  quoted,  and  is  of  much  interest,  as  it  em- 
bodies the  facts  which  compelled  the  corporation  of  St.  George's  to 
make  a  transfer  of  the  property  in  Beekman  Street,  and  thus 
abandon  their  plans  in  reference  to  that  church. 

"  In  May,  1850,  the  vestry  of  St.  George's  Church,  having  long 
sought  relief  from  Trinity  in  vain,  thus  addressed  that  ancient  cor- 
poration: 

"  '  They  desire  with  perfect  respect  to  remind  your  venerable 
body  that  the  requests  contained  in  said  communications  and  reso- 
lutions, involving  matters  so  vital  to  the  interests  of  our  corpora- 
tion, have  been  before  you  for  action  for  nearly  one  year  and  a 
half,  during  which  time  we  have  been  put  to  much  additional  cost 
and  embarrassment,  from  the  accumulation  of  a  large  amount  of 
interest  on  our  unliquidated  debt,  while  anxiously  waiting  from 
month  to  month  your  favorable  action,  which  from  various' 
precedents,  as  well  as  from  the  entire  reasonableness  of  our 
requests,  we  have  good  grounds  for  confidently  anticipating. 

"  '  This  vestrv  are  constrained  by  their  necessities  to  declare 
that  they  can  not  longer  postpone  definite  action  in  reference  to 
the  sale  of  their  property  consistently  with  their  obligations  to  this 
corjioration  and  its  creditors,  and  that  they  must  proceed,  without 
further  dolay,  to  a  final  disposition  of  their  real  estate,  to  pay  their 
debt,  whether  the  restrictions  are  removed  by  your  action  or  not. 

" '  Having  earnestly  and  patiently  sought  by  all  proper  means 


2  26  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

to  obtain  from  your  corporation  tho  removal  of  these  restrictions, 
valueless  to  you,  but  highly  oppressive  and  embarrassing  to  us,  we 
trust  and  believe  that  you  will  not  subject  us  to  the  pain  and  mor- 
tification of  witnessing  a  needless  sacrifice  of  a  portion  of  that 
property  which  was  gi.ven  for  *  pious  uses,'  and  which  must  be 
for  ever  lost  to  the  Church,  and  enrich  those  mostly  who  have  no 
sympathy  with  its  communion  and  worship,  by  declining  our  prop- 
ositions; but  that  you  will,  by  prompt  and  favorable  action  in  our 
behalf,  place  us  in  such  circumstances  as  you  would  desire,  were 
our  position  your  own.' 

"  In  this  accumulation  of  difficulties  with  which  the  corpora- 
tion of  St.  George's  was  struggling,  and  which  had  been  increased 
and  perpetuated  by  the  refusal  of  release  to  their  property,  on  the 
part  of  Trinity  Church,  this  *  munificent  corporation  '  came  forward 
with  its  first  answer  condescended  to  the  earnest  appeals  from  St. 
George's,  in  the  following  words: 

"  '  This  corporation  will  release  the  condition  or  conditions  oi 
the  grants  respectively  to  St.  George's  Church,  pursuant  to  its 
application,  provided  the  sum  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  slmll  he  paid 
to  this  corporation  as  a  valuable  consideration  therefor.' 

"  Yes,  this  '  munificent  corporation,'  knowing  all  the  pecuniary 
difficulties  and  obligations  with  which  St.  George's  was  actually  con- 
tending, demanded  from  that  struggling  cor^poration  a  payment  in 
money  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  for  the  simple  consent  to  the 
removal  of  a  restriction  from  their  property,  which  the  merest 
justice  required,  and  which  cost  them  nothing.  And  even  this  offer 
was  to  be  connected  with  the  transfer  oftJie  same  restrictions  to  all  the 
new  property  which  the  corporation  of  St.  George's  had  acquired 
on  Stuyvesant  Square,  and  the  church  edifice  which  they  had  built 
thereon.  It  was  probably  anticipated  that  the  vestry  of  St. 
George's  would  refuse  this  unrighteous  demand,  which  they 
instantly  did.  Then  it  was  that  in  June,  1850,  another  proposition 
came  from  Trinity  Church,  in  these  words: 

*' '  That  instead  of  requiring  the  payment  of  twenty-five  thousand 
dollars  by  St.  George's  Church,  that  corporation  shall  convey  the 
church  in  Beekman  Street,  with  the  land  about  it,  which  was  conveyed 
to  it  by  Trinity  Church,  and  with  all  its  furniture,  bell,  clock  and  organ, 
subject  to  the  rights  of  all  vault  and  pew  "owners,  to  such  persons 
or  body  corporate  as  this  corporation  shall  appoint,  upon  the  exe- 
cution and  delivery  to  St.  George's  Church  of  tite  Bond  of  this  corpo- 
ration for  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  payable  in  five  years,  with  six 
per  cent  interest,  payable  half  yearly.' 


Ministry,  184J  to  18 ^j.  227 

"  This '  munificent  corporation '  thus  again  demanded,  not  only  the 
real  estate  of  the  chapel  in  Beekman  Street,  but  also  the  hell,  clock  and 
organ,  neither  of  which  had  been  received  from  Trinity,  but  which 
had  been  purchased  by  the  personal  contributions  of  the  congrega- 
tion of  St.  George's,  at  a  cost  of  near  ten  thousand  dollars.  This  was 
munificence  indeed.  But  such  at  the  time  were  the  circumstances 
of  difficulty  into  which  the  long  continued  refusal  of  the  release  of 
their  property  by  Trinity  Church  had  brought  the  corporation  of 
St.  George's,  and  such  had  been  the  weariness  and  vexation  of  the 
long  years  of  controversy  and  entreaty  which  had  been  carried  on 
with  Trinity  on  this  subject,  that  the  vestry  of  St.  George's  most 
unwillingly  agreed  to  this  proposal,  and  thus  far  deviated  from 
their  determined  line  of  duty,  and  their  earnest  desire  in  regard  to 
the  maintenance  of  St.  George's  Chapel,  Beekman  Street,  as  a 
free  chapel,  by  the  corporation  of  St.  George's  Church,  and  yielded 
to  the  proposal  to  transfer  that  property  to  another  corporation. 

*'  Their  final  agreement  upon  this  subject  was  completed  in 
November,  1850,  by  the  nomination  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Evangelists,  to  whom  the  property  in  Beekman  Street  was  trans- 
ferred in  July,  1851.  Thus  St.  George's  yielded  a  real  property 
valued  at  seventy-five  thousand  dollars,  with  furniture  worth  more 
than  five  thousand  dollars  besides,  for  the  free  use  of  the  Church  of 
the  Evangelists,  receiving  only  the  bond  of  Trinity  for  twenty- five 
thousand  dollars,  of  which  Trinity  received  a  portion  in  return,  how 
large  we  are  not  able  to  say,  from  the  subsequent  sale  of  the  prop- 
erty in  Vandewater  Street,  before  occupied  by  the  Church  of  the 
Evangelists. 

"  In  regard  to  St.  George's,  it  was  a  cruel  and  bitter  scheme  of 
oppression,  apparently  designed  to  accomplish  the  ruin  of  that 
church.  But  the  good  providence  of  God  made  its  result  a  vast 
gain  to  St.  George's.  There  was  an  immense  and  unexpected  rise 
in  the  value  of  their  property  while  it  was  thus  tied  up  by  Trinity, 
which  more  than  compensated  St.  George's  for  all  the  evils  and 
loss  of  that  delay,  and  called  for  their  gratitude  to  the  Divine  pro- 
tection, however  little  they  owed  to  the  *  kind  interposition  of  this 
munificent  corporation'.  " 

The  report  of  the  committee  which  had  been  charged  with  this 
whole  negotiation,  expressed  the  satisfaction  with  which  it  was 
accomplished  and  the  important  results  attained,  when  they  said: 

"  In  closing  their  protracted,  complicated  and  laborious  negoti- 
ation with  Trinity  Church,  your  committee  are  grateful  to  be  able 
to  say  that  they  have  yielded  no  principle  of  independence  or  right. 


228  Rev.  Stephen  Higgi7ison    Tyng,  D.D, 

and  that  the  settlement  of  the  question  at  issue  has  been  made 
upon  a  mutually  acknowledged  prerogative  and  obligation,  lour 
committee  have  felt  the  anxiety,  so  often  expressed  by  the  vestry, 
to  sell  the  property  of  this  corporation  for  the  purpose  of  reducing 
its  large  debt,  but  they  judged  it  would  be  better  to  wait,  at  some 
inconvenience,  until  the  restrictions  existing  in  the  deeds  from 
Trinity  Church  should  be  removed.  We  have  thus  tlie  gratification 
to  announce  to  the  vestry  the  completion  of  these  arrangements,  so 
vitally  important  to  the  interests  and  prosperity  of  this  parish, 
removing,  as  they  do,  every  obstacle  of  an  outward  character  to  its 
advancement  and  increase.  We  secure  to  the  inhabitants  of  old 
Montgomerie  Ward,  and  to  those  of  our  friends,  who  feel  a  deep 
interest  in  sustaining  it,  the  old  church  in  Beekman  Street,  with  its 
vaults  for  the  dead,  in  perpetuity  by  the  bond  of  Trinity  Church  to 
us,  while  those  of  us  who  love  the  church  on  Stuyvesant  Square, 
for  its  unrivalled  appropriateness  and  beauty,  for  its  associations, 
as  well  as  what  it  has  cost  us  in  labor  and  treasure,  will  rejoice  to 
know  that  its  perpetuity  in  our  communion  is  secured  by  our  bond 
to  Trinity  Church,  and  thus  it  must  ever  remain  in  its  present  con- 
nection and  position. 

"We  gladly  acknowledge  that  'hitherto  the  Lord  hath  helped 
us,'  and  by  His  wisdom  and  strength  alone  we  have  been  prospered." 

When  the  settlement  with  Trinity  Church  had  been  thus 
arranged,  sales  of  property  were  made,  aggregating  two  hundred 
and  ten  thousand  dollars  in  amount.  This  more  than  sufficed  to 
hquidate  the  whole  indebtedness,  besides  leaving  eight  lots  with 
the  buildings  thereon  unsold. 

For  the  property  so  disposed  of  an  advance  of  about  seventy- 
five  per^cent  was  obtained  over  the  valuation  of  the  same  property 
in  1846,  when  the  new  church  was  at  first  projected,  so  bounti- 
fully had  all  obstacles  been  overruled  to  its  jDcrmanent  benefit  and 
prosperity.  , 

In  the  meantime,  it  having  been  learned  that  the  Right  Rev. 
Carlton  Chase,  Bishop  of  the  Diocese  of  New  Hampshu'e,  had  con- 
sented to  perform  Episcopal  services  in  the  still  existing  vacancy  in 
the  Episcopate  of  New  York,  request  was  made  for  the  appointment 
of  a  day  for  the  consecration  of  St.  George's  Church.  The  day 
originally  selected,  the  29th  of  November,  1849,  having  been  ap- 
pointed as  the  annual  day  of  Thanksgiving,  Tuesday,  the  4th  of 
December,  was  subsequently  designated. 

On  that  day,  therefore,  the  new  church  was  duly  cousecrated  oy 
Bishop  Chase,  in  the  presence  of  about  fifty  of  the  clergy  of  the  eity 


Ministry,  iS^j  to  18^3.  229 

and  neighborhood,  and  a  very  large  congregation.  The  clergy  assist- 
ing in  the  service  were  the  Rev.  Gregory  T.  Bedell,  rector  of  the 
Church  of  the  Ascension,  the  Rev.  Benjamin  I.  Haight,  professor 
of  Pastoral  Theology  in  the  General  Theological  Seminary,  the  Rev. 
Lewis  W.  Balch,  D.  D.,  Rector  of  St,  Bartholomew's  Church,  the 
Rev.  Jonathan  M.  Wainwright,  D.  D.,  assistant  minister  in  Trinity 
Church,  the  Rev»  Wm.  Berrian,  D.  D.,  rector  of  Trinity  Church, 
and  the  Rev.  Francis  L.  Hawks,  D.  D.,  rector  of  the  Church  of  the 
Mediator.  The  sermon  was  preached  by  Dr.  Tyng,  upon  the  text, 
"  My  dove,  my  undefiled  is  one,"  Song  of  Solomon  vi.  9,  but  the 
manuscript  was  not  preserved,  and  no  adequate  report  of  its  con- 
tents can  now  be  obtained. 

When  the  church  was  thus  consecrated  the  chapel  or  lecture- 
room  had  been  completed,  and  the  whole  work  of  the  church  could 
be  at  once  put  in  full  operation.  The  arrangement  of  its  services 
then  made  was  continued  through  all  the  subsequent  years  of  Dr. 
Tyng's  ministry,  with  scarcely  a  variation  in  the  whole  period  of 
more  than  twenty-five  years,  and  he  was  seldom  absent  from  the 
pulpit  at  any  service.  In  one  of  his  reports  he  mentions  having 
been  absent  but  fifteen  times  in  three  years,  an  average  of  but  five 
times  in  each  year. 

His  custom  of  devoting  the  afternoon  service  on  Sunday  partic- 
ularly to  the  young,  was  regularly  maintained.  The  various 
courses  of  these  sermons,  on  subjects  which  would  specially  interest 
and  instruct  them,  and  in  language  which  the  youngest  could 
understand,  will  be  remembered  by  many  who  heard  them,  and 
were  means  of  untold  influence  and  blessing.  The  series  beginning 
in  January, 1849,  with  the  history  of  Ruth,  was  continued  by  that  of 
Samson,  Joseph,  Esther,  David  and  Daniel,  and  followed  by  courses 
of  sermons  on  the  "  Religious  Instruction  of  Animal  Instinct," 
"The  Mountains  of  Scripture,"  "The  Christian's  Journey,"  and 
"The  Botany  of  Scripture."  Such  was  his  comprehensive  plan  for 
the  instruction  of  the  young  of  his  congregation,  which  naturally 
attracted  a  regularity  of  attendance,  not  only  from  them,  but  from 
many  not  of  the  church,  who  delighted  in  the  instruction  offered. 

The  Sunday  sermons  were,  however,  a  small  part  of  his  preach- 
ing. Two  lectures  in  every  week  were  regularly  maintained  in  the 
lecture-room,  throughout  every  season.  One  on  every  Wednesday 
evening  was  particularly  applied  to  the  religious  instruction  and 
edification  of  communicants  and  members  of  the  church,  while  that 
on  Friday  evening  was  specially  for  the  Sunday  School  teachers 
and   older  scholars,   the  subject  being  always  the   lesson  for  the 


230  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson   lyngy  D,D. 

following  Sunday.  To  these  was  added  a  preparatory  lecture  on 
the  Saturday  preceding  the  monthly  communion. 

A  very  large  addition  was  made,  however,  when  the  season  of 
Lent  was  reached,  and  the  special  lectures  of  that  time  were  begun 
without  interruption  to  any  of  the  others.  These  were  afternoon 
lectures,  in  an  entirely  distinct  course,  occujDying  always  two,  and 
in  some  years,  four  afternoons  in  each  week.  Thus  every  day  had 
its  appointed  lecture  to  be  prepared,  and  each  week  five  different 
courses  of  instruction  were  in  progress.  The  Bible,  which  contains 
a  note  of  every  text  from  which  Dr.  Tyng  preached  during  more 
than  twenty-five  years,  has  a  record  of  more  than  sixty  sermons 
delivered  in  St.  George's  Church  and  chapel,  in  the  Lenten  season 
of  1850,  and  the  same  number  is  maintained  in  every  subsequent 
season  for  many  years.  Such  a  plan  of  work,  with  all  the  attend- 
ing requirements  and  demands  of  such  a  pai'ish  as  St.  George's, 
might  well  be  thought  to  exceed  the  ability  of  any  one  to  maintain 
unaided,  as  he  was  at  any  time,  by  any  assistant  other  than  in  the 
reading  of  the  services  of  Sunday.  It  was  carried  on,  however, 
regularly  and  systematically  through  every  recurring  year,  the 
number  of  two  hundred  sermons  being  one  from  which  in  all  this 
time  there  was  seldom  any  variation. 

To  these  public  services,  however,  are  to  be  added  those  which 
Dr.  Tyng  deemed  of  even  greater  value  to  the  fruitfulness  of  his 
ministry,  and  which  bound  the  hearts  of  his  people  so  strongly  to 
him.  Constant  as  he  was  in  the  regular  visiting  of  the  families  of 
the  church,  he  was  untiring  in  his  attention  and  ministry  to  the 
sick  or  afflicted  among  them.  Nor  were  these  visits  Hmited  to 
those  of  his  own  congregation.  Former  parishioners,  and  even 
entire  strangers,  who  knew  of  him  only  by  reputation,  constantly 
sent  for  him,  and  to  such  he  never  failed  to  devote  unceasing  care, 
at  whatever  sacrifice  it  might  be.  Many  are  the  cases  which  might 
be  related  in  which  a  blessed  influence  was  exerted  even  in  these 
temporary  ministrations.  It  was  a  matter  of  knowledge  that  the 
rectors  of  two  neighboring  churches  habitually  sent  for  him  to 
visit  the  sick  in  their  congregations,  simply  because  he  was  so 
acceptable  and  so  useful  in  such  ministry. 

"Writing  of  him  at  this  period.  Dr.  Heman  Dyer  says,  in  his 
"  Record  of  an  Active  Life:  " 

"  During  those  days,  I  saw  much  of  Dr.  Tyng,  and  was  greatly 
impressed  by  his  administrative  abilities.  He  was  both  methodical, 
and  yet  very  rapid  in  action. 

"  The  new  St.  George's  had  but  recently  been  opened,  and  he 


Ministry,  184^  to  18 §j,  231 

was  intensely  engaged  in  building  up  a  comparatively  new  con- 
gregation. 

"It  was  easy  to  see  many  of  the  sources  of  his  wonderful  power. 
Beside  his  remarkable  gift  as  a  preacher,  he  was  very  accessible, 
full  of  sympathy  and  ready  everywhere,  and  on  all  occasions,  to 
lend  a  helpmg  hand.  These  and  other  traits  endeared  him  to  his 
people,  both  to  the  young  and  the  old.  The  children  were  amaz- 
ingly fond  of  him,  and  in  ministering  among  the  sick  and  sorrow- 
ing he  had  few  equals. 

•'  It  was  also  easy  to  see  why  he  might  be  disliked  by  those  op- 
posed to  him.  While  generous  in  all  his  instincts,  he  was  fearless, 
and  at  times  fearfully  scathing,  in  his  denunciations  of  what  he 
deemed  wrong.  He  was  certainly  a  foe  to  be  dreaded,  and  often 
to  be  feared." 

During  the  year  1851,  Dr.  Tyng  received  the  honorary  degree  of 
doctor  of  divinity  from  Harvard  College.  Though  the  same  degree 
had  been  conferred  upon  him  in  1834  by  Jefferson  College,  it  was 
a  highly  appreciated  honor  when  it  was  given  to  him  by  his  Alma 
Mater,  rej^resenting  theological  doctrines  so  diametrically  opposed 
to  those  which  were  the  unceasing  topic  of  his  whole  ministry  and 
discourse. 

Soon  after  the  opening  of  the  church,  the  vestry  were  called 
upon  to  record  the  loss  of  another  of  their  associates  in  the  work 
now  accomplished.  At  their  meeting  on  the  6th  of  April,  1850,  the 
death  of  Mr.  Thomas  L.  Callender,  having  been  announced,  united 
testimony  to  his  character  was  borne,  by  the  following  minute,  there- 
upon recorded: 

"  Resolved:  That  this  vestry  bear  in  grateful  remembrance  the 
fidelity,  patience  and  unobtrusive  Christian  character  of  their  late 
associate,  Thomas  L.  Callender,  for  many  years  connected  with  the 
corporation  of  this  church,  in  the  prosperity  of  which  he  manifested 
the  liveliest  interest. 

"  Resolved:  That  while,  with  the  family  of  the  deceased,  we 
mourn  the  loss  of  one  with  whom  we  have  long  taken  sweet  counsel 
and  walked  together  in  perfect  harmony  in  endeavoring  to  promote 
the  best  interests  of  the  parish  committed  to  our  trust,  yet  we  are 
comforted  in  our  loss  by  the  assurance  that  our  deceased  brother 
is  now  enjoying  that  rest  from  his  labors  which  is  the  purchased 
possession  of  those  who,  through  faith  and  patience,  inherit  the 
promises  of  a  covenant-keeping  God." 

Few  had  been  more  diligent  and  earnest  in  its  work  than  Mr. 
Callender,  during  his  ten  years'  service  in  the   vestry,  which  was 


232  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

just  completed  at  his  death.  And  none  of  its  members  had  been 
more  unswerving  in  attachment  to  Dr.  Tyng  through  all  the  trials 
which  he  then  lately  had  been  required  to  endure. 

The  wonderful  manner  in  which  all  these  obstacles  to  the  pros- 
perity of  St.  George's  had  been  overcome,  was  viewed  by  its  vestry 
as  imposing  a  responsibility  fo^  its  future,  rather  than  as  giving 
them  relief  from  anxiety  for  its  present.  In  fulfilment  of  this 
obligation,  the  most  rigid  care  was  ever  after  exercised  to  j^rotect 
its  invested  fund,  and  no  circumstances  of  temporary  requirement 
could  ever  induce  them  to  depart  from  this  principle.  When  the 
erection  of  a  rectory  was  proposed  in  the  spring  of  1851,  the 
project  was  fully  considered,  and  in  a  report  then  made  by  a  com- 
mittee appointed  for  this  purpose,  the  future  policy  of  the  corpora- 
tion was  thus  determined: 

"The  value  of  the  real  estate  belonging  to  the  corporation  in 
the  Third  Ward^  together  with  bonds  and  mortgages  remaining  in 
the  hands  of  the  treasurer,  after  cancelling  all  our  indebtedness, 
will  be  about  One  Hundred  Thousand  dollars. 

"  Your  committee  recommend,  in  view  of  the  source  and  pur- 
pose of  the  endowments  as  originally  made  to  this  corporation  and 
of  the  circumstances  of  necessity  which  may  arise  hereafter,  in  so 
large  and  expensive  a  church  establishment  as  ours,  that  no  portion 
of  the  principal  of  our  present  property  be  expended  or  used  for  pur- 
poses of  building,  improvement  or  current  expenses.  They  also 
earnestly  recommend  to  this  present  vestry  and  their  successors  in 
ojB&ce,  not  to  use  any  greater  portion  of  the  surplus  revenue  of  the 
church  than  will  accrue  in  five  years  from  the  time  any  appropria- 
tion may  be  made.  Should  the  finances  of  the  corporation  be 
wisely  administered,  the  net  income  from  the  property  and  the  rent 
from  pews  will  probably  exceed  our  necessary  expenses  four  thousand 
to  six  thousand  dollars  per  annum,  to  which  may  be  added  a  consid- 
erable sum  from  the  sale  of  pews  every  year,  from  the  large  number 
still  unsold.  This  will  be  ample  in  a  few  years  to  pay  for  a  rectory, 
complete  the  spires,  purchase  an  organ,  and  afterward  to  build  and 
sustain  a  chapel  for  the  poor  in  the  destitute  part  of  the  city." 

The  firmness  with  which  this  resolution  was  ever  after  adhered 
to,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say,  has  contributed,  more  than  any  other 
cause,  to  the  maintenance  of  St.  George's  Church  in  its  prosperity 
and  position.  It  was  a  principle  which  Dr.  Tyng  guarded  with  the 
utmost  jealousy.  He  constantly  insisted  that  the  future  of  St. 
George's  must  be  as  a  Free  Church,  and  claimed  that  the  income 
from  the  endowment  fund  thus  protected,  would  always  support  a 


Ministry,  184'/  to  18 ^j,  233 

ministry,  while  the  offerings  of  the  congregation  would  suffice  to 
meet  the  remaining  expenses.  When  this  earhest  action  was  taken, 
however,  the  day  seemed  far  distant  when  such  necessity  should 
arise. 

In  all  the  existing  circumstances  the  erection  of  a  rectory  was 
deemed  to  be  expedient,  and  to  it,  on  its  completion  in  the  spring 
of  1852,  Dr.  Tyng  removed,  making  it  his  home,  convenient  and 
desirable  in  aU  its  arrangements,  for  the  next  twenty-five  years, 
untn  his  retirement  from  the  rectorship  of  St.  George's  made 
the  provision  of  another  necessary. 

Thus  in  the  period  of  seven  years  from  his  election  as  rector,  the 
new  St.  George's,  with  its  rectory  and  chapel  complete,  had  been 
built  at  a  cost  of  over  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Noth- 
ing remained  in  the  completion  of  the  building,  but  the  erection  of 
the  spires,  which,  in  the  prudence  and  care  exercised,  was  post- 
poned for  a  few  years.  Every  difficulty  had  been  overcome,  and 
the  church  firmly  established  in  the  most  prosj^erous  condition, 
with  a  congregation  which  in  its  influence  and  power  was  proba- 
bly never  exceeded. 

Every  step  in  its  progress  displayed  the  indomitable  energy  and 
earnestness  of  its  rector,  and  the  unity  and  devotion  of  its  people. 


CHAPTER  IVo 

VISIT  TO  EUROPE,  1853.    MINISTRY,  1853  to  1857. 

The  work  of  St.  George's  Church  continued  from  year  to  year  in 
a  course  of  uninterrupted  prosperity  and  increasing  power.  The 
ministry  of  Dr.  Tyng  as  its  rector,  was,  however,  a  life  of  uninter- 
mitted  labor.  He  Hterally  had  no  season  of  rest  while  he  was 
within  reach  of  the  incessant  demands  to  which  he  would  not 
refuse  to  respond.  He  would  not  spare  himself,  and  his  periodical 
voyages  to  Europe,  therefore,  became  a  necessity.  In  no  other  way 
could  recreation  be  obtained. 

In  the  spring  of  1853,  five  years  of  even  unusual  anxiety  and 
toil  had  been  past,  and  it  was  not  only  evident  that  some  rehof 
must  be  sought,  but  that  it  could  not  be  longer  postponed.  He 
was  therefore  urged  to  make  another  visit  to  Europe,  and  em- 
braced the  opportunity  to  revisit  his  many  friends  in  England. 
All  preparations  were  made  that  he  might  be  present  at  the  anni- 
versary meetings  in  London,  in  May,  and  in  their  enjoyment  a  fort- 
night was  most  pleasantly  spent.  His  journal  of  this  time  is  filled 
with  a  graphic  account  of  these  occasions,  of  so  much  interest,  in 
which  he  constantly  participated  in  some  way. 

The  "  Slavery  Question,"  which  at  the  time  was  the  cause  of  so 
great  agitation  in  this  country,  was  found  an  even  more  disturbing 
factor  in  England.  The  several  references  to  it  indicate  most 
clearly  Dr.  Tyng's  views  upon  the  subject,  as  well  as  his  own 
relation  and  action  in  the  circumstances  in  which  he  was  thus 
placed. 

Writing  from  London  on  the  day  succeeding  his  arrival,  he  says : 

"  I  arrived  here  once  more  last  night.  I  went  to  the  Church 
Missionary  House  and  the  Bible  House.  In  each  place  I  found 
myself  at  home  and  among  friends.  At  the  latter  I  found  quite  a 
stir  about  the  American  delegates  on  the  subject  of  slavery.  Mrs. 
Stowe's  arrival  is  to  blow  everything  into  a  flame. 

"  The  papers  had  assailed  some  of  the  gentlemen  from  America 

234 


Visit  to  Europe,  235 

by  name,  and  had  threatened  to  prevent  their  appearing  on  the 
platform,  because  they  were  not  clear  on  the  subject  of  slavery. 

"  I  endeavored  to  settle  the  matter  the  best  way  I  could,  being 
chairman  of  the  committee  by  whom  the  delegates  were  appointed, 
but  not  myself  a  delegate.  I  hope  we  may  get  through  peacefully, 
but  I  have  some  fears  that  all  things  will  not  be  pleasant." 

Of  this  meeting  some  days  later,  he  writes: 

"  Wednesday,  May  4th.  This  was  Bible  Society  day,  but  the 
slavery  question  made  it  the  poorest  meeting  of  all. 

"  There  was  no  disturbance,  as  we  feared  there  might  be,  but 
every  reference  to  the  subject  in  any  speech  awakened  the  utmost 
demonstration  of  feeling. 

"  The  first  speaker  was  Baptist  Noel.  When  he  spoke  of  the 
Bible  as  '  the  great  emancipator,'  there  was  a  storm  of  applause. 
This  was  the  key-note.  Every  reference  to  it  xjroduced  animation, 
everything  beside  sounded  flat." 

"  I  had  made  an  appointment  with  the  Kev.  Mr.  Crummell,  a 
black  man,  to  meet  me  here  this  morning.  He  came  in  at  breakfast 
time,  and  I  invited  him  to  breakfast  with  me,  which  he  did.  I  was 
amazed  to  see  the  glances  of  the  people  around  the  coffee-room. 
They  showed  me  that  all  the  English  plea  of  indifference  to  color 
is  mere  pretence.  Here  was  an  American  clergyman  at  breakfast 
with  a  black  man,  and  Englishmen  not  well  satisfied  with  the  fact  as 
it  appeared 

"  I  dined  with  Mr.  Seeley,  and  had  a  slavery  discussion  with  a 
young  Mr.  McGregor,  a  religious  and  sensible  man.  He  soon  found 
that  there  were  more  difficulties  in  the  way  than  he  imagined.  This 
subject  has  to  be  met  everywhere.  I  am  resolved  to  meet  it  on 
all  occasions  with  good  humor.  Excitement  of  temper  would  be 
most  of  all  foolish  on  such  an  occasion.  I  am  persuaded  that  the 
English  people  will  be  wearied  with  the  Stowe  farce  before  they 
get  through  with  it." 

Another  reference  to  the  same  subject  is  made  at  a  subsequent 
date;  when  describing  a  part  of  his  tour  in  Switzerland,  he  writes: 

"  The  road  for  us  was  a  foot-path  over  the  great  Scheidack, 
which  separates  this  valley  from  Meiningen.  It  is  a  walk  of  about 
ten  hours;  we  made  it  twelve.  We  took  horses  as  far  as  the  sum- 
mit of  the  mountain,  and  walked  down.  Three  hours  were  con- 
sumed in  the  ascent.  When  I  came  to  start,  the  horse-master  re- 
fused to  have  my  bag  put  upon  the  back  of  a  horse,  averring  that 
it  was  too  heavy.  The  alternative  proposed,  was  to  hire  a  man  to 
carry  it,  to  which  I  assented,  though  I  was  to  pay  ten  francs  addi- 


236  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

tional.  After  we  had  gone  on  our  way  about  an  hour,  we  overtook 
the  '  man,'  and  it  was  a  poor  girl  about  eighteen  years  old. 

"  I  scolded  the  guide  with  the  utmost  indignation.  But  it  was 
of  no  avail,  the  poor  creature  was  required  to  carry  the  load  upon 
her  back  over  the  mountain  more  than  6,000  feet  high.  He  de- 
clared it  was  her  own  desire.  I  told  him  that  only  made  the  matter 
worse.  These  women  are  so  degraded  and  wretched  that  they 
are  thankful  to  do  anything  for  an  increase  of  their  means  of  com- 
fort. And  yet  these  are  the  people  all  through  Europe  who  cry 
over  *  Uncle  Tom.' 

"The  degradation  of  the  laboring  people  of  Germany  and 
Switzerland  is  far  beneath  the  lowest  level  of  our  slavery;  the 
licentiousness  of  France  habitually  beyond  the  grossest  charges 
against  American  slavery.  The  hypocrisy  and  mawkishness  of  this 
whole  movement  are  most  disgusting." 

At  the  end  of  his  visit  in  London,  he  had  arranged  to  make  a 
short  trip  on  the  Continent  with  Drs.  Butler,  Vinton  and  Vermilye, 
and  on  the  14th  of  May  took  his  departure  to  meet  them  in  Brus- 
sels. His  notes  of  this  journey  afford  many  passages  illustrative  of 
his  feeling  and  thought,  and  in  the  following  extracts  require  no 
comment: 

"  Sunday,  May  22d.  Thankful  I  arose  refreshed  this  morning. 
I  desire  to  be  truly  and  deeply  thankful  for  the  Lord's  goodness 
thus  continued.  Every  day  renews  His  mercies  and  makes  more 
manifest  the  riches  of  His  love  in  a  divine  Saviour.  Oh,  that  my 
heart  might  truly  feel  its  dependence  and  its  joy  in  Him  !  At  11 
A.M.  and  3  P.M.  I  attended  the  English  Church.  The  service  most 
agreeable,  the  preaching  exceedingly  poor.  It  is  amazing  to  me 
how  few  men  I  find  who  seem  to  preach  the  gospel  as  if  they 
understood  and  felt  its  power. 

"  This  is  Trinity  Sunday,  and  how  full  of  grace  and  blessedness 
is  that  grand  doctrine  which  lies  at  the  very  foundation  of  the 
whole  gospel,  and  seems  to  compel  us  to  speak  of  the  Father's 
love,  of  the  Son's  obedience,  and  of  the  Spirit's  comfort  and  guid- 
ance. I  cannot  abide  to  hear  a  man  spend  a  whole  Sunday  in  the 
barren  attempt  to  prove  the  doctrine  true.  Why,  what  heart  that 
feels  the  power  of  the  gospel  doubts  it?  I  want  to  have  its 
preciousness  unfolded,  its  intermingled  application  to  the  whole 
experience  of  the  soul,  its  ever-springing  source  of  consolation 
and  support  to  the  believing  soul,  its  sure  foundation  for  faith 
and  its  attractive  invitation  to  human  hope.  How  will  a  lecture 
upon  the  prism  or  the  varied  operations  of  the  sunbeam  warm 


Visit  to  Europe,  237 

me  ?  Give  me  sunshine  itself.  This  is  what  I  need.  I  care  not 
how  sunshine  is  made,  I  want  the  sunshine  after  it  is  made. 
The  man  gave  me  no  sunshine  to-day,  and  I  am  no  wiser  than  I  was 
this  morning.  I  wandered  after  service  in  a  soHtary  walk  of  four 
or  five  miles  around  the  beautiful  grounds  which  surround  this  free 
and  flourishing  town,  and  felt  happier.  Here  one  thing  has  aston- 
ished me;  I  have  not  met  a  single  man  in  Fra-nkfort  whom  J  recog- 
nized as  a  popish  priest.  The  first  European  city  I  was  ever  in  of 
which  I  could  say  that.  I  am  now  on  the  old  ground  of  the  Eefor- 
mation.  Eeformed  Churches  are  large,  and  their  congregations 
seem  large  also.  But  it  has  been  a  barren  Sabbath.  How  I  long 
to  be  at  home  again. 

"Wednesday,  May  25.  I  stopped  at  Erfurt,  while  my  com- 
panions went  on  to  Leipsic.  At  Erfurt  is  the  monastery  in  which 
Luther  was  a  monk,  and  where  he  first  read  the  Bible  in  the  library 
of  the  convent.  The  convent  has  been  converted  into  an  Orphan 
House,  but  Luther's  cell  remains  unaltered.  Its  walls  are  inscribed 
with  texts  of  Scripture  written  by  himself,  and  lately  retouched  to 
make  them  intelligible.  Here  in  this  very  cell  he  passed  his  years 
of  struggling  from  the  bondage  of  Rome,  and  learned  the  truth 
which  he  was  afterwards  so  powerfully  to  preach. 

"After  dinner  we  went  to  Halle  for  the  night,  arriving  there  in 
time  to  inspect  Francke's  immense  Orphan  House.  Here  this  good 
man  began  to  teach  a  few  poor  orphans,  without  funds  or  means, 
and  the  work  so  increased  upon  his  hands  that  now  there  are  more 
than  two  thousand  pensioners  there.  It  was  incredible  to  me  as  I 
stood  and  looked  at  this  wonderful  establishment,  that  all  this 
should  be  the  result  of  one  man's  labor.  How  little  do  the  most  of 
men  accomplish  in  life  !  Here  is  benevolence  triumphant,  as  other 
objects  have  given  me  truth  triumphant  in  Luther.  I  was  much 
impressed  with  the  plans  and  cheap  character  of  the  buildings. 
Nothing  for  display.  No  ornament  before  the  eye,  but  extent  and 
usefulness  and  operation  the  character.  I  hope  I  may  be  excited 
and  encouraged  by  the  view. 

"  Thursday,  ^lay  26.  Left  Halle  this  morning  for  Berlin.  At 
Willemburg,  so  many  recollections  of  the  great  reformer  are  gath- 
ered, that  it  was  an  attractive  spot.  The  two  daughters  of  the 
pastor  of  the  Church  in  which  ho  is  buried,  were  my  guides.  I 
went  to  the  church  and  stood  upon  his  tomb,  and  contemplated 
the  door  where  he  nailed  his  theses  against  Rome,  the  first  chal- 
lenge of  the  Reformation.  We  went  to  his  house  in  the  university, 
where  he  was  a  professor.     Here  his  study  remains,  and  its  old 


22,S  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

furniture  is  there.  Everything  brings  back  the  brave  old  man 
faithfully  before  the  view.  Yes,  here  is  the  spot  on  which  these 
great  scenes,  which  have  so  long  interested  me,  and  from  which  all 
that  is  good  or  great  on  earth  has  come,  were  transacted.  How 
wonderful  what  one  man  may  be  made  the  instrument  of  accom- 
plishing !     We  arrived  at  Berlin  in  the  evening. 

"Saturday,  May  28.  We  went  this  morning  to  Potsdam,  the 
royal  city,  the  Versailles  of  Berlin.  Here  everything  which  money 
can  do  to  create  splendor,  with  no  natural  advantages,  has  been 
done.  The  palaces  of  Frederick  the  G-reat,  are  the  astonishment  of 
the  world.  All  manifest  the  power  of  the  man.  He  was  perhaps  one 
of  the  most  execrable  of  mankind.  Here  he  maintained  his  infidel 
club,  with  the  avowed  purpose  of  extinguishing  Christianity.  But 
the  gospel  remains,  and  his  infidel  club  and  all  its  power  have  van- 
ished. How  puny  is  man,  in  contrast  with  God  !  Our  hours  were 
passed  in  wandering  through  these  magnificent  scenes,  within  and 
without,  until,  wearied,  we  returned  to  Berlin. 

"  Sunday,  May  29.  This  day  but  one  opportunity  of  English 
service  is  presented,  in  a  miserable  little  chapel  adjoining  the  hotel. 
Poorer  than  anything  before  was  the  service.  A  few  people  gath- 
ered to  hear  a  sermon,  which  none  of  them  understood  and  which 
gave  no  light  to  any.  There  was  nothing  to  make  up,  but  the 
service  of  the  liturgy,  which  remains,  however,  real.  I  think  if  the 
people  of  St.  George's  could  have  for  seven  weeks  what  I  have  had 
for  seven  Sundays,  they  would  never  complain  of  anything  they 
have  ever  heard  yet.  Surely  never  did  I  pass  one  Sunday  in  my 
own  land  so  barren  as  these.  I  shall  never  complain  of  the  provis- 
ions of  my  own  land  for  body  or  spirit  after  this  tour.  Gladly 
shall  I  turn  my  face  homeward  as  soon  as  possible. 

"  Tuesday,  May  31st,  Dresden.  The  two  great  objects  of  curi- 
osity in  Dresden  are  the  picture  gallery  and  the  immense  collec- 
tion of  jewels  belonging  to  the  King  of  Saxony.  The  gallery 
contains  the  works  of  many  of  the  masters  of  the  art.  But  the 
chief  picture  in  it,  a  picture  which  can  never  be  copied,  is  Raphael's 
celebrated  Madonna.  Certainly  this  transcends  every  thing  in  the 
shape  of  a  picture,  in  its  heavenly  and  exalted  character.  The  eye 
never  tires  in  contemplating  it.  It  would  be  well  worth  a  building 
by  itself.  We  wandered  through  the  halls  amazed.  Yet  there  is 
always  a  painful  thought  connected  with  the  whole.  Nothing 
seems  to  have  awakened  the  power  of  these  artists  of  celebrity  but 
superstition  and  crime.  The  moment  they  get  out  of  one,  they 
revel  in  (lie  other.     The  number   of  pictures  devoted  to  popish 


Visit  to  Europe.  239 

superstition  is  immense.  The  number  devoted  to  all  the  aspects 
of  human  licentiousness,  in  every  shape  of  heathen  mythology,  is 
also  immense.  But  there  is  nothing  else.  Nothing  to  awaken 
high  emotions,  or  to  excite  or  encourage  the  exercise  of  emotions 
of  virtue.  This  fact  has  always  struck  me  in  European  galleries, 
never  so  strongly  as  in  this  of  Dresden.  When  shaU  the  highest 
art  be  devoted  to  the  highest  purposes  ?  That  it  may  be  so,  how 
evident  is  it  from  Lessing's  two  noble  pictures  of  Huss. 

"  I  determined  to  pursue  a  different  course  from  my  compan- 
ions. They  go  from  here  to  Vienna  and  Italy.  I  wish  to  go  to 
Munich  and  Switzerland,  accordingly  I  bade  them  farewell,  and 
started  alone  for  Leipsic,  to  go  from  there  by  Nuremberg  to 
Munich. 

"  Saturday,  June  4th.  The  magnificent  picture  gallery  is  every 
thing.  Eich  in  edifice,  in  numbers,  in  character  of  the  works.  It 
is  a  far  purer  collection  than  Dresden  in  its  subjects.  There  is  not 
a  single  picture  here  to  shock  the  purest  moral  sense.  In  this  I 
was  greatly  delighted.  It  would  be  vain  to  record  the  beauties  of 
this  grand  collection.  I  went  to  the  atelier  of  Kaulbach,  to  see 
his  great  painting  of  the  '  Destruction  of  Jerusalem,'  painted  by 
order  of  the  King,  for  the  new  picture  gallery,  which  is  not  yet 
completed.  This  is  the  largest  picture  of  modern  times,  perhaps 
of  any  time.  The  noblest,  grandest,  greatest,  finest,  most  complete  in 
conception,  in  execution,  in  finish,  in  instruction.  Never  have  I  seen 
its  like.  Nay,  it  is  worth  a  journey  to  Munich  to  see.  I  could 
spend  days  in  studying  it,  and  gain  something  every  day.  I  shall 
never  forget  it. 

"  Two  hard  days*  work  have  now  been  given  to  Munich,  and  not 
half  its  beauties  have  been  seen,  but  I  must  leave  on  Monday.  The 
Sabbath  intervenes,  when  the  finest  exhibitions  are  alwavs  made  in 
these  European  cities.  But  the  Sabbath  is  sacred.  Never  can  I. 
or  will  I,  take  God's  holy  day  of  rest  to  see  or  to  hear  the  provi- 
sions of  human  show  or  mirth.  I  shall  leave  Munich  with  regret. 
It  has  been  the  most  agreeable  part  of  my  journey.  A  week  might 
be  occupied  in  seeing  new  objects  every  day.  Beautiful  city,  with 
thy  rapid -rolling  stream,  I  am  grateful  for  all  that  I  have  enjoyed. 

"  Sunday,  June  5th.  This,  as  usual  in  these  continental  cities, 
is  a  poor  day  in  outward  privileges.  A  little  English  chapel,  in 
the  ambassador's  house,  had  some  fifty  people  in  it.  Another  of 
those  clerical  machines,  who  huddled  up  everything,  and  hurried 
through  everything.  I  did  not  wonder  that  few  were  there,  there 
was  nothing  but  duty  to  attract.     The  Lord's  Supper  was  admin- 


240  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Ty?ig,  D.D, 

istered  to  about  twenty,  with  little  reverence.  How  blessed  is  a 
liturgy,  in  such  circumstances !  That  remains  the  same.  The 
rest  of  the  day,  as  usual,  in  my  room.  The  shops  in  the  streetc 
are  all  open.  The  people  crowd  the  public  squares.  Everything? 
is  animation  and  life.  Oh,  my  happy  country,  wilt  thou  ever  bo 
taught  by  luxury  thus  to  forget  thy  God  ?  The  heart  saddens  over  . 
the  scene.  I  never  ^so  love  my  own  land  as  on  the  Sabbath. 
There  is  nothing  like  it  elsewhere.  To  me  the  quietness  of  my 
solitude  is  all  the  outward  provision  for  the  Sabbath  pleasure 
which  I  have  found  in  Europe. 

"  Sunday,  June  12th,  Prague.  There  is  no  English  worship  here, 
so  that  I  have  passed  this  day  by  myself.  It  is  the  first  Sabbath  in 
which  I  have  found  no  outward  worship.  The  morning  has  -been  .^ ,. , 
pleasantly  passed  with  my  Bible  and  prayer-book,  in  my  own 
room.  To  go  through  the  whole  service  alone  is  a  pleasant  worship 
to  |me  in  a  strange  land.  In  this  ancient  town  there  would  be 
much  to  see,  had  I  time.  I  mourn  over  the  unceasing  violation  of 
the  Sabbath  in  these  lands,  and  in  taking  it  at  all  for  the  mere 
purpose  of  my  own  pleasure,  I  cannot  but  feel  that  I  participate 
with  a  far  higher  amount  of  guilt.  And  yet  I  can  in  no  way 
learn  the  habits  of  the  people  but  by  witnessing  them  in  some 
degree.  And  this  makes  for  me  a  constant  contest  of  judgment  as 
well  as  desire.  Safer  and  happier  is  it  always  to  follow  the  voice 
of  the  Spirit  in  the  conscience,  and  lose  any  advantages  which  seem 
to  come  only  with  sin. 

"  Monday,  June  13th.  I  left  Prague  this  morning,  and  on  my 
arrival  at  Dresden,  I  immediately  took  the  cars  for  Herrnhut,  the 
famous  mother  colony  of  the  Moravians.  A  most  remarkable  look- 
ing place.  Never  have  I  seen  a  place  like  it.  And  here  I  was,  not 
a  soul  could  speak  or  understand  a  word  of  anything  but  German, 
and  I  could  speak  no  German.  But  I  had  picked  up  a  few  words 
and  sentences,  enough  to  answer  my  pressing  wants.  Yet  the  con- 
dition was  so  peculiar  and  so  ridiculous,  that  I  laid  down  on  the 
sofa  and  laughed  aloud.  What  strange  mistakes  were  made,  I 
will  not  write. 

"Tuesday,  June  14th.  Eose  in  peace  and  fought  through 
another  Go-man  contest  for  my  breakfast.  But  while  I  was  eating, 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Oarrow,  one  of  the  ministers  of  the  Unity,  came  in. 
He  was  born  in  America,  and  lived  for  twenty  years  in  England.  I 
had  thus  a  few  hours'  very  agreeable  conversation  with  a  pleasant 
and  excellent  Christian  brother,  and  learned  much  of  the  history 
and  habits  of  a  people  in  whom  I  have  always  taken  the  deepest 


Visit  to  Europe,  241 

interest.  The  whole  history  of  this  peojole  is  wonderful.  They  are 
one  of  the  purest  and  most  living  classes  of  Christians  in  the  world, 
and  a  visit  to  them  was  far  more  interesting  to  me  than  all  the  cathe- 
drals of  Europe. 

"  I  left  this  quiet  place  of  repose,  and  took  the  cars  for  Halle, 
on  my  way  to  Switzerland.  There  was  no  other  convenient  way  to 
go  to  Basle,  where  I  desired  to  be  before  Sunday. 

"  Sunday,  June  19.  This  has  been  another  of  those  blank  Sab- 
baths which  I  have  passed  uj^on  the  Continent.  There  is  a  little 
English  chapel  here,  in  which  I  attended  service  this  morning,  with 
eight  other  j^ersons,  and  this  afternoon  with  six.  We  had  a  sermon 
in  the  morning  which  might  be  called  nothing  about  nothing.  How 
astonishing  is  this  whole  system  of  preaching  !  What  can  the  men 
mean  ?  What  can  they  expect  ?  Not  one  gospel  sermon  have  I 
heard  on  the  Continent,  though  I  have  attended  English  service 
on  every  Sunday  but  one.  Surely  never  did  I  so  value  the  gospel, 
and  a  simple  manner  of  preaching  it.  If  I  am  permitted  to  return 
to  my  own  flock,  I  shall  preach  more  simply  and  faithfully  than 
ever  before.  How  I  should  delight  now  to  hear  one  single  down- 
right salvation  sermon !  But  salvation  does  not  seem  to  enter  into 
the  scheme  of  these  preachers.  Accordingly  many  of  the  English 
on  the  continent  attend  the  Romish  worship,  where,  at  least,  they 
find  people  really  engaged  and  in  earnest,  and  are  attracted  by 
that  disj^lay.  The  contrast  is  so  remarkable,  that  I  do  not  wonder 
at  its  effect  on  unsettled  minds,  and  many  such  are  perverted  by  it. 
This  place  seems  one  of  remarkable  quietness.  I  hear  nothing,  and 
see  nothing  of  Sunday  gaiety  among  the  people.  The  quietness  of 
the  place  at  least  is  agreeable,  but  I  must  to-morrow  set  out  for  a 
couple  of  weeks  in  Switzerland,  and  then  I  shall  return  to  England, 
and  so  homeward,  where  I  long  to  be  once  more." 

Having  reached  London  on  the  15th  of  July,  two  weeks  were 
occupied  in  visits  to  friends  in  various  parts  of  England,  and  on 
the  4th  of  August  Dr.  Tyng  set  out  upon  a  short  trip  to  the  western 
coast  of  Ireland.  During  his  visit  in  London  he  had  heard  much  of 
what  was  styled  "  The  New  Reformation  in  Ireland,"  the  facts  stated 
having  been  so  remarkable,  that  he  determined  to  make  a  personal 
investigation  of  the  missionary  work  being  carried  on  there  by  tlie 
"  Society  for  Irish  Church  Missions,"  and  obtain  larger  information 
upon  a  subject  so  important  in  its  relations  to  the  gospel.  So  im- 
pressed was  he  by  the  evidences  of  the  value  and  success  of  this 
effort  for  the  conversion  of  the  Irish  people,  and  by  his  examina- 
tion of  many  of  the  converts,  that,  on  his  return  to  New  York,  he 


242  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

prepared  and  delivered  a  course  of  four  lectures,  in  which  he  related 
the  incidents  of  his  visit,  the  proceeds  being  devoted  to  the  further- 
ance of  the  cause. 

Soon  after  his  return,  in  the  fall  of  1853,  the  General  Conven- 
tion again  held  its  sessions  in  New  York.  The  Second  Triennial 
Meeting  of  the  Evangelical  Knowledge  Society  was  held  at  this 
time  in  St.  George's  Church.  The  anniversary  sermon  was 
delivered  by  Dr.  Tyng,  his  topic  being,  "  the  Duty  and  Responsi- 
bility of  Private  Judgment  in  Religion,"  founded  upon  the  text 
Luke  xii.  57:  "Why  even  of  yourselves,  judge  ye  not  what  is 
right. " 

This,  the  first  of  the  three  Evangelical  societies  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  had  been  organized  in  New  York  during  the 
session  of  the  General  Convention  in  1847,  for  the  purpose  of  dis- 
seminating Evangelical  truth  through  the  instrumentality  of  the 
press. 

Though  not  at  first  agreeing  fully  in  the  wisdom  of  its  organiza- 
tion, because  it  seemed  necessarily  to  occupy  the  same  field  as  the 
American  Sunday  School  Union,  Dr.  Tyng  subsequently  gave  it  his 
most  earnest  co-operation.  It  was  the  recipient  and  agent  of  the 
largest  benefactions  of  St.  George's  Church,  while  he  personally  con- 
tributed largely  to  its  prosperity,  by  transferring  to  it  the  plates  of 
his  published  works,  as  they  were  successively  prepared. 

During  the  year  1853,  two  of  these  were  added  to  the  increasing 
list.  The  first,  his  volume  "  Christian  Titles,"  comprised  the  lect- 
ures dehvered  during  the  Lenten  seasons  of  1852  and  1853  ;  a 
series  of  practical  meditations  upon  the  various  names  by  which  the 
Lord's  people  are  called,  and  a  consideration  of  the  obligations 
and  duties  which  each  involves.  It  well  illustrates  the  character  of 
his  instruction  in  these  familiar  lectures. 

Later  in  the  same  year,  was  published  "Fellowship  with 
Christ,"  considering  its  nature  in  connection  with  its  outward  and 
appointed  tokens:  Baptism  the  token  of  dedication;  Confirmation 
the  token  of  acknowledgment ;  the  Lord's  Supper  the  token  of 
dependence. 

These  books  were  followed,  early  in  1855,  by  "  The  Rich  Kins- 
man," lectures  on  the  Book  of  Ruth,  delivered  in  his  courses  of 
Sunday  afternoon  sermons  to  the  young. 

In  his  preface  to  this  volume  he  thus  voices  his  earnest  desires 
in  this  branch  of  his  work : 

"The  author  has  long  been  impressed  with  the  feeling  that 
neither  commentaries  nor  sermons  have  yet  made  that  simple  and 


Ministry,  i8^j  to  i8^j,  243 

practical  use  of  the  fulness  of  Scripture  truth  for  which  it  is 
adapted,  perhaps  he  might  say  for  which  it  is  designed.  The 
young  mind  certainly  can  be  interested  in  the  Word  of  God  as  a 
book  full  of  attraction  as  well  as  full  of  truth.  Nothing  is  more 
desirable  at  the  present  time  than  a  complete  commentary  upon 
the  Bible  adapted  to  such  an  end,  a  commentary  that  should  avoid 
the  deep  ruts  of  mere  traditional  exposition,  and  be  designed  to 
exhibit  the  fulness  of  truth  and  beauty,  which  in  a  new  path  remain 
yet  to  be  explored  and  displayed.  Such  a  commentary  for  our 
Sunday  Schools  would  be  a  priceless  gift.  To  prepare  it,  however, 
will  require  equal  acquaintance  with  the  minds  and  wants  of 
the  young,  and  with  the  deep  and  exhaustless  treasures  of  the 
Word  of  God.  May  not  the  ministry  be  generally  led  to  direct 
their  minds  and  study  more  to  the  great  purpose  of  preparing 
scriptural  attractions  as  well  as  scriptural  instruction  for  the 
young  ?  " 

Such  is  a  bare  synopsis  of  these  valuable  works. 

In  the  winter  of  1855,  a  favorable  time  seemed  to  have  arrived 
for  the  completion  of  St.  George's  Church,  by  the  erection  of  the 
spires,  but  in  the  same  jealous  care  of  the  invested  funds  of  the  cor- 
poration, which  had  before  actuated  them,  the  vestry  would  take 
no  action,  until  the  subject  had  been  maturely  considered. 

A  committee,  consisting  of  Messrs.  William  Whitlock,  Jr.,  and 
Frederick  S.  Winston,  wardens,  and  Messrs.  Joseph  Lawrence  and 
Samuel  Hopkins,  vestrymen,  was  therefore  appointed  for  this  pur- 
pose. In  their  report,  while  stating  that  the  income  of  the  church 
exceeded  its  expenses  by  some  three  thousand  dollars,  and  that 
the  time  seemed  as  favorcble  as  might  offer  for  some  years,  they 
said: 

"  Should  the  finances  of  the  corporation  be  deemed  by  the 
vestry  to  be  in  a  condition  to  take  advantage  of  the  present  low 
proposals,  and  strictly  carry  out  our  former  design,  the  committee 
would  have  no  hesitation  in  recommending  that  the  work  be  now 
entered  on  and  finished  at  as  early  a  date  as  possible.  They,  how- 
ever, have  yet  no  reason  to  doubt  the  wisdom  of  the  resolution 
adopted  by  the  vestry,  in  March,  1851.  Should  the  vestry  there- 
fore limit  the  entire  expenses  to  twelve  thousand  dollars,  or  in  any 
other  way  reduce  the  expenditures,  this  amount  (three  thousand 
five  hundred  dollars)  below  the  receipts,  the  committee  are  pre- 
pared to  concur  in  directing  that  a  contract  be  now  made  to  build 
the  spires  on  the  most  favorable  terms.  In  doing  this  the  vestry 
will  be  acting   in  conformity  witli    the    principles    of  the    report 


244  Rev.  Stephen  Higginso7i    Tyng,  D.D, 

adopted  by  them  in  1851,  whicli  this  committee  are  particularly 
desirous  of  guarding  and  perpetuating." 

Such  was  their  watchful  care,  not  only  of  the  present,  but  the 
future  prosperity  of  the  church. 

The  spiritual  history  of  St.  George's  Church  is,  however,  even 
more  remarkable  than  that  of  its  material  establishment. 

At  Easter,  1855,  Dr.  Tyng  completed  the  first  decade  of  his 
rectorship,  and  from  this  Tenth  Anniversary  reviewed  some  of  the 
evidences  of  the  Divine  blessing  upon  his  work. 

In  a  sermon  upon  the  text  "  God  hath  not  given  us  the  spirit  of 
fear,  but  of  power,  and  of  love,  and  of  a  sound  mind,"  II  Timothy  ii.  17, 
he  presented  the  spirit  which  should  distinguish  a  faithful  ministry. 

"  It  must,"  he  premised,  "  be  a  hold  and  independent  ministry, 
*  not  the  spirit  of  fear  ' :  a  spiritual,  searching  ministry,  '  the  spirit  of 
power';  an  affectionate  and  tender  ministry,  *  the  spirit  of  love';  a 
judicious,  discriminating  ministry,  '  the  spirit  of  a  sound  mind,'  "  and 
in  conclusion,  said: 

"  Such  a  bold,  unfearing  temper,  such  a  union  of  ability,  tender- 
ness and  wisdom,  in  the  responsible  work  of  laboring  for  Christ, 
and  watching  for  souls  in  the  Saviour's  name,  Paul  declares  God 
has  given  to  the  appointed  ministers  of  His  word. 

"  Whether  such  a  spirit  has  characterized  my  ten  years'  minis- 
try among  you,  my  beloved  friends,  you  must  judge  for  yourselves. 
That  it  ought  to  have  distinguished  it,  I  am  bound  to  maintain.  I 
have  freely  devoted  to  you  probably  the  best  ten  years  of  my  life.  I 
ani  honestly  conscious  of  having  labored  among  you  as  earnestly 
arid  as  assiduously  as  I  have  had  strength  to  bear.  I  have  habitu- 
ally done  this  one  thing,  instant  and  unrelaxing  in  the  work 
appointed  me  here. 

*'  The  pleasures  of  literature,  the  indulgences  of  general  society, 
and  even  the  occupations  of  mind  which  might  have  been  made,  in 
a  degree,  kindred  to  my  ministry  in  the  gospel,  I  have  cheerfuUy 
renounced,  for  the  single  purpose  of  giving  my  whole  time  and 
strength  to  you,  and  taking  heed  to  my  ministry  to  fulfil  it.  That 
I  may  be  justly  charged  with  many  infirmities  and  errors  in  my 
work  and  walk  among  you,  is  beyond  a  doubt.  But  no  man  can 
charge  me  with  eating  any  man's  bread  for  naught,  or  with  lording 
it  over  God's  heritage,  or  with  taking  heed  to  the  flock  for  '  filthy 
lucre's '  sake.  I  speak  this  in  no  vain-glorious  boasting.  And  I 
shall  make  no  apology  for  giving  you  a  simple  and  concise  account 
of  my  ten  years'  ministry  among  you,  however  personal  its  allusions 
and  details  may  appear.         .         .         .         ,         ,         ,         ,         , 


Ministry,  i8^j  to  i8^j,  245 

"  When  I  turn  to  the  religious  history  of  the  ten  past  years,  the 
facts  which  make  it  up  are  not  so  easily  compressed.  The  rehgious 
influence  of  this  church  goes  entirely  beyond  itself.  It  has  been 
the  means  for  witnessing  for  the  truth  and  glory  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  to  the  encouragement  and  edification  of  many  thous- 
ands who  have  no  personal  connection  with  it,  and  of  sustaining 
and  supporting  many  distant  churches  and  laborers  by  its  example, 
and  of  showing  the  path  of  truth  and  spiritual  success  to  multi- 
tudes who  have  rejoiced  to  follow  it.  When  we  survey  the  recorded 
facts  of  our  own  history,  we  may  find  enough  that  shall  stand  as 
evidence  of  the  character  of  the  ministry  by  which  they  have  been 
gathered,  and  of  the  gracious  attending  approbation  and  blessing 
of  that  glorious  Saviour,  who  is  the  Head  of  the  body  and  the 
fountain  of  all  grace  to  His  Church. 

"  When  I  became  the  rector  of  St.  George's  Church  I  found 
two  hundred  and  twenty-nine  communicants  in  actual  connection 
with  the  church,  of  whom  but  forty -one  are  now  stated  members 
of  this  congregation;  to  them  have  been  added  six  hundred  and 
ninety  in  the  ten  years  of  my  ministry,  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
seven  coming  from  other  churches,  in  removal  to  this,  and  four 
hundred  and  ninety-three  received  by  me  in  their  first  communion 
made  upon  their  own  profession  here.  Our  probable  habitual 
attendance  of  communicants  does  not  vary  much  from  seven  hun- 
dred. Our  present  number  on  the  record  is  eight  hundred  and 
thirty-three.  The  baptisms  administered  by  me  during  these  ten 
years  have  been  four  hundred  and  seven,  of  which  eighty-one  have 
been  adults,  and  three  hundred  and  twenty-six  have  been  infants. 
The  confirmations  have  been  four  hundred  and  forty-five." 

After  referring  to  the  Sunday  School  and  mission  work,  which 
will  be  treated  of  in  its  appropriate  place,  he  continued: 

"  My  own  personal  labors  ought  to  be  well  known  among  you. 
They  have  averaged,  for  the  ten  years  past,  more  than  two  hundred 
sermons  and  lectures,  and  over  one  thousand  pastoral  visits  in 
each  year.  Of  these  I  have  nothing  more  to  say,  than  that  my 
public  labors  have  been  always  received  by  my  people  with  a  grate- 
ful respect  and  estimation,  far  beyond  any  claims  they  have  pos- 
sessed. And  my  private  intercourse  with  you  has  been  welcomed 
and  rewarded  by  an  affectionate  tenderness  and  unrelaxing  and 
reverential  confidence,  which  has  left  me  nothing  to  ask.  I  bless 
God  that  I  can  truly  say  in  His  presence,  that  I  do  not  know  a 
person  in  the  congregation  whom  I  suppose  to  be  personally  hostile 
to  myself;  and  that  there  is  certainly  not  one  towards  whom  I  do 


246  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D,D, 

not  entertain  the  spirit  of  love  which  would  delight  to  be  active  in 
every  possible  shape  of  usefulness  to  them.  Whether  God  has 
given  with  it  the  spirit  of  power  and  of  a  sound  mind,  I  must  simply 
say  again,  I  must  leave  you  to  survey  the  course  and  results  of  my 
ministry,  and  judge  for  yourselves. 

"  And  now  allow  me  to  conclude  this  survey  of  the  ten  j^ears 
past  with  a  review  of  our  benevolent  statistics  for  the  same  period. 
.  "  In  a  statement  of  these  years,  in  their  succession,  the  whole 
public  collections  in  the  congregation  are  recorded,  as  they 
have  passed  through  my  hands,  excluding  all  those  contributions 
and  collections  which  have  been  made  in  the  congregation  without 
my  connection  or  particular  reports  to  me.  The  collections  have 
been: 

For  the  year  ending  Easter  1846 $2,800 

1847 3,502 

1848 4,761 

1849 4,703 

«                 «                    1850 4,942 

1851 5,215 

«                  «                    1852 10,036 

1853 12,451 

1854 12,646 

«                 «                    1855 16,039 

Making  a  total  sum  for  the  ten  years     ....  $77,095 

"  In  a  statement  of  these  ten  years,  in  the  arrangements  of  the 
objects  for  which  collections  have  been  made,  throwing  off  in  the 
same  way  the  fractions  of  a  dollar,  they  have  been; 

The  American  Bible  Society $13,313 

Foreign  Missions 13,918 

Domestic  Missions 6,471 

Diocesan  Missions 2,778 

American  Tract  Society 11,354 

Sunday  Schools  of  St.  George's  Church    ....  2,992 

American  Sunday  School  Union 1,353 

EvangeUcal  Knowledge  Society 2,587 

Colonization  Society 1,722 

Seamen  and  Seamen's  Children 1,807 

Education  for  the  Ministry 2,092 

Aged  and  Infirm  Clergymen 992 

Temperance  Society 495 

Prayer  Book  Society 244 

Communion  and  General  Collections 14,977 

''  In  addition  to  these  general  operations,  the  Dorcas  Society 
have  made  and  distributed  during  the  past  six  years,  five  thousand 


Ministry,  i8§j  to  iS^y,  247 

nine  hundred  and  forfy-two  garments  among  the  poor  children  of 
the  Sunday  Schools,  at  a  cost  in  money  of  one  thousand  seven  hun- 
dred and  ninety-five  dollars,  besides  the  donations  which  they  have 
received  in  materials  for  their  work.  The  ladies  have  also  main- 
tained a  weekly  sewing-school  for  the  instruction  of  poor  children, 
and  a  daily  parish-school  for  poor  children  has  been  also  supported 
by  us  for  four  years  past. 

"  This  is  a  very  hurried  and  compressed  survey  of  my  ten 
years*  ministry  among  you.  The  passage  of  these  years  finds 
me  at  a  time  of  life  when  it  is  hardly  possible  that  I  can  hope  for 
ten  more  such  years  of  labor  and  success.  The  time  must  come 
that  necessity  will  demand  of  me  some  bodily  and  mental  relaxa- 
tion. I  shall  not  be  disposed  to  take  it  before  its  demand  arrives. 
I  have  never  been  haj^pier  with  you  than  now.  I  have  never  seen 
the  congregation  more  united  and  apparently  more  satisfied  under 
my  ministr3\  I  have  no  ground  of  personal  complaint.  I  am 
cheerfully,  thankfully  ready  to  spend  and  be  spent  to  do  you  good. 
May  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  our  gracious  Master,  be  pleased  to  own, 
to  pardon,  and  to  bless  all  the  facts  of  our  mutual  connection  for 
His  own  sake,  and  to  His  own  glory.  And  as  you  hear  of  His 
gracious  dealings  with  us,  let  me  entreat  you  to  accustom  your- 
selves, in  thanksgiving  and  in  prayer,  to  look  up  to  His  sovereign 
grace  and  wisdom,  and  give  Him  the  sole  honor  and  glory  of  all 
His  work.  May  He  j^our  out  His  blessings  upon  you,  and  your 
children  after  you,  making  you  rich  in  His  great  goodness  for  this 
world  and  the  world  to  come.  And  unto  the  Father,  Son  and 
Holy  Ghost,  the  holy,  blessed  and  glorious  Trinity,  be  the  ever- 
lasting praise.  Amen." 

Such  were  some  of  the  elements  of  the  prospered  career  of  St. 
G-eorge's  Church,  in  the  first  ten  years  of  its  new  history.  They 
are  displayed,  however,  in  a  still  stronger  light  by  Dr.  Tyng,  in  the 
course  of  a  controversy  which  occurred  about  this  time,  and  which 
demands  reference  here. 

In  the  diocesan  convention  of  1855,  the  chief  subject  of  discua- 
aion  was  the  increase  of  the  Episcoi)al  fund.  As  a  large  portion  of 
this  fund  was  appropriated  to  Bishop  Onderdonk,  it  became  neces- 
sary to  make  some  additional  provision  for  the  support  of  the  pro- 
visional Bishop,  and  with  the  consideration  of  this  subject  the 
course  of  Trinity  Church  became  closely  connected.  The  claim 
had  been  repeatedly  made  in  previous  years  that  Tj-iuity  held  its 
large  property  simply  as  trustees  for  the  Episcopal  Church  in  New 
York,  and  tliough  its  corporate  title  had  been  changed  many  years 


248  Rev,  Stcphe7i  Higgijison    Tyng,  D.D, 

before,  to  prevent  an}^  sucli  claim  as  was  possible  under  its  original 
incorporation,  it  was  still  urged  that  the  income  of  the  property 
should  be  applied  for  the  benefit  of  the  whole  Church.  When, 
therefore.  Trinity  offered  to  give  its  bond  for  twenty  thousand 
dollars  only,  to  the  Episcopal  fund,  and  that  only  on  the  condition 
that  the  rest  of  the  diocese  should  raise  fifty  thousand  dollars 
within  a  short  given  time,  it  was  a  subject  of  severe  criticism. 
Speaking  in  the  convention,  in  the  course  of  this  debate,  Dr.  Tyng 
said : 

"  This  subject  seems  to  have  involved  in  the  discussion  both 
the  provision  for  the  support  of  the  Bishop  and  the  relation  and 
conduct  of  Trinity  Church.  These  ought  to  be  separated  from  each 
other.     I  shall  not  join  in  a  hue  and  cry  against  Trinity  Church. 

"  I  have  reason  every  week  to  contemplate  the  results  which 
this  property  entrusted  to  her  has  accomplished  in  the  case  of  St. 
George's,  in  the  majestic  grandeur  of  that  edifice  and  enterprise. 
With  an  extension  of  a  similar  course  of  action,  Trinity  Church 
might  have  filled  this  city  with  St.  Georges,  and  given  our  Church 
a  dominion  here  which  it  can  never  now  obtain.  If  Trinity  desires 
influence  and  authority  in  this  diocese,  this  is  her  only  plan  of 
action.  Let  her  manage  justly  and  liberally  the  public  fund  in- 
trusted to  her.  The  segis  of  benevolence  will  be  her  only  defence. 
Let  her  shield  herself  with  the  united  affectionate  defence  of  the 
members  of  the  Church  throughout  the  diocese.  Let  her  gird 
around  her  a  warm  band  of  affectionate  and  grateful  hearts,  more 
permanent  and  effective  than  Daniel's  band  of  iron  and  brass 
around  the  stump  of  his  prophetic  tree.  I  do  not  complain  of  her 
desire  for  control.  I  have  no  ungenerous  jealousy  of  the  exercise 
of  a  power  justly  acquired  and  held.  If  I  were  the  rector  of  Tiinity 
Church  I  would  show  you  what  I  would  do.  I  would  make  the 
diocese  smoke.  Trinity  has  come  to  the  Kingdom  for  such  an  end 
as  this. 

"  What  immense  results  might  she  accomplish  with  a  faithful 
and  liberal  exercise  of  the  immense  fund  in  her  trust !  She  might 
stand  here,  and,  dipping  one  hand  in  the  Atlantic  and  the  other  in 
the  St.  Lawrence,  she  might  water  this  whole  extent  of  intervening 
territory,  till  there  should  not  be  a  desert  place  between,  that  would 
not  bloom  and  flourish  under  her  exalted  ministry.  For  this  pur- 
pose she  is  entrusted  with  this  fund,  and  for  this  she  is  bound  to 
administer  it.  We  may  hope  she  is  planning  for  a  better  future 
system.  We  may  hope  that  the  shell  of  her  exclusion  is  to  break, 
and  she  means  to  mount  to  a  new  and  higher  flight,   and  for  a 


Ministry,  i8jj  to  i8§j,  249 

melody  louder  and  more  attractive  in  the  season  to  come.     She  has 
enlarged  her  local  ministry  perhaps  by  twenty-one  thousand  dollars 
a  year.     She  is  taking  under  her  charge,  we  hear,  the  whole  lower 
portions  of  the  city,  planning  for  large   Sunday  Schools,  opening 
religious  worship  in  the  large  Castle  Garden  dej^ot,  with  its  thous- 
ands of  foreign  emigrants,  giving  public  notice  that  henceforth  she 
means  '  to  catch  men.'     And  we  rejoice  in  the  prospect,  and  trust 
that  she  will  cast  her  net  now  on  the  right  side  of  the  ship  and  find 
eminent  success   in  her  work.     If  she  means  to  send  out  a  Hfe- 
current  through  the  whole  arterial  system  of  our  diocese,  and  make 
its  thousand  capillary  mouths  to  praise  her,  she  must  see  that  her 
heart  is  healthful  and  right  at  home,  and  send  no  poisons  out  from 
thence.     What  a  station  is  the  rector  of  Trinity  Church  ?     Your 
Episcopate  !     Why,  in  comparison,  what  a  drivelling,  poor  thing  it 
is !     Trinity  takes  from  this  public  fund,  for  her  own  expenses  and 
advantage,  some  fifty  thousand  dollars  a  year,  and  offers  to  appro- 
priate to  the  whole  diocese,  for  the  support  of  its  Episcopate,  on 
most  improbable  conditions,  the  large  sum  of  twelve  hundred  dollars. 

"  Your  Bishop  is  to  come  like  a  beggar,  with  his  old  silk  hand- 
kerchief, and  ask  for  broken  victuals  at  the  door  of  Trinity.  He  is  to 
beg  for  the  crumbs  which  her  assistants  may  leave  upon  their  table. 

"  Let  Trinity  pursue  this  course,  and  see  what  is  her  condition 
when  she  has  alienated  from  her  defence  all  the  members  of  this 
diocese,  and  made  them,  in  the  great  public  struggle  for  the 
property  she  holds,  to  stand  in  the  lobby  of  your  legislature,  plead- 
ing their  wrongs  and  her  injustice.  Let  her  see  what  is  to  be  the 
result  of  the  cries  of  the  blood  of  the  needy  whom  she  has  refused, 
and  the  wailings  of  the  poor  whom  she  has  despised.  I  say  again, 
her  only  shield  of  defence  at  such  a  time  is  her  liberal  fulfilment  of 
her  public  trust  for  the  Church. 

*'  But  if  Trinity  refuse,  let  us  show  her  that  if  Trinity  can  do 
without  us,  we  can  do  without  Trinity.  If  she  will  shelter  herself 
under  the  miserable  toadstool  of  her  avarice,  let  the  toadstool  be 
her  mausoleum,  and  beneath  its  umbrageous  shelter  let  her  memory- 
be  bui-ied  and  forgotten. 

"  But  why  do  we  mix  tbe  question  of  what  Trinity  does  with 
tlie  question  of  our  Bishop's  support  ?  We  are  bound  to  sustain 
him,  and  must  do  it  I  trust  no  church  in  the  diocese  will  refuse 
its  portion  of  his  adequate  support.  If  the  vestry  of  St.  George's 
should  do  it,  it  will  be  against  my  solemn  protest.  He  is  eminently 
entitled  to  our  liberal  support.  When  our  beloved  Wainwright 
was  crowTied,  we  hardly  hoped  to  find  another  who  should  be  able 


25o  Rev*  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng^  D,D, 

to  follow  in  his  steps.  But  we  seemed  to  hear  a  divine  voice,  which 
said:  '  Arise,  and  go  down  to  the  Potter's  house,  and  there  I  will 
talk  with  thee,'  and  we  did  go.  And  we  rejoice  in  the  ministry 
which  has  been  the  result,  distinguished  beyond  our  hope  in  its 
moderation,  and  holiness  and  wisdom.  This  Episcopate  we  must 
sustain,  and  I  can  not  doubt  we  shall  sustain  it. 

"  Trinity  is  bound  to  employ  the  public  fund  entrusted  to  her 
for  this  purpose.  If  she  will  not  do  it,  then  must  our  parishes 
still  unite  in  a  liberal  and  determined  effort  to  do  it  without  de- 
pending on  her  aid." 

This  discussion  led  to  a  defence  of  Trinity  Church  by  its  rector, 
Dr.  Berrian,  published  in  a  pamphlet  entitled  "  Facts  against 
Fancy."  To  this  the  Hon.  Wm.  Jay  sharply  replied,  in  a  pamphlet, 
"Letter  to  the  Kev.  Wm.  Berrian,  D.  D.,  on  the  Resources,  Pres- 
ent Position  and  Duties  of  Trinity  Church,  occasioned  by  his  late 
pamphlet,  *  Facts  against  Fancy.'  "  These  two  pamphlets,  from 
the  pens  of  those  so  familiar  with,  and  so  capable  of  discussing  the 
subject,  present  it  most  clearly.  A  further  answer,  however,  to  the 
"  Facts  against  Fancy  "  of  Dr.  Berrian,  was  made  by  Dr.  Tyng, 
in  a  series  of  letters  published  in  the  Frotestant  Churchman. 
These  were  afterwards  republished  in  the  pamphlet  entitled  "  The 
Rector  Rectified,"  which  has  been  previously  quoted  in  this  record, 
in  its  reference  to  several  points  in  the  history  of  the  two  churches. 
The  final  letter  in  the  series  was  in  reply  to  the  comments  which 
the  rector  of  Trinity  had  made  upon  the  Comparative  Beneficence  of 
Trinity  Church,  and  that  of  St.  Mark's,  St.  George's  and  Grace 
Church,  which  had  been,  as  asserted,  the  recipients  of  the  bounty  of 
Trinity  Church,  and  whose  rectors  had  been  prominent  in  their 
criticism  of  her  course. 

The  comparison  which  Dr.  Tyng  draws  in  this  letter  between 
the  results  and  the  systems  of  the  two  churches  is  most  striking, 
while  the  facts  stated  bear  remarkable  testimony  to  the  efficiency 
and  influence  of  the  ministry  under  which  they  had  been  produced. 

"  We  must  now  bring  our  strictures  to  a  close,"  he  writes,  "  by  a 
review  of  the  comparison  which  he  has  chosen  to  institute  between 
the  '  munificence '  of  his  own  corporation  and  the  niggardly  want 
of  hberality  in  St.  Mark's,  St.  George's,  and  Grace  Church.  He 
throws  down  to  them  the  gauntlet  of  defiance  in  as  bold  a  challenge 
as  such  a  writer  is  likely  to  make.  We  will  see  how  he  is  to  endure 
the  tilt  which  his  glove  provokes  and  demands.     He  says: 

'"But  this  is  not  the  only  view  of  the  case.  It  is  confidently 
believed,  and  it  is  thought  on  very  good  grounds,  that  the  united 


Ministry,  i8^j  to  iS^y,  2  5 1 

incomes  of  St.  Mark's  Church,  Grace  Church  and  St.  George's  are 
equal  at  least  to  one-half  the  net  income  of  Trinity  Church  itself. 
If  this  conjecture  be  true,  then,  after  all  the  suitable  arrangements 
in  these  parishes  are  made,  and  all  needful  expenses  incurred,  there 
would  still  remain  a  considerable  surplus  beyond  their  own  proper 
and  peculiar  wants.  Now  what  becomes  of  this  surplus  ?  To  what 
purposes  is  it  applied  ?  To  whom  is  it  a  boon,  a  blessing  and  re- 
lief ?  I  have  never  learned,  neither  have  I  ever  met  with  a  man 
who  had.  If,  however,  it  is  generously  and  beneficently  applied  to 
the  good  of  others,  it  can  then  only  be  said  that  their  reputation  for 
liberality  has  suffered  unjustly  in  the  public  estimation  from  their 
modesty.  But  even  though  they  may  have  acted  on  the  principle 
of  not  letting  the  right  hand  know  what  the  left  hand  doeth,  it  may 
still  be  doubted  whether,  in  proportion  to  their  means,  they  have 
exercised  their  bounty  on  a  more  liberal  scale  or  on  broader  and 
more  comprehensive  grounds  than  Trinity  Church  has  done,  freely 
and  indiscriminately,  not  partially  and  inquisitorially,  nor  with  the 
nice  regard  to  the  peculiar  views  and  party  feelings  of  those  on 
whom  it  is  bestowed,  which  too  often  directs  and  controls  in  the 
case  of  others.' 

"  Now  of  all  the  unfortunate  assertions  to  which  the  venerable 
rector  of  Trinity  Church  has  committed  himself  in  this  pamphlet, 
this  passage  is^certainly  the  most  unwise  and  unfounded.  We  have 
simply  carried  ^the  facts  involved  to  the  test  of  the  published 
records  of  the  church,  and  we  will  give  some  of  the  comparative 
results  which  are  derived  from  thence.  Let  it  be  remembered  that 
Trinity  Church  has  included  in  the  years  past,  to  which  we  are  now 
to  refer,  fhree  congregations,  while  St.  Mark's  and  St.  George's  have 
but  one  each. 

"On  each  side  we  simply  give  in  owx  first  table  a  transcript  of  the 
parochial  reports  of  contributions  from  these  different  churches  in  the 
years  from  1837  to  1844,  inclusive,  as  they  appear  upon  the  journals: 

Trinity  and  Jier  chapels.  St.  Mark's.  St.  George's. 

$2,912  $1,058  $2,115 

1,454  1,616  2,293 

1,622  2,285  1,966 

1,744  1,001  2,014 

1,397  2,000  1,929 

1,271  1,500  1,822 

2,090  2,270  2,393 

2,722  3,397  3,008 

$15,212  $15,127  $17,540 


252  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

"  That  is,  in  these  eight  years  previous  to  1845,  the  three  congre- 
gations of  Trinity  contributed  eighty-five  dollars  more  than  the  one 
congregation  of  St.  Mark's,  and  two  thousand  three  hundred  and 
eighteen  dollars  less  than  the  one  congregation  of  St.  George's. 

"From  the  susj^ension  of  Bishop  Onderdonk  in  1844,  the 
journals  of  the  convention  contain  no  parochial  reports  until 
Bishop  Wainwright's  election  in  1853.  We  now  give  in  a  second 
table  the  reports  of  contributions  from  the  three  several  churches 
for  the  three  years  subsequent  to  1853: 

Trinity  and  her  clmpels.  St.  Mark's.  St.  Georges. 

$3,605  $3,747  $12,441 

3,600  4,391  12,646 

6,311  5,235  16,039 

$13,516  $13,373  $41,126 

"  In  these  three  years  Trinity  reports  her  contributions  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-three  dollars  more  than  Si  Mark's,  and  twenty- 
seven  thousand  six  hundred  and  ten  dollars  less  than  St.  George's. 

"  Here  are  the  actual  reports  of  the  benevolent  contributions  of 
these  three  churches  on  the  one  side,  and  each  of  the  other  two  on 
the  other,  for  the  ]Deriod  of  eleven  years.  And  yet,  in  the  face  of 
these  printed  reports,  the  rector  has  the  hardihood  to  say  of  these 
two  churches:  '  Now  what  becomes  of  this  surplus  ?  To  what  pur- 
poses is  it  applied  ?  To  whom  is  it  a  boon  or  a  blessing, — a  relief  ? 
I  have  not  learned,  neither  have  I  ever  met  a  man  who  had.' 

"  We  have,  however,  made  a  third  table,  extracted  from  the  annual 
reports  of  the  Board  of  Missions  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
in  the  United  States.  This  is  the  great  missionary  institution  of  the 
Church,  established  by  the  General  Convention  of  the  whole  Church, 
— the  highest  Church  authority  known  to  us  in  our  scheme  of 
ecclesiastical  government.  Dr.  Berrian  claims  for  Trinity  in  his 
pamphlet,  as  her  peculiar  characteristic,  and  one  great  cause  of  all 
the  obloquy  she  suffers,  '  tfw  entertainment  of  sound  Church  principles, 
and  the  man/id  maintename  of  tJiem  at  all  times,  through  good  and  evil 
report.'  He  more  than  insinuates  that  the  other  churches  whom  he 
challenges  to  a  comparison  with  Trinity  on  the  field  of  benevolent 
action,  have  acted  'partially  and  inquisitorially ,  and  with  the  nice  re- 
gard to  tlie  peculiar  views  and  party  feelings  of  those  on  whom  it  is  he- 
stowed.'  But,  in  our  present  view  we  bring  this  subject,  with  his 
charges,  to  a  distinct  test.  If  there  be  any  '  party  feelings  or  pecu- 
liar views  ^  in  relation  to  the  Board  of  Missions,  the  division  of  the 
two  committees  furnishes  the  only  opportunity  to  display  its  op- 


Ministry,  i8^j  to  i8^j.  2  5 


^ 


eration  wliicli  could  be  given.  Now,  we  have  examined  the  ac- 
knowledgments of  receipts  bj  these  two  committees,  from  Trinitj 
with  her  chapels  and  from  St.  George's  for  the  past  eleven  years, 
from  1845  to  1855.  The  whole  acknowledgments  from  Trinity,  St. 
Paul's  and  St.  John's  are  four  thousand  five  hundred  and  fifty-one 
dollars  and  ninety-five  cents,  from  St.  Mark's  four  thousand  eight  hun- 
dred and  three  dollars  and  twentv-six  cents,  from  St.  Georfje's  nine- 
teen  thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty-five  dollars  and  thirty-six  cents. 
"Perhaps  this  general  statement  might  be  enough.  But  we  will 
give  beside  the  minute  and  specific  tables  of  all  these  acknowledg- 
ments, just  as  they  stand  on  the  annual  reports  of  the  Board  of 
Missions,  and  our  readers  shall  see  for  themselves  to  whom  and  in 
what  degree  either  of  these  churches  have  been  '  a  boon  or  a  bless- 
ing,' or  the  *  maintainers  of  sound  Church  principles.' 

RECAPITULATION. 

Domestic.  Foreign. 

Trinity  Parish.  $3,327.14  $1,17481 

St.  Mark's.  2,082.63  2,270.63 

St.  George's.  3,766.87  15,688.49 

"  Perhaps  the  foregoing  tables  may  be  enough  to  show  the  com- 
parative beneficence  of  these  various  congregations  in  the  mere  as- 
pect of  their  many  gifts.  But  Dr.  Berrian  may  choose  to  shift  the 
ground  from  the  contributions  of  the  congregations  to  the  appro- 
priations of  the  coi'porate  funds  of  the  several  churches.  He  says, 
*  The  united  incomes  of  St.  Mark's  Church,  Grace  Church  and  St. 
George's  are  equal  at  least  to  one-half  the  net  income  of  Trinity 
Church  itself.  If  this  conjecture  be  true,  then  after  all  the  suitable 
arrangements  in  these  parishes  are  made,  and  all  needful  exj^enses 
incurred,  there  would  still  remain  a  considerable  surplus  beyond 
their  own  proper  and  peculiar  wants.  Now  what  becomes  of  this 
surplus  ? ' 

"  We  might  first  answer  that  neither  of  these  churches  hold  the 
proi)erty  in  their  hands  in  trust  for  others.  They  are  therefore  the 
judges  of  their  own  apjiropriations.  None  beyond  have  any  claims 
upon  them.  And  all  they  should  dispense  would  be  ?.  grant  of 
benevolence.  But  Trinity  is  a  legal,  and  a  legally  appointed  trustee, 
and  lias  no  right  of  control  whatever  over  the  proceeds  of  the  prop- 
erty she  holds.  Its  income  is  the  lawful  property  of  others.  If  slie 
refuse  it  or  withhold  it  from  them,  they  are  defrauded,  and  have  their 
just  ground  of  complaint  and  action.  We  shut  Grace  Church  out 
of  the  account  in  this  view  also,  because  we  have  already  proved 


2  54  ^^^-  Stephen  Higgiiison    Tyng,  D.D, 

that  they  have  never  received  any  grant  from  Trinity,  but  have  paid 
amply,  we  might  say  enormously,  for  all  that  they  have  ever  ob- 
tained from  this  'munificent  corporation.'  The  income  of  the 
property  of  St.  Mark's  is  three  thousand  nine  hundred  dollars.  Of 
this  there  is  no  surplus  beyond  the  just  fulfilment  of  the  duties  and 
necessities  of  the  parish  to  itself.  There  remains  only  to  be  con- 
sidered, therefore,  the  condition  of  St.  George's.  That  they  have 
any  property  we  have  already  proved  to  have  been  the  result  of 
divine  protection,  in  defiance  of  the  oppression  and  persecution  of 
the  vestry  of  Trinity  Church.  But -their  church  edifice  is  still  unfin- 
ished and  there  can  be,  therefore,  no  surplus  income  from  their 
property  until  this  result  is  accomplished,  and  their  own  debt  for 
its  accomplishment  has  been  met.  But  in  the  midst  of  all  this 
necessary  outlay  for  their  building,  the  vestry  of  St.  George's  have, 
for  four  years  past,  supported  a  missionary  exclusively  for  ministra- 
tions to  the  surrounding  poor,  and  have  rented  and  maintained  a 
free  chapel  for  public  worship,  and  a  mission  Sunday  School, 
wholly  separate  from  the  poor  members  of  their  own  congregation, 
entirely  from  their  corporate  funds.  All  this  has  been  done  in 
addition  to  the  benevolent  contributions  of  the  congregation,  which 
have  been  already  specified.  And  it  is  a  happy  evidence  of  what 
they  will  be  disj)osed  to  do  for  the  poor  around  them  whenever 
there  shall  be  a  surplus  income  from  their  property  at  their  dis- 
posal. Let  Trinity  follow  their  example  in  such  ministrations,  and 
from  the  funds  committed  to  her  trust  for  the  benefit  of  other 
churches,  pay  over  to  those  who  are  entitled  to  them  the  proceeds 
of  these  funds,  that  other  churches  may  also  be  made  able  to  follow 
the  same  example. 

"  In  the  meantime  the  parochial  reports  of  these  two  selected 
corporations,  as  they  appear  for  a  single  year,  in  the  last  diocesan 
convention,  may  well  make  a  final  comparison  which  shall  show  to 
what  extent  each  has  become  '  a  boon,  a  blessing,  a  relief '  to  others. 

St.  George's  Church: 

One  congregation, 

One  minister, 

Eight  hundred  and  thirty-three  communicants, 
Sunday  Schools,  93  teachers,  1586  scholars. 

Trinity  Church. 

Four  congregations, 

iV«;?e  ministers. 

Eight  hundred  communicants, 

Sundav  Schools,  none  reported. 


Mt7iistry,  i8^j  to  i8^j.  255 

"  St.  George's  benevolent  contributions,  fi-om  one  congregation, 
$16,039  for  one  year. 

"  Trinity's  benevolent  contributions,  from  four  congregations, 
for  one  year,  $5,811. 

"  These  results  are  a  fair  estimate  of  the  relative  usefulness  of 
the  two  establishments  as  they  stand,  and  may  be  received  as  a  fair 
practical  demonstration  of  the  '  sound  Church  principles/  v^hich 
are  assumed  to  distinguish  the  one,  and  of  the  '  Evangelical  princi- 
ples '  which  are  know^n  to  characterize  the  other. 

"  If  the  rector  of  Trinity  should  choose  to  boast  of  the  ease  and 
honor  of  his  position,  while  he  drives  his  four-wheeled  chariot,  eight  in 
hand,  in  contrast  with  the  one-zvJieeled  barrows  which  his  contempora- 
ries ti'undle  alone,  we  should  not  dare  to  utter  a  syllable  of  dissent. 
But  when  it  comes  to  a  comparison  of  work  and  its  results,  we  doubt 
if  '  the  gleanings  of  Ephraim  '  may  not  be  more  than  the  *  vintage  of 
Abiezer,'  and  whether  the  burdened  rectors  of  St.  George's  and  St. 
Mark's  may  not,  after  all,  be  found  to  have  been  allowed  to  bring 
from  the  Lord's  harvest-field  as  fair  a  portion  into  His  granary,  with 
the  humble  instruments  of  their  toil,  as  the  rector  of  Trinity  with 
all  the  wealth,  and  aU  the  aid  of  his  exalted  and  enviable  earthly 
position." 

The  Duiiding  of  the  new  St.  George's  Church  and  its  establish- 
ment upon  such  a  foundation  for  future  usefulness,  in  all  the  cir- 
cumstances of  difficulty  and  all  the  elements  of  power  which  have 
been  thus  related,  attests  the  energy  and  fidehty  of  the  rector  and 
vestry  by  whom  the  result  had  been  so  successfully  accompHshed. 

On  the  8th  of  October,  1856,  the  last  stone  of  the  spu-es  was 
laid,  the  work  having  been  completed  at  an  expense  of  forty-five 
thousand  seven  hundred  dollars,  exclusive  of  the  clock  and  bell, 
subsequently  added  at  a  cost  of  about  three  thousand  dollars.  Thus 
St.  George's  Church  was  completed  in  all  its  parts,  and  it  was 
eminently  apj^ropriate  that  marble  tablets  should  be  placed  in  its 
waU  to  record  for  future  generations  the  names  of  its  honored 
founders.  As  these  tablets,  subsequently  destroyed  by  fire,  have 
never  been  restored,  it  is  especially  fitting  that  their  inscriptions 
should  be  recorded  here,  at  the  close  of  this  portion  of  its  history. 


256  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng^  D.D. 

ST.  GEORGE^S  CHURCH,  NEW  YORK. 

Corner-stone  of  this  Church  laid  June  23d,  1846. 

Church  opened  for  public  worship,  Nov.  19th,  1848. 

Consecrated,  Dec.  4th,  1849. 

Spires  completed,  Oct.  8th,  1856. 

building  Committee, 

John  Stearns,  M.D., 
Wm.  Whitlock,  Jr., 
Fred'k  S.  Winston, 
Jacob  LeRoy, 
Peter  G.  Arcularius, 
Samuel  Hopkins. 


aORPORATION  OF  ST.  GEORGE'S  CHURCH, 

BY   WHOM   THIS    CHURCH    WAS    ERECTED. 


Bev.  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  D.D.,  Rector. 


Church  Wardens. 

John  Stearns,  M.  D., 
Wm.  Whitlock,  Jr., 
Fred'k  S.  Winston, 
Adolphus  Lane. 


Vestri/men. 

Thomas  S.  Callender, 
Sam'l  M.  Cornell, 
Henry  Anstice, 
Joseph  Lawrence, 
Jacob  LeRoy, 
Peter  G.  Arcularius, 
Sam'l  Hopkins, 
Wm.  K.  Strong, 
Ross  W.  Wood, 
Charles  Tracy, 
Horace  Webster. 


ST.  (JKOItCK'S   CUfltCH.    STfVVr.SANT  SOrAlU:.    M'.W    VOKK. 


CHAPTER   V. 

VISIT  TO   PALESTINE,  1857.     MINISTRY,  1857  to  1861. 

In  the  spring  of  1857,  again  worn  out  by  his  exhausting  labors, 
Dr.  Tyng  was  induced  to  make  another  voyage  to  Europe,  and, 
accompanied  by  one  of  his  sons  and  a  young  man  of  the  same  age, 
sailed  for  Liverpool  soon  after  Easter.  He  had  long  desired  to 
visit  the  Holy  Land,  but  an  opportunity  to  gratify  this  wish,  at  a 
season  of  the  year  most  favorable  for  such  a  journe}^,  could  never 
be  obtained.  He,  therefore,  determined  to  undertake  it  at  this 
time.  With  such  an  object  in  view,  no  time  could  be  lost  in  any 
preliminary  journey,  and  all  haste  was  made  to  reach  Jaffa  at  the 
earliest  day.  From  the  notes  of  this  journey  and  visit  to  Jerusalem 
it  may  be  possible  to  make  only  the  following  brief  extracts. 
Writing  on  the  8th  of  June,  he  says: 

"Our  arrangements  for  our  journey  to  Jerusalem  were  made, 
and  we  started  on  horseback,  at  3  P.  M.  We  had  a  pretty  view  of 
Jaffa  as  we  passed  away.  Had  we  never  been  within  its  walls  we 
might  have  been  pleased  with  the  delusion  still. 

"  Ever3'thing  remains  unchanged  in  these  Asiatic  towns.  T^^e 
tanneries  are  still  here  on  the  seaside  as  in  Peter's  time.  The 
housetops  are  still  employed  for  prayer.  The  ships  in  the  narrow 
harbor  still  go  forth  to  Tarshish,  as  in  Jonah's  time,  and  wretched 
as  is  the  construction  of  the  place,  it  has  a  hundred  interesting  asso- 
ciations to  make  it  attractive.  But  we  were  glad  to  leave  it,  bound 
as  we  were  for  Jerusalem.  We  made  our  first  stopping  place  at 
Ramleh,  and  at  nine  we  started  on  our  night  joui'uey,  with  the 
addition  of  two  more  to  our  party. 

"  Our  course  was  over  the  modern  road,  nearly  southeasi,  di- 
rectly through  the  mountains  to  Jerusalem.  About  midnight  we 
struck  the  mountains,  and  from  that  time  had  a  terrible  ride.  I 
have  climbed  the  Alps  on  horseback  and  on  foot  lines.  But  such  a 
road  as  that  fifteen  miles  to  Jerusalem  I  never  saw.  It  seemed 
impossible  that  the  horses  should  tread  the  path,  so    rocky    and 

257 


2  58  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

broken  it  was.  It  is  a  terrific  desolation  which  reigns  here,  and  it 
continues  an  unchanging  wilderness  of  rocks,  till  Jerusalem  bursts 
ujDon  your  view.  At  daybreak  we  stopped  beneath  a  tree  to  re- 
pose a  while  and  get  our  morning  lunch.  There  we  first  saw  a 
vv^ell-known  j)oint  in  the  height  of  Mizpah,  which  stood  before  us. 
Soon  afterward  we  passed  the  Valley  of  Elah  and  the  brook  where 
David  gathered  his  five  smooth  stones.  At  about  nine  o'clock  we 
saw  the  Mount  of  Olives  before  us,  and  presently  Jerusalem  burst 
upon  us,  lying  in  its  basin  of  hills,  on  its  own  four  summits.  It  is 
not  the  most  beautiful  view  of  Jerusalem,  but  every  view  is  striking. 
No  other  place  can  look  like  it.  Travellers  speak  much  of  their 
first  emotions  at  such  a  time. 

"  The  first  sight  of  Jerusalem  must  make  a  solemn  impression 
upon  every  one.  I  could  not  but  feel  it.  Yet,  I  had  so  long  studied 
it,  and  was  so  familiar  with  its  whole  scenery  and  appearance,  that 
it  did  not  vary  in  any  degree  from  my  anticipations.  I  was  de- 
lighted to  be  there,  and  repeated  to  myself  many  of  David's  refer- 
ences to  it,  as  I  approached  its  walls.  '  Our  feet  shall  stand  in  thy 
gates,  O  Jerusalem.'  '  Beautiful  for  situation,  the  joy  of  the  whole 
earth  is  Mt.  Zion.'  We  entered  the  Jafi'a  Gate,  and  passed  by  the 
residence  of  the  English  Bishop,  and  then  through  two  narrow 
streets,  until  we  came  to  the  Mediterranean  Hotel. 

"  The   beauty  of   Jerusalem    is  gone  as   soon   as  you  get  within 
the   walls,    and    we   were    glad   to   get   out     of  the  tangled  mass 
and  find  the  shelter   of   our   hotel.      Peculiar    feelings   take  pos- 
session  of   the    mind,    as  you    find    yourself   actually  here.     The 
very  scene  of  the  Saviour's  earthly  manifestation.     The  very  place 
of  His  future  return  in  glory.     Meditations  left  but  little  desire  or 
opportunity  for  sleep  to  me.      1  had  now  much  to  see  and  much  to 
think  of.     Far  more  than  ever  in  my  life  before.     Like  the  disciples 
who  sought  their  own    company,    my    first  object  was  to  find  men 
like-minded  with  myself.      I  had  letters  from  Lord  Shaftesbury  and 
others  to  Bishop  Gobat,  and  I  went  out  to  call  upon  him.     I  found 
him,  as  I  expected,  a  most  desirable   companion.       Simple-hearted 
as  a  Christian,  and  thoroughly  evangelical  in  sentiment  and  feeling. 
I  had  an   hour's  conversation    with    him  in    his  study,  with  much 
delight,  and  gained  much  information  of  the   actual  state  of  things 
in  Jerusalem.     The  Bishop  meets  with  opposition  here  among  some 
of  the  English  residents,  as  he  has  in  England.      But  he  is  a  man 
of  most   gentle   feelings   as    well    as   determined    principles,  and 
appears  unmoved  by  all  the  obloquy  which  he  has  endured.     I 
cannot  doubt  that  he  is  raised  up  to  accomplish  a  great  and  impor- 


Visii  to  Palestine,  269 

tant  work  here.     The  Lord  will  prosper  and  bless  liim.     I  shall 
hope  to  see  much  of  him  hereafter, 

"  At  one  o'clock  we  went  to  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre; 
we  walked  around  its  limits  again  and  again.  There  was  a 
great  Latin  show  going  on,  but  it  did  not  interfere  with  us. 
We  saw  the  rent  in  the  rock,  and  went  into  the  sepulchre. 
It  requires  a  great  deal  of  determination  to  be  satisfied  with 
the  location.  And  yet  it  was  never  disputed  'til  of  late,  and  suffi- 
cient answer  may  be  given,  I  think,  to  any  objection.  The  sepul- 
chre is  about  two  hundred  feet  from  the  place  of  the  cross.  The 
whole  was  aTi  impressive,  solemn  scene.  But  I  must  visit  it  alone 
to  understand  and  feel  the  proper  influence  of  the  place.  The 
various  bodies  of  Christians  who  possess  the  place  have  their 
different  altars  scattered  in  every  part.  It  would  be  a  great 
satisfaction  to  see  the  whole  removed,  and  the  place   laid  bare 

again. 

"Friday,  June  12th.  This  morning  I  took  my  morning  walk 
alone.  I  went  out  to  the  Mt.  of  Olives,  and  employed  an  hour  in 
looking  upon  Jerusalem  from  its  height,  as  my  Saviour  surveyed  it 
when  He  pronounced  its  doom.  According  to  His  word,  it  is  still 
trodden  down  of  all  nations,  and  must  be  *  till  the  times  of  the  Gen- 
tiles are  fulfilled.'  Beautiful  for  situation,  its  moral  and  social 
degradation  are  extreme.  But  we  still  look  forward  with  earnest 
faith  and  hope  to  His  appearing.  From  this  higher  point  I  came 
down  to  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane,  which  lies  immediately  be- 
neath. I  saw  from  above  that  the  old  monk,  who  keeps  the  gar- 
den, was  watering  his  plants,  and  I  knocked  at  his  little  iron  door  for 
admission.  He  gently  came  and  opened  it,  and  welcomed  me  within. 
It  is  kept  with  the  neatest  care.  There  are  eight  remarkable  old 
olive  trees  there,  which  must  have  stood  there  for  many  centuries, 
and  are  probably  growing  from  the  very  roots  of  the  trees  under 
which  the  Saviour  prayed.  I  walked  around  the  sacred  spot  with 
peculiar  emotion,  and  for  some  time  reclined  beneath  two  of  the 
trees,  to  enjoy  the  meditations  of  the  scene.  No  earthly  object 
interferes  but  the  sharp  and  desolate  outline  of  the  city  wall  against 
the  skv.  Thus  the  Saviour  saw  the  city  from  this  very  spot,  and 
here  in  agony  poured  out  His  soul  in  prayer  for  a  sinful  race,  for 
whom  He  was  to  die.  The  solemnity  of  such  a  scene  is  almost 
oppressive.  It  cannot  but  bring  to  the  mind  a  deep  conviction  of 
its  own  sin,  as  it  recalls  His  anguish  beneath  its  burden.  It  was 
the  earnest  desire  of  my  heart  as  I  bowed  before  Him  there,  that 
I  mif^ht  live  a  more   devoted  life  for  Him  who  had   suffered  and 


26o  Rev,  Stephen  Higginso7i   Tyng,  D,D, 

died  for  me.  I  trust  His  gracious  Spirit,  who  led  me  to  the  earnest 
prayer  of  my  heart,  will  be  pleased  to  guide  and  keep  me  in  His 
holy  heavenly  way.  I  came  home  to  breakfast,  and  afterwards 
again  went  out  alone  to  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  There 
was  no  visitor  there  but  me.  I  passed  a  half  hour  alone  in  the 
sepulchre,  and  then  walked  round  and  round  the  various  points 
and  chapels.  I  felt  the  solemnity  of  the  place,  but  also  the  oppres- 
sion of  the  various  impositions  of  human  design  intended  to  in- 
crease the  impression.  How  often  did  I  wish  that  the  whole  place 
had  been  left  in  the  simplicity  of  nature;  as  it  is,  the  vulgar  tawdri- 
ness  of  all  the  ornaments  constitutes  a  very  important  hindrance  to 
devotion.  It  is  quite  impossible  to  realize  the  feeling  of  reverence 
with  which,  if  the  place  be  real,  the  Christian  heart  would  desire 
to  regard  it. 

"  Sunday,  June  14th.  The  J&rst  service  in  the  church  this 
morning  was  in  Spanish,  with  an  address  in  Hebrew.  The  second 
was  in  Arabic,  with  quite  a  large  congregation  attending.  The 
third,  at  ten  o'clock,  was  in  English.  At  this,  by  the  Bishop's 
earnest  request,  I  preached  to  a  very  earnest  and  attentive  congre- 
gation. It  was  a  pleasure  to  proclaim  the  gospel  on  Mt.  Zion, 
The  fourth  service,  at  four,  was  in  German.  I  attended  this  also, 
and  found  the  worship  quite  interesting  to  me.  The  evening  is 
occupied  by  various  private  meetings  in  the  different  houses.  I 
was  not  able  to  attend  any  of  them.  Thus  the  Sabbath  was  passed 
in  Jerusalem.  An  interesting  and  grateful  day,  and  one  that  will 
be  long  remembered  by  me.  I  feel  my  mind  to  have  been  stored 
with  the  facts  of  this  week.  Years  may  be  passed  in  reflecting 
upon  them  and  improving  the  information  which  has  been  thus 
acquired.  I  trust  years  may  be  given  to  me  to  make  it  useful  to 
myself  and  others.  The  Lord  be  pleased  to  write  new  and  living 
lessons  on  my  heart,  and  to  give  me  a  clearer  knowledge  of  His 
abounding  grace  and  love  in  an  incarnate  and  crucified  Saviour. 

"  Monday,  June  15th.  We  had  appropriated  this  day  to  our 
trip  to  Jordan  and  the  Dead  Sea.  We  took  the  Pool  of  Siloam  on 
our  way,  and  the  Well  of  En  Rogel  and  the  Virgin's  Well,  all  of 
which  are  very  interesting  points  at  the  southern  end  of  Jerusalem. 
Then  we  started  over  the  Mt.  of  Olives,  and  came  to  Bethany. 
This  is  the  very  last  village  on  the  side  of  Jerusalem  towards 
Jericho  and  the  Valley  of  Jordan.  Just  over  it  is  the  last  height 
of  the  Mt.  of  Olives,  where  the  nature  of  the  place  would  locate  the 
Lord's  ascension.  No  one  can  look  at  the  ruins  of  Bethany  and 
the  Mt.  of  Olives  immediately  over,  without  the  deepest  interest. 


Visit  to  Palestine,  261 

From  Bethany  the  road  descends  all  the  way  to  Jordan,  a  descent 
of  some  four  thousand  feet.  It  is  a  deep  chasm,  excessively  desert, 
and  every  step  reminds  us  of  the  Lord's  description.  It  is  a  desert 
way  indeed,  where  many  men  might  fall  among  thieves.  About  sun- 
set we  came  to  our  tent,  pitched  by  the  fountains  of  Jericho. 

"  June  16th.  Early  in  the  morning  we  started  on  our  day's 
journey.  We  were  crossing  the  plains  of  Jericho.  This  immense 
plain,  as  it  stretches  from  mountain  to  mountain,  might  furnish 
incalculable  quantities  of  wheat.  The  harvest  had  just  been  gath- 
ered, and  the  field  was  covered  with  the  stubble.  We  rode  for  six 
miles,  perhaps,  before  we  came  to  Jordan.  The  view  is  not  seen 
until  you  are  on  the  very  brink.  It  runs  among  a  tangled 
swamp,  well  furnishing  a  shelter  for  the  wild  beasts  of  which  the 
Scriptures  speak.  We  lingered  around  the  bank  for  an  hour,  and 
then  took  our  departure  for  the  Dead  Sea.  We  reached  this  about 
eleven  o'clock.  It. is  indeed  a  beautiful  lake,  as  it  spreads  out  be- 
fore the  view.  We  got  our  lunch  upon  the  shore,  and  began  to 
ascend  the  hills  towards  Jerusalem  again.  The  valley  is  a  gloomy 
and  precipitous  chasm,  which  David  well  calls  the  Valley  of  the 
Shadow  of  Death.  Its  precipitous  sides  are  filled  with  the  deserted 
cells  of  ancient  anchorites,  of  whom  it  is  said  fourteen  thou  sand  were 
at  one  time  murdered  here  by  the  Turks.  In  a  later  day  they  buili 
the  convent,  under  Mar  Saba's  direction.  It  is  his  tomb,  and  a 
most  defensible  and  substantial  place.  Here  the  Greek  monks  now 
reside.     They  received  us  with  great  hospitality. 

*'  June  17th.  Our  journey  to  Jerusalem  was  by  the  way  of 
Bethlehem,  where  we  stopped  to  see  the  place  of  the  Saviour's  birth. 
They  show  it  as  underground,  but  when  I  surveyed  the  exterior, 
and  saw  it  upon  a  steep  hillside,  and  the  remote  end  of  the  village 
from  Nazareth  whence  the  family  came,  many  of  the  difiiculties  of 
the  position  vanished.  There  is  an  air  of  probability  in  the  circum- 
stances of  the  location,  which  may  well  overcome  any  unnecessary' 
objections.  The  town  is  beautifully  situated  in  the  top  of  a 
valley.  In  this  fertile  valley  one  may  well  imagine  the  shepherds 
watching  over  their  fiocks.  And  here  we  saw  all  the  scenes  of  Rutli 
re-enacted  in  our  sight.  What  a  freshness  and  reality  it  gives  to 
the  Scripture  narrative  !  The  whole  appears  to  live  over  again 
under  our  view.     AVe  got  back  to  Jerusalem  to  dinner. 

*•  Thursday,  June  18th.  I  gave  the  morning  to  such  prepara- 
tions as  we  needed  for  our  return.  In  the  evening  I  had  engaged 
to  be  at  the  Bishop's,  where  was  the  meeting  of  the  mission.  The 
Bishop  read  a  chapter  of  Isaiah,  and  expounded  it,  and  then  made 


262  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng^  D,D, 

the  passage  a  subject  for  general  conversation.  He  closed  in 
prayer,  in  wiiich  he  commended  me  in  a  most  tender  manner  to  the 
Divine  protection  and  blessing.  It  was  a  great  comfort  to  me,  and 
I  parted  with  him  and  the  brethren  with  a  very  special  affection. 
The  meeting  closed  a  most  agreeable  visit  at  Jerusalem.  I  have 
been  much  impressed  with  many  views  of  the  missionary  work 
here,  which  I  have  not  time  to  record.  There  may  come  to  me  an 
opportunity  in  which  I  can  say  or  do  something  that  may  promote 
the  work  in  which  these  brethren  are  most  laboriously  and  wisely 
engaged." 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  19th  Dr.  Tyng  and  his  com- 
panions set  out  from  Jerusalem,  on  their  return  to  Jaffa,  which 
they  reached  that  afternoon.  Here  Saturday  and  a  part  of  Sun- 
day were  passed.  And  on  Sunday  afternoon  they  embarked  on 
the  steamer  for  Constantinople.  The  intense  heat  suffered  on  the 
ride  from  Jerusalem,  brought  on  a  serious  illness,  which  confined 
him  to  his  state-room  for  many  days  following.  It  was  a  great  dis- 
appointment thus  to  be  unable  to  go  ashore  at  any  of  the  in- 
teresting places  at  which  the  steamer  stopped,  and  especially  to 
be  unable  to  visit  the  missions  at  Beyroot,  where  the  vessel  re- 
mained two  days,  but  he  was  compelled  to  remain  quiet  until  he 
arrived  at  Constantinople,  on  the  2d  of  July,  whence  he  writes: 

"  Thursday,  July  2d.  When  I  arose  at  five  I  found  we  had  just 
entered  the  Bosphorus,  and  were  passing  the  beautiful  shore  of 
Constantinople.  We  anchored  in  the  Golden  Horn  in  an  hour, 
and  were  soon  on  board  a  boat,  with  all  our  luggage,  for  the  Hotel 
D'A.ngleterre,  in  Pera.  Here  we  were  snugly  fixed  before  break- 
fast time,  amidst  every  desirable  comfort.  In  about  an  hour  the 
missionary  brethren,  Dr.  Goodell,  Dr.  Dwight,  Mr.  Trowbridge, 
Mr.  Schauffler,  all  called  to  see  me,  and  I  felt  myself  perfectly  at 
home  among  brethren,  some  of  whom  I  had  known  and  loved  from 
my  childhood.  Near  fifty  years  had  passed  since  I  was  with 
Goodell  at  Andover.  It  was  a  privilege  to  meet  him  once  more. 
And  here  we  are  at  Constantinople,  where  there  is  everything  to 
see  and  to  know.     Little  did  I  ever  think  I  should  be  here." 

The  two  days  following  were  spent  in  visiting  the  various 
objects  of  interest  in  the  city.  On  the  4th  of  July  they  joined 
the  American  residents  in  a  celebration  of  the  day,  in  an  excursion 
on  an  American  vessel  up  the  Bosphorus,  and  of  the  remainder  of 
his  visit  he  writes: 

"  Sunday,  July  5th.  I  had  promised  to  preach  in  the  American 
missionary  chapel  this  morning.     I  was  surprised  at  the  assembly. 


Visit  to  Palestine,  263 

These  brethren  have  three  chapels  here,  and  constant  preaching  in 
Armenian,  Turkish,  and  Greek.  Their  congregations  are  full,  and 
the  work  which  God  has  enabled  them  to  accomplish  is  wonderful 
indeed. 

"  Probably  there  is  no  more  successful  mission  in  the  whole 
compass  of  the  lands  of  darkness.  These  American  missions  make 
a  very  important  fact  in  this  place,  and  no  one  pretends  to  under- 
value or  disregard  them.  There  are  now  six  regular  Protestant 
congregations  assembled  here,  under  either  the  American  mission 
or  native  pastors  ordained  by  them.  These  brethren  live  in  differ- 
ent quarters  of  the  city,  quite  remote  from  each  other,  and  thus 
maintain  an  intimate  connection  with  the  native  Christians  around 
them.  They  have  a  large  printing  establishment,  and  are  giving 
to  the  nations  the  standard  English  religious  works,  like  Doddridge, 
Bum^an,  etc.,  to  the  very  great  delight  of  the  people.  But  they 
cannot  keep  pace  with  the  demand  for  reading.  They  have  two 
Bible  depositories,  one  in  the  main  street  of  Pera,  and  the  other  in 
the  very  centre  of  Stamboul,  both  of  which  are  large  and  respect- 
able rooms,  quite  filled  with  copies  of  the  Scriptures.  These  trans- 
lations have  been  made  by  the  missionaries  here,  and  they  are  still 
engaged  in  this  work.  It  was  an  interesting  engagement  to  preach 
to  them  in  the  language  of  encouragement  in  their  work,  and 
they  listened  with  gratitude  and  delight.  The  service  was  an 
American  Liturgy,  in  which  they  all  united  with  interest.  My 
heart  and  mind  were  much  engaged  in  proclaiming  the  Lord's 
goodness  to  these  faithful  laborers  in  His  vineyard.  A  Turkish 
service  at  nine,  English  at  half-past  ten,  Greek  at  twelve,  by  differ- 
ent ministers  and  to  different  congregations.  And  this  in  a  fisld 
where  opposition  and  prejudice  have  been  more  violent  than  any- 
where on  earth  beside.     The  Lord  be  praised. 

"  Monday,  July  Gth.  My  engagement  to-day  was  with  Dr. 
Dwight.  I  found  some  difficulty  in  discovering  his  abode,  so  seques^ 
tered  is  it.  I  cannot  express  my  sense  of  the  simplicity  and  self- 
denial  of  his  life.  In  a  quarter  of  the  city  almost  inaccessible,  he 
has  pitched  his  tent  among  the  people  to  whose  salvation  he 
ministers.  Scarce  a  foot  of  room  around  him  to  breathe,  yet  here 
be  lives,  a  man  who  might  enjoy  the  most  agreeable  of  American 
homes,  and  for  Christ's  sake,  that  he  may  be  a  messenger  of  salva- 
tion to  the  souls  of  men.  I  crossed  the  whole  of  the  immense  city 
in  getting  to  his  home.  On  my  way  I  stopped  at  the  Bible  ware- 
house, in  the  centre  of  Stamboul,  on  a  street  where  it  is  more 
public  than  it  could  be  on  any  other  there.     Here  the  Scrijjtures 


264  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyngy  D.D. 

are  sold  in  all  the  languages  of  the  East,  and  are  demanded  for 
dreulation  faster  than  they  can  be  i^repared.  There  is  a  wonderful 
advance  in  the  public  sentiment  on  this  subject,  in  every  part  of 
this  country,  and  no  obstacle  exists  to  the  freest  distribution  of  the 
Word  of  God. 

"  Tuesday,  July  7th.  There  were  two  interesting  meetings  to- 
day at  the  American  chapel,  in  Pera.  The  Evangelical  Alliance  at 
twelve,  when  the  Dutch  Ambassador  presided,  and  the  Turkish 
Bible  Society  at  two,  when  Dr.  Goodell  presided.  The  communica- 
tions at  the  former  meeting  gave  a  very  interesting  account  of  the 
work  of  the  gospel  in  the  country  regions  around.  It  amazes  me 
to  see  how  abundantly  these  laborers  are  at  work  here.  Dr. 
Hamlin  is  engaged  in  building  church  edifices  throughout  the  sur- 
rounding regions,  and  everywhere  it  is  found  that  the  British 
Consuls  are  the  chief  protectors  of  the  missionaries.  The  Bible 
Society  presented  reports  from  their  depositories  in  Pera  and 
Stamboul,  Constantinople,  by  which  it  appeared  that  they  were 
quite  embarrassed  in  their  work  for  want  of  funds.  I  immediately 
authorized  a  draft  on  the  treasurer  of  the  American  Bible  Society, 
for  the  full  sum  of  their  need.  It  would  seem  enough  that  they 
should  assume  the  whole  burden  of  the  management  of  the  con- 
cern, without  being  obHged  to  suffer  the  burden  of  pecuniary 
embarrassment.  I,  therefore,  could  not  resist  the  duty  of  assuring 
them  that  the  American  Society  would  cheerfully  meet  all  necessary 
expenditures  in  the  management  of  their  depositories.  The  brethren 
were  not  a  little  comforted  at  my  assurance,  and  Dr.  Goodell  express- 
ed himself  in  the  strongest  terms  in  regard  to  the  blessing  of  my  visit. " 
Leaving  Constantinople  on  the  8th  of  July,  several  days  were 
spent  in  a  most  agreeable  visit  to  Athens,  where  he  was  much 
interested  in  the  missionary  work  which  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hill  had  so 
long  conducted  there. 

On  the  23d  they  arrived  at  Marseilles,  on  their  return,  and 
from  there  he  writes: 

"  I  cannot  but  regard  myself  as  dealt  with  in  great  mercy  in 
this  journey.  I  have  been  brought  back  in  perfect  safety— about 
four  thousand  miles;  we  have  travelled  around  the  Mediterranean, 
without  an  accident  or  evil.  No  earthly  journey  could  have  been  more 
richly  filled  with  important  places  or  facts.  Probably  I  shall  reap 
the  benefit  of  it  during  my  whole  life.  I  trust  it  will  be  worth 
much  in  my  future  ministry.  And  now  that  I  stand  once  more 
upon  the  Continent,  I  look  back  upon  my  whole  joui-ney  with 
thankfulness  and  delight.       I   have  found  everywhere  the  most 


Ministry,  i8^j  to  1861,  2  65 

agreeable  friends,  and  have  been  treated  with  a  consideration  and 
kindness  which  have  extremeh^  gratified  and  humbled  me.  The 
Lord  be  praised  for  all  His  goodness." 

After  a  short  journey  in  Switzerland  and  Germany,  several 
weeks  were  spent  in  England,  whence  they  sailed  about  the  middle 
ol  September,  on  their  homeward  voyage. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  vestry  of  St.  George's  Church  after 
Dr.  Tyng's  return,  the  committee  reported  the  completion  of  the 
spires,  with  clock  and  bell  in  place;  and  thus  the  whole  design  had 
been  executed  in  all  its  parts. 

The  time  had  now  come  when  a  further  step  could  be  taken  in 
fulfilment  of  the  comprehensive  plan  adopted  when  the  work  was 
undertaken,  and  again  declared  by  the  vestry  in  their  action  in 
1851.  The  original  project  of  a  free  chapel  had  been  enlarged  into 
the  foundation  of  a  church  of  commanding  influence  and  power, 
practically  free  in  all  its  privileges,  and  with  an  income,  independent 
of  the  pew-rents,  sufficient  to  maintain  its  ministry  and  worship. 
Now  still  more  earnest  efforts  might  be  made  to  carry  the  gospel 
throughout  the  district  which  lay  before  it,  as  the  special  field  of 
labor  of  St.  George's  Church. 

The  history  of  this  city  mission  work,  which  was  one  of  the 
remarkable  features  of  Dr.  Tyng's  ministry,  may  be  properly 
written  only  when  it  can  be  surveyed  from  its  inception  to  the 
close  of  his  rectorship.  A  few  of  its  facts  may,  however,  be  appro- 
priately mentioned  at  this  date  of  its  permanent  location. 

As  early  as  April,  1851,  the  Kev.  Calvin  Wolcott  had  been 
appointed  a  missionary,  to  give  his  special  care  to  the  large  num- 
bers of  the  destitute  and  poor  who  were  even  then  gathered  in 
that  section  of  the  city.  His  diligent  efforts  and  ministry  were  so 
prospered  that  it  soon  became  evident  that  some  special  provision 
must  be  made  for  this  work.  In  April,  1854,  therefore,  a  room 
was  obtained  at  Avenue  A  and  Nineteenth  Street,  in  which 
instruction  could  be  given  to  some  at  least  of  the  large  number  of 
children  who  Avere  entirely  uncared  for,  and  could  not  be  brought 
to  the  Sunday  School  at  the  church. 

The  rapidity  of  the  growth  of  this  first  mission  school  was 
remarkable.  It  soon  exceeded  any  accommodation  possible  in  the 
building  in  which  it  was  placed,  and  an  enlargement  in  some  way 
was  imperative. 

To  meet  this  necessity,  Dr.  Tyng  proposed  to  the  vestry,  that  if 
they  would  buy  the  land,  the  children  of  the  Sunday  School  of  St. 
George's  Church  would  erect  a  chapel  upon  it. 


266  Rev.   Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

In  this  plan  the  vestry  cordially  concurred,  and  a  committee 
was  immediately  appointed  to  acquire  suitable  lots.  A  purchase 
was  soon  after  made,  and  the  erection  of  the  chapel  at  once  begun. 
Thus  the  important  work,  afterward  so  successfully  maintained  and 
so  liberally  supported,  was  placed  on  a  firm  foundation. 

One  of  its  most  earnest  advocates,  Mr.  Peter  G.  Arcularius,  was 
not,  however,  permitted  to  see  the  fruition  of  its  hope.  Within  a 
month  succeeding  his  appointment  on  the  committee  above 
referred  to,  his  sudden  death  deprived  the  church  of  one  of  its 
most  faithful  servants.  The  records  of  the  vestry  bear  this  sincere 
but  brief  testimony  to  his  character  and  their  loss: 

"  Besolved:  That  when  we  recall  his  usefulness  and  fidelity  in 
all  the  relations  which  he  filled  in  connection  with  St.  George's 
Church  for  many  years  past,  his  unexpected  departure  is  to  us 
as  a  vestry,  and  as  individuals,  a  cause  of  serious  grief,  making 
an  important  vacancy  in  our  number  which  few  can  fill  with  equal 
usefulness  and  acceptance. 

''Besolved:  That  while  we  mourn  his  departure,  we  bear  our 
grateful  testimony  to  the  purity  and  simplicity  of  his  Christian 
character,  as  he  has  gone  in  and  out  among  us;  always  proving 
himself  a  steadfast  and  grateful  friend,  a  man  of  peace  and  kind- 
ness, and  an  example  of  conscientious  fidelity  in  duty,  and  candor 
and  gentleness  in  his  judgments  and  feelings  toward  those  who 
were  connected  with  him,  a  lover  of  the  truth  and  the  spirit  of  the 
gospel,  and  a  consistent  professor  of  its  principles  and  commands." 

The  death  of  Mr.  Arcularius  was  the  loss  to  Dr.  Tyng  of  a  truly 
devoted  friend.  Another  month  had  scarcely  intervened,  however, 
before  he  was  called  to  endure  a  most  grievous  affliction  in  the 
death  of  his  oldest  son,  Dudley,  stricken  down  in  the  midst  of  a 
most  useful  career,  and  when  he  had  obtained  a  position  and 
influence  which  betokened  a  ministry  of  remarkable  power. 

Of  the  circumstances  of  this  dispensation,  in  their  successive 
occurrence,  Dr.  Tyng  writes  in  the  little  memorial  of  his  son,  which 
was   soon    afterwards  published,    under  the  title   "The   Child  of 

Prayer." 

"  The  18th  of  April,  was  the  appointed  Anniversary  of  the  Sun- 
day Schools  of  St.  George's  Church,  and  this  passage  of  Scripture 
(I  Samuel  i.  27,  28)  had  been  selected  by  me,  as  the  topic  for  my 
address  to  the  multitude  of  children  gathered  on  that  day.  But 
God  was  pleased  to  arrest  my  work  on  that  occasion,  by  summon- 
ing me  to  the  bedside  of  my  dear  first-born  son.  The  succeeding 
Sabbath,  the  25th  of  April,  I  had  long  before  engaged  to  pass  with 


Ministry,  iS^y  to  1861,  267 

my  son  in  the  ministry  for  his  own  Church  in  Philadelphia,  and 
I  was  looking  forward  to  this  day  of  communion  with  him  among 
his  people,  with  all  the  delight  with  which  his  visits  and  my  pres- 
ence with  him  were  ever  anticipated.  How  little  could  I  imagine 
that  on  that  very  day  I  was  to  stand  in  his  place,  to  preach  in 
commemoration  of  his  own  departure !  My  loved  one  gone, 
and  his  father's  desolated  heart  trying  to  speak  of  him  to  a 
gathered  multitude  who  loved  and  venerated  him  !  Little  could  I 
have  dared  to  hope  that  I  could  ever  perform  a  task  like  that. 
Both  morning  and  evening  I  was  permitted  to  stand  and  speak  for 
Christ,  and  to  speak  of  my  dear  boy  with  a  heart  bleeding  with  sor-- 
row,  and  yet  rejoicing  with  gratitude.  I  did  it,  not  to  commemorate 
the  honor  of  that  son  as  a  minister  of  Christ,  but  to  speak  of  a  life 
now  finished,  as  in  all  its  succeeding  events — a  gift  of  God,  to  tes- 
tify of  'A  Child  of  Prayer,'  in  the  father's  simple  history  as  a  father 
feels. 

*'  Of  the  remarkable  cause  of  the  death  of  this  beloved  son,  I 
need  say  but  little.  It  was  one  of  those  facts,  which,  as  one  ex- 
amines the  place  and  manner  of  its  occurrence,  would  be  said  to  be 
impossible.  Yet,  this  was  the  w^ill  and  plan  of  God,  who  loved  him, 
bought  him,  owned  him.  He  had  passed  the  whole  of  Tuesday,  the 
13th  of  April  in  his  study.  In  the  afternoon,  he  walked  to  his  barn, 
where  his  laborers  were  at  work  with  a  common  horse-power  con- 
nected with  some  farming  machine.  He  stood  on  the  right  side  of 
the  mule  which  was  at  work,  patting  the  animal  on  the  head,  in  his 
usual  gentleness  of  spirit.  The  right  side  of  his  study  gown  was 
caught  by  the  small  cog-wheel  on  the  axle.  Probably  before 
he  discovered  the  fact,  he  was  dragged  down  by  this  wind* 
ing  of  his  dress,  and  fell  with  his  right  arm  upon  the  large 
wheel,  beyond  any  power,  which  he  had,  of  resistance.  The 
man  who  was  attending  the  machine  discovered  him  in  a  moment 
in  this  condition,  but  before  he  could  stop  the  mule,  the  cogs  had 
ground  the  flesh  from  the  bone,  from  the  elbow  to  the  shoulder. 
The  resistance  of  the  bones  united  with  the  brake  to  stop  the  wheels, 
but  not  until  a  death-wound  was  made,  which  no  human  skill  or 
power  could  avail  to  cure. 

'•  From  Tuesday  to  Friday,  the  symptoms  apjieared  encourag- 
ing, but  the  necessity  for  immediate  amputation  occurred,  and  it 
was  accomplished  about  three  o'clock  on  Saturday  morning.  A 
consultation  of  his  physicians  spoke  hopefully  of  his  case.  But  no 
professional  anticipation  could  delude  me  into  a  moment's  hope.  I 
had  read  the  result  in  my  first  sight  of  him.     I  could   not  be  mis- 


268  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

taken,  thankful  as  I  would  have  been  to  be  so  persuaded.  About 
nine  o'clock  on  Monday  morning,  I  perceived  him  sinking  v^ith 
great  rapidity.  At  twenty  minutes  of  two  in  the  afternoon  all  was 
quietness  and  rest.  It  was  an  holy  place,  and  a  solemn,  subduing 
hour.  My  Isaac  whom  I  loved  had  been  offered.  The  desire  of 
mine  eyes  had  been  taken  away  from  me  with  a  stroke.  And 
though  I  had  hoped  to  pass  my  weary  age,  and  to  be  gathered  to 
the  tomb  under  his  tender  and  faithful  ministrations,  while  he 
should  fill  after  me  the  important  posts  of  duty  to  which  the  Lord 
had  been  pleased  to  call  me,  and  maintain  my  testimony  after  I  had 
gone,  I  have  nothing  to  say.  Good  is  the  word  of  the  Lord,  that 
He  hath  spoken.  *  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  aU  that  is  within 
me  bless  His  holy  name.' 

"  Ye  who  know  the  blessedness  of  bowing  down  the  head  like  a 
bulrush,  in  sweet  submission  before  a  covenant  God,  alone  can 
know  the  peaceful  repose  with  which  I  looked  upon  that  dear  face, 
which  had  never  met  me  but  with  the  sweetest  tenderness  of  filiai 
affection;  which  for  years  had  been  the  manly  index  of  a  brother's 
heart,  beaming  with  clear  intelHgence  of  the  things  of  God ;  which 
in  every  relation,  had  been  the  very  joy  and  pride  of  my  heart,  now 
marked  with  the  seal  of  death,  and  was  able  to  say  with  Abraham, 
in  my  poor  degree :  '  Lord,  here  I  am.  Be  it  unto  me  according  to 
thy  word.' 

"  The  funeral  services  of  this  beloved  son  were  celebrated  on 
Thursday,  the  22nd  of  April,  at  *  Concert  Hall,'  Chestnut  Street,  in 
which  his  Church  was  accustomed  to  assemble  for  worship,  and 
where  but  ten  days  before  he  had  been  preaching  to  them  the 
Word  of  God,  with  his  accustomed  earnestness.  What  unprece- 
dented honors  were  paid  to  his  memory  in  that  sublime  and  over- 
whelming spectacle  of  his  funeral !  How  strange  seemed  the  fact 
that  respect  for  a  private  youthful  minister  of  Christ  should  thus 
gather  crowds  of  sympathizing  thousands,  literally  to  stop  the  pas- 
sages of  the  streets  of  a  busy  city  in  the  very  noon  of  its  earthly 
engagements.  How  wonderful  the  testimony  which  collected  and 
venerated  ministers  of  Christ  bore  to  his  character,  fidelitv  and 
usefulness !  How  remarkable  has  been  the  interest  awakened  in 
this  connection  throughout  the  land !  Newspapers  of  qyqyj  kind,  re- 
ligious and  secular,  and  of  every  shade  of  political  opinion,  record- 
ing an  expression  of  an  universal  sentiment.  It  would  be  impossi- 
ble to  numerate  the  hundreds  of  pulpits  in  which,  already  within 
these  few  weeks,  his  youthful  death  has  been  made  the  subject  of 
public  remark,  and  the  most  sympathizing  interest.     My  own  per- 


Ministry,  i8^j  to  1861.  269 

sonal  griefs  have  been  swallowed  up  in  my  sense  of  the  public 
loss." 

Among  the  innumerable  tributes  of  the  press  none  more  truly 
than  the  following  delineated  the  striking  features  of  his  character 
and  career.  It  is  an  extract  from  an  editorial  notice  in  the  Boston 
Courier : 

"  The  almost  unprecedented  interest  awakened  in  the  whole 
community,  by  the  lamented  death  of  this  singularly  gifted  and 
exemplary  young  clergyman,  induces  as  to  devote  more  than  a  usual 
portion  of  our  columns  to  a  willing  tribute  to  his  life  and  labors. 

The  Rev.  Dudley  Atkins  Tyng  was  descended  on  both 

sides  from  a  race  distinguished  for  its  primitive  and  sturdy  independ- 
ence and  integrity  of  character.  He  was  born  in  Prince  George's 
County,  Maryland,  on  the  14th  of  January,  1825.  An  ancestry  com- 
bining such  marked  qualities  of  mind  and  heart  in  the  individual  cases 
is  seldom  found  among  family  antecedents,  and  in  the  character  of 
the  lamented  deceased  there  was  exhibited  a  very  decided  and  happy 
union  of  the  most  valuable  qualities,  thus  illustrating  his  lineage. 
If  it  could  be  said,  as  it  has  been,  that  '  those  who  knew  the  father 
of  Mr.  Tyng,  knew  his  son  also,  '  it  could  be  said  with  equal  truth, 
that  those  to  whom  the  venerable  Bishop  Griswold  was  known, 
could  confidently  say  that  they  knew  Dudley  Atkins  Tyng.  The 
father  still  lives,  '  in  labors  abundant  ;'  in  influence  for  the  pro- 
motion of  the  cause  of  his  Divine  Master  unsurpassed  ;  in  the  gift 
of  a  noble  heart  and  an  eloquent  utterance  almost  peerless  through- 
out the  Church  ;  the  grandfather  still  lives,  as  does  the  grandson,  in 
the  power  of  a  character  dear  to  the  Christian  heart,  cherished  in 
Christian  memories,  and  still  speaking,  by  the  manifested  beauty  of 
a  *  life  hid  with  Christ  in  God,'  and  by  the  triumphant  glories  of  a 
death  which  was  as  the  *  very  gate  of  heaven.' 

"  Mr.  Tyng  was  early  distinguished  for  scholarship  ;  and  in  the 
year  1839  entered  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  where  he  gradu- 
ated in  1843  with  high  honors.  Eventually  deciding  to  enter  upon 
the  ministry,  he  became  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Theological 
Seminary  of  Virginia,  and  while  there  took  rank  among  the  first  as  a 
scholar,  and  was  unsurpassed  in  the  gift  of  a  ready  extempora- 
neous oratory. 

" After  leaving  the  seminary,  he  was  for  a  while 

the  assistant  to  his  father  at  St.  George's,  from  which  cliurch  he  was 
called  to  Columbus,  Ohio,  an<l  then  successively  to  Cliarlestown,  Va., 
and  Cincinnati.  In  every  position,  the  record  of  his  hfe,  character, 
and   work  is  one  which   may   well    compel   the  respect   of  every 


270  Rev,  Step  he  ?t  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

Christian  man.  In  Cincinnati,  especially,  Dudley  Tyng  won  the 
love  of  all  classes,  by  his  noble  example  of  a  lofty  and  unswerving 
Christian  demeanor,  his  broad  catholicity  of  opinion  and  sympathy, 
and  his  labors  in  every  good  work ;  and  secured  the  marked 
attention  of  the  whole  community,  by  his  power  as  a  pulpit  orator, 
sincere,*earnest,  and  eloquent,  in  the  defence  and  confirmation  of 
the  gospel.  Some  two  or  three  years  since,  he  was  called  to  the 
rectorship  of  the  Church  of  the  Epiphany,  in  Philadelphia,  a 
church,  the  fruit  of  his  father's  labors  and  prayers,  and  in  the 
charge  of  which  the  son  was  the  worthy  representative  of  the  fa- 
ther's eloquence,  zeal,  and  activity  in  Christian  duty. 

"  Of  the  circumstances  under  which  Mr.  Tyng  surrendered  the 
charge  of  the  Epiphany  we  do  not  now  propose  to  speak.  If  we 
differ  from  any  as  to  the  course  pursued  by  him  in  relation  to  the 
introduction  of  the  discussion  of  political  or  governmental  policy 
into  the  pulpit,  we  shall  certainly  not  differ  from  his  friends  as  to 
the  Christian  demeanor  manifested  by  him  in  the  issue.  If  we 
have  ever  entered  our  protest  against  the  treatment;  of  political 
topics  in  the  pulpit,  we  shall  never  withhold  our  admu'ation  of  him 
who  in  the  defence  of  even  a  mistaken  judgment  bears  himself  so 
courteously  and  Christianly  thi'oughout  its  issues. 

"  For  the  last  year,  or  more,  Mr.  Tyng  has  been  the  rector  of 
the  Church  of  the  Covenant  in  Philadelphia. 

"  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  of  him,  that  in  this  connection  no 
clergyman  of  his  age  in  the  Church  commanded  a  wider  circle  of 
regard  and  influence.  The  charm  of  his  ready  extemporaneous 
oratory,  together  with  the  fervid  earnestness,  directness,  and  clear 
method  of  his  preaching,  uniformly  drew  to  his  ministrations  a  con- 
gregation which  in  numbers  and  united  sympathy  with  a  loved  and 
honored  rector,  was  perhaps  without  a  parallel  in  the  Episcopixl 
Church.  Nor  was  this  all.  As  one  whose  heart  went  forth  in  all 
love  for  those  who  differing  from  him  in  ecclesiastical  views,  yet 
loved  the  same  Lord,  and  cherished  the  same  faith,  Dudley  Tyng 
was  in  return  the  object  of  the  most  affectionate  regard  of  Chris- 
tians of  every  name.  It  has  been  well  said  of  him,  that  '  the  exam- 
ple of  his  honored  father  had  taught  him  to  combine  loyalty  to  his 
own  communion  with  fraternity  toward  the  universal  communion 
of  the  saints  ;  and  a  remarkably  genial  and  amiable  temperament 
united  with  these  principles  of  his  early  training  in  disposing  him 
to  fraternize  with  all  the  friends  of  Christ.' 

"  And  it  is  in  this  aspect  that  our  sincere  respect  is  commanded 
for   the  character  of  the  lamented  dead.     This  is  an   age   which 


Ministry,  iS^j  to  1861.  271 

empliatically  demands  a  closer  union  of  all  Christian  hearts  to  the 
efficient  promulgation  of  gospel  truth.  The  sturdy  and  rightly 
directed  blows,  by  which  a  rigid  and  assuming  ecclesiastical  spirit, 
wherever  found,  has  been  met  at  the  hands  of  the  sterling  rector 
of  St.  George's  have  been  matched  by  the  fearless  energy  of  his 
son,  in  supporting  the  principle  and  adopting  the  practice  of 
Christian  union  for  a  common  object.  The  prayer  of  the  noble 
Liturgy  of  the  Church,  *  from  all  uncharitableness,  Good  Lord,  de- 
liver us,*  has,  in  both  individuals,  found  its  complement  of  a  dili- 
gent watching  thereunto. 

"  The  example  of  both,  consecrated  for  a  new  influence  by  the 
death  of  the  younger,  will  surely  tend  to  raise  up  new  advocates  of 
an  expansive  Christian  love,  and  thereby  advance  in  a  surer  strength 
and  a  wider  influence  the  cause  of  Him  whose  whole  life  is  but  the 
record  of  an  undying  love. 

'^  In  the  death  of  Mr.  Tyng  the  Church  Catholic  has  indeed 
experienced  a  great  loss.  A  noble  standard-bearer  of  the  cross  has 
fallen  upon  the  battle-field,  but  his  last  words  of  divine  cheer  will 
still  multiply  in  power  in  every  Christian  heart.  No  more  touching 
incident  has  ever  met  an  eye,  in  the  range  of  Christian  biography, 
than  is  presented  in  the  dying  moments  of  this  young  soldier  of 
the  cross. 

"  Mrs.  Hemans,  in  one  of  her  beautiful  martial  lyrics,  commem- 
orates a  youthful  warrior,  who  wrapped  the  flag  of  his  country 
round  his  breast,  and  thus  saved  it  from  dishonor,  even  in  his  death. 
But  more  touching  than  this,  is  that  last  charge  of  a  dying  son  to  a 
father,  by  whom  it  had  originally  been  given ;  that  calm  yet 
resolute  testimony  to  the  value  of  the  Christian  faith,  in  words 
which  had  been  to  the  aspiring  young  clergyman  as  '  a  scroll 
written  upon  the  standard  of  his  calling.'  These  words  them- 
selves, in  which  after  all  the  germ  and  purpose  of  a  simple  gospel 
faith  are  embraced — '  Stand  up  for  Jesus'  these  came  forth  from 
the  scene  of  his  last  struggle,  amid  the  deeply  aftlicting  circum- 
stances in  which  they  were  uttered,  with  an  appeal  to  which  the 
hardest  heart  could  scarcely  be  found  insensible.  For  him,  the 
tears  of  the  Church  universal  will  hallow  the  grave  of  the  departed  ; 
while  the  memory  of  his  high  faith,  of  his  noble  eloquence,  of  his 
gentle  virtues,  so  dear  to  the  domestic  and  social  circle,  and  of  that 
wide  range  of  Christian  influence,  begotten  by  the  divine  Spirit  of 
Christian  love,  can  not  fail  of  its  proper  cU'ect  upon  the  hearts  and 
lives  of  thousands  who  have  known  but  to  love  the  life  and  cliarac- 
ter  of  Dudley  Atkins  Tyng." 


272  Rev.   Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

Many  were  the  expressions  of  sympathy  which  were  borne  to  Dr. 
Tyng,  from   the    multitudes  who  mourned  with  him  in  this   great 

affliction. 

Among  these  the  following,  which  was  communicated  by  his 
esteemed  friend,  Dr.  Thomas  Cock,  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  is 
especially  worthy  of  note. 

Sixth  Day  Morning,  7th  Mo.,  9th,  1858. 
Dear  Friend:     I  have  this  morning  received  a  letter  from  a  par- 
ticular friend  of  mine,  now  residing  in  Iowa,  formerly  of  this  city, 
a  minister  of  the  Society  of  Friends. 

Fxiract. 

"  Every  feeling  in  me  capable  of  religious  sensibility  has  been 
awakened,  and  deep  Christian  sympathy  has  extended  to  that 
worthy  arid  devoted  servant  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  Stephen  H. 
Tyng,  in  that  deeply  afflicting  dispensation  that  his  Heavenly 
Father  has  lately  called  him  to  endure.  For  years  I  have  loved 
him  with  the  love  of  Christ,  as  a  Brother  in  the  Lord,  and  vener- 
ated him  as  a  Father  in  the  Church,  having  his  writings  to  instruct 
me  and  open  clearly  to  my  understanding,  whilst  the  witness  for 
God  in  my  heart  bore  testimony  to  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  the 
influences  of  which  were  and  are  to  gather  souls  to  Christ  and  bring 
all  unto  God,  through  Him  the  alone  way. 

"  Wbat  a  remarkable  evidence  of  the  Almighty  power  of  the  grace 
of  God  in  man  was  the  meekness  and  submission  of  Stephen  H. 
Tyng  and  his  faithfulness  given  in  Philadelphia  after  his  son's  death. 
Here  we  have  the  realities  of  Religion  —  a  precept  of  Life,  Power, 
and  Love  in  the  soul  of  man,  having  God  for  its  author  and  sus- 
tainer.  As  it  retains  its  godlikeness  it  knows  no  sectional  bound, 
but  is  free  as  the  air  and  universal  as  the  light  of  day.  Because  I 
love  this  disciple,  I  feel  for  him  in  his  deep  grief  and  sorrow  and 
rejoice  with  him  in  the  glorious  prospect  of  ere  long  joining  in  the 
realities  of  eternal  bliss,  his  and  other  purified  and  redeemed 
spirits,  never  more  to  know  of  trials  and  separation,  but  where, 
through  the  boundless  mercies  of  our  God  in  Christ  Jesus  our 
Lord,  we  shall  forever  and  ever  enjoy  his  presence  and  mingle  in 
the  countless  multitudes  in  celebrating  His  praises  from  gold  harps 

of  His  love. 

*'  i  never  spoke  to  this  dear  minister,  but  for  years  have  owned 
his  writings.  I  have  often  felt  it  was  his  due  to  know  what  a  bless- 
ing they  have  been  unto  myself." 


Ministry,  iS^j  to  1861,  2  J 


^ 


He  mrther  adds  that  at  some  suitable  time  this  should  be  read 
to  thee.  I  have  forwarded  his  kind  expression  of  Christian  sympa- 
thy, hoping  this]  may  give  that  consolation  which  I  beheve,  as  a 
Christian  brother,  thee  sincerely  feels. 

Thy  affectionate  friend, 

Thomas   Cock. 

Other  similar  letters  might  well  be  referred  to,  but  this  record 
may  not  appropriately  include  more  than  the  affectionate  letter  re- 
ceived by  Dr.  Tyng  from  his  clerical  brethren  in  New  York,  and 
his  reply  thereto. 

New  York,  April  21st,  1858. 

Brotlierj  Sore  Afflicted:  Accept  from  brethren  some  token  of  their 
fellowship  in  your  grief.  We  waive  the  forms  of  condolence — too 
deeply  have  our  hearts  been  touched  by  the  fearful  stroke  that  has 
smitten  yours.  The  agony  of  a  father  over  a  child  already  a  dis- 
tinguished brother  in  the  ministry  crushed  ere  his  zenith,  in  the 
midst  of  his  valor  for  his  Lord,  and  the  clinging  affections  of  his 
rising  household — no  words  of  ours  can  soothe.  We  can  only  turn 
to  the  consolation  of  knowing  whose  Hand  hath  done  it.  With  you, 
we  bow  before  His  sovereignty,  confessing,  through  the  clouds  and 
darkness  round  about  Him,  righteousness  and  judgment  the  habi- 
tation of  His  seat.  Nor  only  submission;  acquiescence  in  His  will  is 
our  peace,  knowing  that  He  smites  to  heal,  and  that  the  severest 
chastenings  of  His  children  are  the  discipline  of  His  love. 

But  you  know  these  things  full  well,  and  all  which  we  would  say. 
We  will  not  add  to  our  words.  We  leave  you,  dear  brother,  with 
the  sympathy  you  most  desire :  our  prayers  that  God,  in  His  good 
pleasure,  will  accomplish  in  you  all  that  He  purposes  in  this  trial  of 
your  faith,  making  you  to  know  and  testify  more  abundantly  the 
riches  of  His  grace  in  Christ  Jesus — and  for  the  bereaved  ones  of 
our  departed  brother  that  such  may  be  the  orderings  of  His  provi- 
dence towards  them,  and  the  blessings  of  His  Spirit,  that  they  shall 
adore  the  Lord  who  has  taken  away,  as  the  Lord  who  can  give; 
and  confess  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise,  "the  seed  of  the  right- 
eous shall  not  be  forsaken."  "  Grace,  mercy  and  peace  from  God 
the  Father,  and  tho  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  your  spirit." 

Affectionately  your  brethren  in  Christ. 

Horatio  Potter, 
Samuel  H.  Turner, 
Etc.,  Etc.,  Etc. 


274  ^^'^'  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

St.  George's  Rectory,  April  2Sth,  1858. 
Bt  Rev.  and  Dear  Sir: 
Bev.  and  Dear  Brethren : 

Your  affectionate  and  tender  communication  was  handed 
to  me  by  Rev.  Dr.  Cutler,  on  the  day  of  the  funeral  of  my  beloved 
son,  and  I  have  but  just  returned  to  my   own  home.     The  sorrow 
through  which  I  have   passed  has  been  great,  almost  more  than  I 
have  felt  able  to  endure.     "When  I  look  at  the  deep  beneath  me,  my 
spirit  sinks  helpless  and  crushed.     When  I  meditate  upon  my  grief, 
my  heart  bursts  with  agony.     My  love,  my  pride,  my  sympathies, 
my  hope,  were  placed  completely,  perhaps  sinfully,  upon  that  dear 
boy.     We  made  but  one  heart  between  us,  and  he  seemed  to  me 
like  another  self.     The  loss  to  me  for  the  residue  of  my  life,  under 
any  circumstances,  would  be  a  burden  that  I  can  never  forget,  per- 
haps not  for  a  single  waking  hour  to  come.     How  dear,  how  tender, 
how  affectionate,  how  absorbing  to  me  he  was,  I  cannot  tell  you. 
But  such  was  the  suddenness  of  this  dispensation,  so  terrific  in  its 
nature,  so  full  of  circumstances  of  bitterness  in  the  anguish  he  en- 
dured, that  I  was  stunned  with  the  agony  of  my  distress.     "Yet  God, 
our  gracious  God  and  Saviour,  as  He  comforted  and  supported  me 
with  marvellous  dispensations  of  His  love,  so  also  has  been  pleased 
to  support  me  with  special  demonstrations  of  kindness.     The  pleas- 
ure of  being  with  him  to  the  last,  and  witnessing  all  the  wonderful 
exhibitions  of  the  grace  of  God  in  him,  as  the  love  of  God  was 
shed  abroad  in  his  heart  by  the  Holy  Ghost  given  unto  him,  was  a 
precious  alleviation.     The  witnessing  of  the  boundless  sympathy 
and  tenderness  which  waited  upon  him  and  watched  around  him 
was  a  great  comfort.     The  manifestation  of  the  divine  strength  and 
peace  which  was  made  in  the  experience  and  ability  of  his  dear 
stricken  wife  was  a  precious   example.     The  honor  which  he  re- 
ceived from  brethren  of  every  relation  among  the  people  of  the 
Lord  was  a  source   of  much  consolation.     And  by  all  these  and 
other  instruments,  and  especially  beyond  them  all,  by  the  immedi- 
ate ministrations  of  His  Holy  Spirit,  God  has  been  pleased  to  carry 
me  through  in  peace,  though  in  anticipation  the  sorrow  would  have 
seemed  more  than  my  poor  heart  could  bear.     Even  now,  when  my 
mind  regards  the  sorrow  itself,  I  am  unable  to  contain  the  anguish 
of  my  spirit.     But  in  Jesus  all  is  peace.     It  has  been  His  gracious 
will  to  give  me  complete  submission;  yea,  in  your  own  precious 
words,  *'  acquiescence  in  His  will,"  and  I  find  it  peace.     He  has 
strengthened  me  to  go  through  the  trial  without  complaint,  and 
with  unfeigned  gratitude.      He  has  enabled  me  to  see  the   un- 


Ministry,  i8^j  to  1861.  275 

searchable  riches  of  His  grace  in  the  work  which  He  has  thus 
completed,  and  I  feel  no  disposition  to  say  anything  to  Him  but 
the  language  of  new  love  and  praise.  Though  sorrowing,  I  am  still 
rejoicing  in  my  sorrow. 

My  beloved  brethren,  your  precious  letter  to  me  has  been  a  di- 
vine cordial  to  my  heart.  How  much  I  thank  you  for  it,  and  love 
you  for  it,  I  have  no  words  to  express.  For  thirteen  years'  minis- 
try among  you,  I  have  had  no  cause  for  one  unkind  feeling  towards 
any  of  you.  And  now  your  tender  sympathy  fills  my  soul  with 
peace.  May  our  gracious  Saviour  pour  back  into  your  own  bosoms 
all  the  kindness  which  your  words  express  to  me.  Should  His  love 
ever  shade  your  habitations  with  sorrow  like  unto  my  sorrow,  may 
vou  find  His  precious  ministrations  of  peace  to  your  own  wounded 
hearts,  in  even  more  abundance  than  He  has  been  pleased  to  grant 
to  me.  I  sincerely  trust  that  all  our  future  relations  will  be  a  mani- 
festation of  the  kindness  and  grateful  love  which  I  feel  towards 
you  all,  leading  to  a  mutual  edification  in  love,  in  the  service  and 
Church  of  our  Lord  J3sus  Christ.  You  will  excuse  my  replying 
to  your  kind  letter  in  the  method  I  have  adopted,  it  seeming  to  be 
the  only  one  in  which  I  could  hope  to  reach  you  personally  with  an 
expression  of  my  gratitude.  May  the  Lord's  everlasting  goodness 
and  love  in  Christ  Jesus  shine  upon  you  all,  in  your  own  souls,  in 
your  ministry,  and  in  your  families,  filling  you  with  all  joy  and 
peace  in  believing,  through  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

I  am,  Eight  Rev.  and  Dear  Sir,  and  Rev.  and  Beloved  Brethren, 
with  the  most  afi'ectionate  respect  and  gratitude, 

Your  faithful  friend  and  brother  in  Christ, 

Stephen  H.  Tyng. 

Rt.  Rev.  Horatio  Potter,  D.D., 

Rev.  Samuel  H.  Turner,  D.D., 
Etc.,  Etc.,  Etc. 

In  February,  1859,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Heman  Dyer,  who  since  1854 
had  been  Dr.  Tyng's  only  assistant  in  the  services  of  St.  George's 
Church,  was  obliged,  by  the  accumulation  of  other  duties,  to  sever 
his  connection  with  the  church. 

His  resignation  was  most  unwillingly  accepted  by  the  vestry, 
with  a  testimony  of  their  esteem  in  these  words: 

"  Jlcsolvcd:  That  this  vestry  entertain  the  hi<:^hest  opinion  of  the 
integrity,  purity  and  holiness  of  personal  character  which  has  dis- 
tinguished the  Rev.  Dr.  Dyer,  in  all  his  personal  and  ofTu-ial  re- 
lations to  this  church  and  vestry,  and  they  agree  to  his  request  to 


276  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

dissolve  this  connection  with  very  sincere  regret,  and  a  grateful  re- 
membrance of  the  services  so  faithfully  and  cordially  rendered." 

Any  record  which  could  be  made,  would,  however,  be  an  inade- 
quate expression  of  the  affection  and  esteem  with  which  he  was 
ever  regarded  in  St.  George's  Church.  "  His  praise  is  in  all  the 
churches,"  and  the  influence  of  his  life  and  ministry  can  never  be 
forgotten  in  the  Church,  in  which,  with  such  distinguished  ability, 
he  has  labored  so  faithfully  and  so  long.  The  intimate  relations 
which  he  held  with  Dr.  Tyng,  not  only  at  this  time,  but  through  Hfe, 
and  his  peculiar  opportunities  of  observation,  make  of  greater  value 
and  interest  the  reminiscences  of  this  period,  which  he  has  em- 
bodied in  the  record  of  his  own  life. 

"  For  five  years,"  he  says,  *'  I  was  the  assistant  at  St.  George's. 
During  six  or  seven  months  of  one  of  these  years  Dr.  Tyng  was  ab- 
sent in  Europe,  when  I  was  alone  in  charge  of  the  church. 

"  I  take  great  pleasure  in  saying  that  my  connection  with  St. 
George's,  and  my  relations  to  Dr.  Tyng,  to  the  vestry  and  the  con- 
gregation v/ere  of  the  pleasantest  character.  I  found  the  Doctor 
always  considerate,  obliging  and  accommodating.  He  was  rigidly 
exact  and  methodical,  as  well  as  prompt  and  energetic,  in  the  ad- 
ministration of  affairs.  His  cares  and  responsibilities  were  im- 
mense. 

"  The  great  church,   accommodating  two  thousand  people  and 
more,  was  crowded.     The  Sunday  Schools  and  Bible  classes  num- 
bered between  one  and  two  thousand.     And  yet  to  all  this  work  he 
gave  a  personal  supervision.     He  knew  every  teacher,  and  could 
call  every  child  nearly  by  name.     His  administrative  abilities  were 
simply  marvellous.     But  in  all  this   work,  he  was  never  in  a  hurry. 
From  his  Sunday  Schools  and  Bible  classes  he  would  come  into  the 
vestry  room,  robe  himself  and  prepare  for  the  services  with  the  ut- 
most deliberation.     He  could  not  tolerate  a  fidgety  or  fussy  person. 
The  sexton  knew  his  place  and  kept  it.     He  was  never  obsequious, 
never  obtrusive;  but  simply  respectful,  attentive  and  on  time.     He 
knew  better  than  to  volunteer  to  do  things,  but  followed  with  ex- 
actness the   prescribed  rules.     Upon  the   instant,  he  opened  the 
door  for  the  officiating  clergy  to  pass  into  the  church,  and  this  was 
a  signal  for  many  of  the  gentlemen  to  take  out  their  watches  to  see 
if  they  were  right.     They  well  knew  that  if  there  was  correct  time 
to  be  found  anywhere  in  the  city,  it  would  be  at  St.  George's. 

"  The  church  was  crowded  to  excess.  It  came  to  be  a  common 
thing  to  have  all  the  spaces  around  the  chancel  completely  filled 
every  Sunday,  and  not  unfrequently  many  had  to  stand  during  the 


Ministry,  iS^y  to  1861.  277 

entire  service.  By  crowding,  the  cliurcli  could  accommodate  from 
two  thousand  five  hundred  to  three  thousand  persons;  of  course 
many  of  these  were  strangers,  so  that  each  Sunday,  beside  his  own 
congregation  proper,  the  Doctor  preached  to  hundreds  of  strangers 
from  all  parts  of  the  country.  It  was  indeed  one  of  the  things  for 
a  visitor  to  do,  on  coming^to  the  city,  to  attend  St.  George's  and 
hear  Dr.  Tyng  preach. 

"  The  more  I  was  with  Dr.  Tyng,  the  more  could  I  understand 
the  devotion  of  his  people,  and  particularly  that  of  the  teachers  and 
children  of  his  Sunday  Schools  to  him.  They  almost  idolized  him; 
and  well  there  might  be  this  devotion,  for  he  never  wearied  in  his 
devotion  to  them.  In  sickness  and  in  trouble,  he  was  promptly 
with  them,  and  untiring  in  his  ministrations  for  their  good. 

"  The  Anniversaries  of  his  Sunday  Schools  and  the  offerings 
there  made  by  the  various  classes,  and  aU  the  services  connected 
with  them,  became  a  matter  of  public  interest,  and  drew  immense 
crowds.  During  this  period,  the  offerings  of  the  Sunday  Schools 
and  of  the  congregation  generally,  for  benevolent  and  Christian 
objects,  were  much  larger  than  those  of  any  other  Episcopal  Church 
in  the  country,  so  that  the  influence  of  Dr.  Tyng,  and  of  St. 
George's  throughout  the  country  was  very  great,  and  was  freely  ad- 
mitted by  all  fair-minded  j^eople,  though  there  were  some  who 
never  liked  to  speak  kindly  or^peaceably  of  him. 

"■  On  one  occasion,  a  clergyman  from  another  diocese  was  in  one 
of  our  book-stores,  the  proprietor  of  which  was  an  old-fashioned 
High  Churchman,  when  something  in  the  conversation  led  the  book- 
seller to  mention  the  name  of  Dr.  Tyng.  Instantly  this  clergyman 
commenced  a  tirade  against  him,  and  after  blowing  out  for  a  while, 
he  closed  by  saying  that  '  he  wished  he  would  leave  the  Church; 
he  was  no  Churchman,  and  he  did  the  Church  nothing  but  harm.' 

"  My  old  friend,  who  was  usually  very  calm  and  very  courteous, 
was  thoroughly  annoyed  by  this  onslaught,  and  responded:  '  That 
may  be  your  02)inion,  but  I  tell  you  it  is  not  my  opinion,  nor  the 
opinion  of  those  who  know  Dr.  Tyng.     If  you  take  the  whole   of 

,'  here  mentioning  the  clergyman's  diocese,  *  all  its  clergymen 

and  all  its   congregations,  and  put  them   together,  you  could  not 
begin  to  make  one  St.  George's.' 

"  On  another  occasion  Bishop  Whittinglinm  was  dining  at  the 
bouse  of  a  friend  of  mine,  and  tliere  were  present  two  or  three 
young  clergymen,  wlio  thought  perhaps  they  might  gain  a  little 
favor  with  tlie  old  Bishop  by  making  some  disparaging  remarks 
about  Dr.  Tyng,  and  so  they  expressed  the  oj^nion  that  he,  and  all 


278  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyjig,  D>D. 

« 

such  men,  did  much  harm,  and  that  it  would  be  better  for  the  Church 
if  the}'  would  leave  it.  The  Bishop  kept  silent  till  they  were  through, 
and  then  quietly  remarked: 

"  'Young  gentlemen,  you  are  much  mistaken.  I  have  known  Dr. 
Tyng,  long  and  well.  I  do  not  agree  with  him  in  many  things;  but 
I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  he  has  done  a  great  work,  and  brought 
more  people  into  our  Church  than  any  clergyman  in  it.'  After  this, 
the  young  men  had  nothing  more  to  say. 

"  One  day  I  was  walking  with  Bishop  Wainwright,  and  as  we  came 
into  Second  Avenue,  near  Sixteenth  Street,  we  turned  around,  and 
there  stood  St.  George's  in  all  its  grandeur.  The  Bishop  stood  for 
a  minute,  and  said  nothing,  and  then  lifting  up  both  hands,  he  said 
in  the  most  solemn  manner:  '  I  bless  God  for  St.  George's;  it  is 
doing  a  wonderful  work.      I  wish  we  had  twenty  such  churches.' 

"  It  is  not  possibly  generally  known,  that  during  his  last  days, 
Bishop  Onderdonk  of  New  York  attended  the  services  of  St. 
George's  and  the  ministrations  of  Dr.  Tyng.  In  the  popular  mind, 
Dr.  Tyng  was  always  regarded  as  a  Low  Churchman,  and  so  in  the 
popular  sense  he  was,  but  he  was  a  very  decided  Churchman,  as 
his  father,  Judge  Tyng,  was  before  him.  I  heard  Bishop  Mcllvaine 
once  remark  that  Dr.  Tyng  said  but  little  about  his  Churchman- 
ship,  though  he  had  a  good  deal  of  it.  When  the  Church  was  at- 
tacked, he  was  like  a  thermometer  plunged  in  boiling  water,  shoot- 
ing at  once  up  to  the  highest  point.  So  he  was  in  all  his  connec- 
tions, tastes  and  habits,  a  thorough  Churchman. 

"When  I  was  with  him,  it  was  his  custom;  upon  the  occasion 
of  the  Bishop  visiting  his  church  for  confirmation,  always  to  say  to 
the  Bishop  when  he  arrived:  '  I  hand  the  Chui'ch  over,  to  you  as 
the  chief  pastor  for  this  occasion.  Please  arrange  the  services  as 
you  wish  to  have  them.'  But  no  man  was  ever  quicker  to  oppose 
any  unlawful  assumptions  of  power,  or  any  infractions  of  the  rights 
of  the  clergy  by  the  Bishop,  than  he  was." 

In  his  letters  on  "  Preachers  and  Preaching  in  America,"  writ- 
ten at  this  time.  Dr.  Dyer  speaks  more  particularly  of  Dr.  Tyng  in 
his  characteristics  as  a  preacher  and  public  speaker,  and  thus 
completes  the  picture: 

"  As  a  preacher,  Dr.  Tyng  stands  among  the  foremost  in  America. 
He  speaks  without  notes;  has  a  wonderful  memory,  and  an  almost 
unHmited  command  of  language  and  illustration.  His  views  of 
gospel  truth  are  clear  and  distinct,  and  in  the  pulpit  he  is  always 
solemn,  earnest  and  impressive.  He  confines  himself  strictly  to 
preaching  the  gospel,  never  allovTing  himself  to  be  diverted  by 


Ministry,  i8^j  to  1861.  279 

outside  influences  from  this  one  great  object.     His  instructions  are 
sought  by  multitudes  who  do  not  belong  to  his  Church,  and  his  own 
people  place  them  above  all  price.     No  man  is  more  beloved  than 
Dr.  Tyng  is  by  his  own  flock.     The  children  and  the  youth  almost 
idolize  him.     As  a  platform  speaker  Dr.  Tyng  is  unrivalled.     The 
less  prepared,  the  more  wonderful  apparently  he  is.     Some   of  his 
impromptu  addresses  reach  the  highest  style  of  eloquence.     They 
seem   like    inspiration.      He  is  grand,  severe,   argumentative  and 
playful,  as  occasion  may  require.     His  form  is  sHght,  his  presence 
commanding,   his    actions  graceful  and  his  voice  clear  and  pene- 
trating.    Everybody  hears  him,  and  everybody  understands  him. 
He  is  never  so  great  as  when  his  indignation  is  kindled.     Then  the 
lightnings  flash  and  the  thunderbolts  are  hurled  in  every  direction, 
and  woe  to  the  man  who  gets  in  the  way.     But  he  is  never  so 
happy  as  when,  in  gentle  mood,  he  tells  of  Jesus  and  His  great  sal- 
vation.    As  age  draws  on,  he  seems  more  and  more  inclined  to 
withdraw  from  everything  else  and  devote  himself  to  his  own  people. 
Among  them  he  is  perfectly  known  and  understood,  and  with  them 
he  is  happy.     Such  is  Dr.  Tyng," 

On  the  retirement  of  Dr,  Dyer,  the  system  was  inaugurated 
by  Dr.  Tyng  of  having  for  his  assistants  the  young  men  who 
had  been  educated  for  the  ministry  under  his  guidance.  Of 
these  there  were  always  several  in  difl'erent  periods  of  prepara- 
tion, and  when  their  course  in  the  seminaries  was  completed,  a 
year  of  practical  experience  as  assistant  in  Sto  George's  was  of 
thoroughly  appreciated  value  as  preparation  for  their  work. 

Thus  was  St.  George's  a  fountain  from  which  flowed,  in  many 
directions,  streams  of  blessing  and  of  power  throughout  the  Church 
of  God.  Its  influence  was  not  confined  in  any  narrow  channel,  but 
as  widely  difi'used  as  the  tireless  energy  of  its  rector  found  no 
restraint  when  there  was  any  work  to  be  done.  There  was  proba- 
bly no  feature  of  Dr.  Tyng's  ministry  in  which  his  influence  was 
more  efiective,  however,  than  in  the  devotion  of  so  much  of  his 
thought  and  care  to  the  instruction  of  the  youthful  portion  of  his 
flock,  and  led  by  his  example  and  success  he  had  many  followers  in 
this  most  important  field. 

The  number  of  those  who  cAme  within  the  hearing  of  his  voice 
was  small  when  compared  with  the  vast  numbers  whom  his  contri- 
butions to  the  press  brought  within  the  circle  of  his  influence, 
and,  amidst  whatever  cares  and  duties,  time  was  found  for  con- 
stant eflbrts  in  this  direction.  The  large  circulation  which  his 
lectures  on  the  history  of  Euth  had  received,  induced  him  in  1859 


28o  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

to  issue  another  volume  of  the  same  character,  and  he  therefore 
prepared  for  publication  the  lectures  on  the  history  of  Esther, 
which  had  been  the  subject  of  his  Sunday  afternoon  sermons  during 
the  previous  year.  To  this  volume  he  gave  the  title  "  The  Captive 
Orphan,"  and  as  he  had  drawn  from  the  history  of  Kuth  a  distinct 
illustration  of  the  doctrine  of  redemption,  so  the  history  of  Esther 
was  taken  as  delineating  and  explaining  the  great  doctrine  of  divine 
providence.  Thus  in  successive  courses  of  sermons  the  various 
histories  of  the  Old  Testament  were  brought  out  fully  in  the  truths 
which  they  were  designed  to  teach. 

An  opportunity  for  the  exertion  of  a  still  more  enlarged  influ- 
ence was  opened  to  him  when  the  editor  of  the  New  York  Independ- 
ent asked  him  to  become  a  regular  contributor  to  that  influential 
paper,  and  suggested  to  him  a  number  of  articles  on  Sunday 
Schools.  A  series  of  letters  was  therefore  prepared,  which  he 
entitled,  "Familiar  Letters  on  Sunday  Schools."  Their  publica- 
tion was  begun  in  Februarj^  1860,  and  continued,  weekly,  during 
the  six  months  following,  when  by  urgent  request  they  were  gath- 
ered and  published  in  a  volume  called  "  Forty  Years  Experience  in 
Sunday  Schools."  On  the  completion  of  these  letters  a  new  series 
of  weekly  papers,  under  the  title,  "  The  Lost  One  Found,"  was  at 
once  begun,  the  subject  selected  being  the  parable  of  the  prodigal 
son.  These  have  never  been  published  in  a  more  permanent  and 
accessible  form,  but  the  following  letter  attests  their  interest  and 
usefulness,  and  was  most  gratifying  to  Dr.  Tyng,  not  alone  in  its 
expressions  of  appreciation,  but  in  its  testimony  that  his  words 
were  thus  given  the  still  larger  hearing  of  which  it  speaks: 

Rev.  S.  H.  Tyng,  D.D. 

Bear  Sir: — I  thank  you  a  thousand  times  for  the  series  of  arti- 
cles on  "  The  Lost  One  Found."  I  bless  you  for  the  hght  of  life  in 
your  own  soul,  and  for  the  ability  and  willingness  to  communicate 
to  others,  what  gives  you  such  joy  and  what  has  been  so  often 
blessed  to  those  who  have  attended. 

For  more  than  twenty  years,  I  have  been  trying  to  proclaim  the 
gospel  of  Christ  to  the  lost,  and  nowhere  have  I  found  it  expressed 
so  clearly, — so  much  as  I  would  he  glad  to  express  it, — as  in  the 
writings  from  your  pen. 

Indeed,  dear  brother,  I  have  availed  myself  of  your  ideas,  words 
and  instructions  in  some  two  or  three  instances  in  preaching  to  my 
own  charge,  and  I  think  with  great  profit  and  interest  to  all  who 
heard,  and  it  is  my  intention  to  be  still  more  indebted  to  you. 


Ministry,  iSjj  to  1861.  281 

I  am  constrained  to  say  so  much  to  encourage  you  to  go  on  in 
the  use  of  your  pen  doing  so  much  good  to  souls.  In  the  mean- 
time, though  not  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  nor  of  tV.e 
denomination  of  the  The  Independent,  I  am,  yours, 

A.  H.  H. 

The  contributions  to  The  Independent  were  continued  until  early 
in  1861,  when  the  editorship  of  Tlie  Protestant  Churchman  devolved 
upon  Dr.  Tyng  and  compelled  his  whole  attention. 

The  very  decided  stand  which  Dr.  Tyng  maintained  in  his  rela- 
tions with  his  fellow-Christians,  and  his  readiness  in  every  good  word 
and  work,  made  him  constantly  the  subject  of  criticism  and  censure. 
He  stood  as  a  leader  or  standard-bearer  of  the  Evangelical 
party  of  the  Church,  and  against  him  the  hostile  shafts  of  its  oppo- 
nents were  continually  hurled.  The  Ckurchmin,  then  distinctively  the 
organ  of  the  High  Church  party,  was  particularly  bitter  in  its  attacks, 
and  seldom  lost  an  opportunity  for  animadversion,  which  often  was 
expressed  in  peculiarly  malicious  terms.  One  of  its  editorials 
about  this  time,  under  the  caption,  "  An  Erratic  and  Unruly  Pres- 
byter," was  quoted,  with  the  foUowing  comments  hy  Th^  Independent, 
and  is  notable  for  its  reflection  of  circumstances  of  interest  and  of 
the  lights  in  which  his  independent  course  was  regarded: 

"  Such  is  the  style  in  which  The  Churchman  speaks  of  that  emi- 
nent presbyter  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  in  the  Diocese 
of  New  York,  whose  contributions  have  enriched  the  columns  of  this 
journal.     We  have  always  regarded  Dr.  Tyng  as  one  of  the  favored 
few  to  whom  'God  has  not  given  the  spirit  of  fear;  but  of  power 
and  of  love,  and  of  a  sound  mind.'     We  have  found  him  always 
liberal,  cathoHc,  magnanimous;  yet,  as  emphatic  in  his  preferences 
for  the  Episcopal  Church,  as  in  the  avowal  of   Christian  charity. 
Such  we  believe  is  the  favorable    judgment  which  non-Episcopal 
Christians  in   general    have    pronounced  upon  the  rector  of   St. 
George's  Church  in  this  city,  as  one,  who,  though  uncompromising 
in  his  devotion  to  Episcopacy,  and  indefatigable  in  zeal  for  the 
growth  of  his  own  Church,  is  to  be  admired  for  the  breadth  of  his 
Christian  sentiment,  the  depth  and  earnestness  of  his  piety,  and  the 
perfect  self-poise  of  a  mind  occupied  with  such  miiuifold  and  various 
labors.     But  we   are  required  by  the   highest  authority   that  the 
Episcopal  Church  boasts  in  journalism  to  reverse  this  judgment, 
and  to  look  upon  our  extra- denominational  collaborator  as  '  erratic  * 
in  mind  and  'unruly'  in  Churchmanship.     The  evidence,  we  con- 
fess,  is  as  weighty  as  the  charge  is  aggravated.     We  give  the  items: 


282  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

'^Imprimis:  'A  few  weeks  since,  Dr.  Tyng  officiated,  contrary  to 
the  exj)ress  wish  of  the  rector,  in  a  parish  in  New  Jersey.  For  some 
unexplained  reason,  the  rector,  of  the  parish  upon  which  Dr.  Tyng 
intruded,  allowed  the  case  to  fall  through  after  it  had  been  brought 
before  the  provisional  Bishop  of  the  diocese. 

" '  Emboldened  by  impunity,  Dr.  Tyng  is  now  proceeding  to 
greater  lengths,  in  open  and  expressed  defiance  of  Church  order 
and  public  opinion.' 

"But  does  not  the  gravamen  of  this  charge  lie  against  the 
authorities  of  the  Church  itself,  rather  than  against  Dr.  Tyng  ?  If 
the  sacred  prerogative  of  the  Episcopate  and  the  Apostolic 
*  Church-order '  are  so  feebly  guarded  that  an  individual  presbyter 
can  put  them  openly  at  *  defiance,'  what  is  there  worth  maintain- 
ing in  either  ?  We  suspect,  moreover,  that  Dr.  Tyng's  *  impunity ' 
in  this  regard,  is  of  no  recent  date,  and  is  not  limited  to  this  dio- 
cese. His  specific  offence  now,  is  that  he  preached  the  gospel 
somewhere  in  New  Jersey,  without  asking  permission  of  the  neigh- 
boring rector. 

"The  second  count  is  as  follows:  An  excellent  body  of  Metho- 
dist brethren, — who  have  separated  themselves  from  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church, — are  building  a  house  of  worship  in  Forty-first 
Street.  These  '  schismatics  of  schismatics,'  as  The  Churchman  styles 
them,  invited  Dr.  Tyng  to  participate  in  the  religious  services  at 
the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  their  edifice.  In  the  course  of  a 
manly  and  Christian  address.  Dr.  Tyng  said: 

"  '  He  was  opposed  to  the  practice  of  ministers  apologizing  for 
taking  part  in  an  enterprise  that  was  not  immediately  connected 
with  their  particular  denomination.  If  it  was  a  work  upon  which  God 
looked  with  favor,  it  was  all  right.  As  for  himself,  he  went  where 
he  liked,  and  did  not  care  a  snap  of  his  finger  who  opposed  him. 
Christ  had  broken  down  all  partitions,  so  far  as  bigotry  was  con- 
cerned, and  yet  it  was  necessary  to  have  the  great  Christian  family 
parceled  out  into  sects.  He  was  firmly  attached  to  Episcopacy, 
and  he  respected  brethren  of  other  denominations  the  more  for  their 
adherence  to  their  respective  creeds;  but  he  hoped  the  walls 
that  divided  the  religious  world  would  not  be  so  high  as  to 
prevent  brethren  of  various  denominations  from  looking  at  each 
other.' 

"  In  this.  The  CJiurchman  scents  the  dreadful  sin  of  schism: — sin, 
by  the  way,  nowhere  specified  in  the  New  Testament,  but  belong- 
ing to  the  category  of  mortal  offences  invented  by  the  Churcli  of 
Rome. 


Ministry,  i8^j  to  1861.  283 

"  'So  far  as  we  can  interpret  Dr.  Tyng's  peculiar  construction  01 
language,  he  intended  to  apologize  for  schism. 

"  '  "  From  all  false  doctrine,  heresy  and  schism,  Good  Lord,  de- 
liver us." 

"  '  May  we  inquire,  in  all  charity,  whether  Dr.  Tyng  uses  the 
Litany,  and  if  so,  how  he  reconciles  it  to  his  conscience  to  pray  for 
deliverance  from  schism,  and  then,  not  only  encourage  it  by  his 
presence,  but  actually  to  become  its  apologist  ?  Let  us  have  con- 
sistency. If  Dr.  Tyng  believes  that  schism  is  justifiable,  let  him  not 
pretend  any  longer  to  belong  to  the  Church  which  regards  it  as  a 
deadly  sin.* 

"  If  there  is  such  a  sin  as  schism,  and  if  separation  from  the 
ecclesiastical  party  which  Tlie  Churchman  represents,  be  that  sin, 
then  surely  Dr.  Tyng  is  most  erratic,  schismatic  and  unruly.  But 
why  should  Tlie  Churchman  advise  him  openly  to  commit  that 
*  deadly  sin '  ?  May  we  lawfully  advise  unto  mortal  ofi*ences  ? 
Why  not  deliver  the  defiant  and  unruly  offender  over  to  Satan,  with 
bell,  book  and  candle  ? 

''I/em No.  3:  *  On  Sunday  last,  at  a  meeting  of  the  EvangeHcal 
Alliance,  held  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Fifth  Avenue,  (Rev. 
Dr.  Alexander's  Church),  we  again  find  this  reckless  adventurer 
holding  forth.' 

"  We  suspect  there  is  no  denying  the  fact  here  alleged,  and  TJw 
Churchman  assures  us  that  *  this  public  behavior  of  Rev.  Dr.  Tyng  is 
grossly  inconsistent  with  his  obligations  as  a  presbyter  of  the 
Church.' 

"Item  No.  4:  *  Dr.  Tyng  held  in  his  own  chapel,  a  meeting  to 
raise  contributions  toward  the  proposed  monument  to  Luther,  at 
Worms.'  Such  are  the  facts  upon  which  the  charge  of  'erratic  and 
unruly '  conduct  is  based.  And  we  put  it  to  the  reader  whether 
the  charge  is  not  fairly  made  out?  Ought  a  minister  of  Christ, 
who  preaches  without  getting  permission  from  a  parish  rector,  who 
utters  words  of  Christian  fellowship  at  the  laying  of  a  corner-stone, 
who  enters  the  pulj^it  of  another  denomination  to  plead  for  the 
gospel  in  behalf  of  the  masses  who  are  living  in  ignorance  and  sin, 
who  recognizes  the  schismatic  Luther  as  a  true  Christian  and  re- 
former,— who  not  only  does  such  things,  but  does  them  in  the  most 
open,  unaccountable,  reckless,  adventurous  and  defiant  manner — 
ought  sucli  !i  minister  to  be  regarded  as  of  sound  judgment  and 
orderly  deportment? 

"  We  beg  our  readers  not  to  suffer  the  excellent  contributions 
of  Dr.    Tyng  to    warj)    their   judgment  upon  such   a  momentous 


284  R(^v,  Stephen  Higginson    Ty7tg,  D.D, 

question.  The  fact  of  his  writing  for  The  Independent,  is  as  '  erratic 
and  unruly '  as  anything  we  have  specified.  And  yet,  alas,  for  con- 
duct such  as  this.  The  Churchman  can  find  no  remedy,  it  says,  and 
we  believe  it  fully. 

"  '  We  have  not  the  slightest  hope  that  anything  we  have  said  or 
can  say,  will  have  any  effect  upon  Dr.  Tyng,  who,  as  he  says,  "  does 
not  care  a  snap  of  his  finger  who  opposes  him,"  but  we  do  most 
earnestly  and  seriously  beg  to  draw  the  attention  of  the  provisional 
Bishop  of  this  diocese  to  the  conduct  of  one  of  the  presbyters  under 
his  charge.  This  is  a  case  in  which  the  Bishop  is  imperatively 
bound  to  exercise  his  Episcopal  authority,  and  we  trust  that  Dr. 
Potter  will  at  once  bring  his  erratic  and  unruly  presbyter  to  an 
account  for  his  conduct.  Pending  this  action  on  the  part  of  the 
provisional  Bishop  of  New  York,  we  have  nothing  further  to  say 
u]3on  the  subject  at  the  present  moment.' 

•'  As  soon  as  we  are  informed  of  Bishop  Potter's  action  we  will 
lay  it  before  our  readers.  Meanwhile  we  agree  with  TJie  Church- 
man, that  we  are  bound  to  believe  '  that  Dr.  Tyng's  unaccountable 
conduct  will  be  so  overruled  by  divine  providence  as,  in  the  end, 
to  be  of  service  to  the  Church.'  We  are  quite  sure  that  'the 
Church'  needs  just  the  service  that  Dr.  Tyng  is  rendering.  Would 
that  all  the  ministers  of  Christ  were  such  prophets,  and  that  His 
Spirit  were  upon  them  all." 

The  two  parties  in  the  Episcopal  Church  differed  widely,  not 
only  in  respect  to  the  relations  thus  referred  to,  but  upon  important 
points  of  doctrine.  They  had,  however,  existed  for  Cj  long  period, 
in  a  general  unity  which  was  well  represented  by  Dr.  Tyng  in  an 
illustration  on  one  occasion,  when  he  likened  the  Church  to  the 
body,  with  its  two  parties,  as  the  legs  which  might  not  be  strapped 
together,  but  each  allowed  full  play  in  the  locomotion  of  the  body. 

In  this  unity  had  been  the  comprehensiveness  of  the  Church  in 
all  its  history;  for  this,  the  liberty  to  hold  their  own  principles  and 
act  in  accordance  with  them,  the  Evangelical  part}^  alone  con- 
tended. They  sought  by  manifestation  of  the  truth,  not  by  legis- 
lative or  judicial  action,  to  establish  the  prevalence  of  their  princi- 
ples in  the  Church.  When  they  found,  however,  that  the  machinery 
of  the  Church  was  used  to  propagate  the  views  which  distinguished 
the  opposing  party,  and  they  seemed  to  be  forced  into  bondage  by 
it,  the  time  came  when  they  were  compelled  to  take  a  stand  in 
their  own  defence.  Such  were  the  circumstances  in  which,  in  the 
year  1860,  an  important  step  was  taken  by  the  formation  of  the 
American  Church  Missionary  Society. 


Mmistry,  i8s7  to  iS6i,  285 

For  a  period  of  twenty-five  years  the  whole  missionary  work  of 
the  Church  had  been  managed  by  a  board  of  missions,  appointed 
by  the  General  Convention.  In  this  the  Evangelical  element  had 
never  had  a  just  or  reasonable  allowance  of  inliuence  or  authority. 
They  had  always  been  in  a  minority,  habitually  without  ability  to 
direct,  often  under  circumstances  of  extreme  opposition  in  the 
work  which  they  were  required  to  suj)port.  The  churches  which 
they  represented  had  contributed  the  larger  portion  of  the  funds 
expended,  though  deprived  of  due  influence  in  their  dispensation. 
Thus  they  had  generously  given  their  money  and  efforts  to  the 
collection  of  funds  administered  by  an  authority  in  the  constitution 
of  which  the  contributors,  as  such,  had  no  voice. 

They  had  seen  that  the  necessary  tendency  was  to  spread  and 
establish  throughout  the  missionary  field  the  very  doctrines  against 
which  their  earnest  and  conscientious  efforts  had  been  always 
directed.  All  this  injustice  and  oppression  they  had  endured,  in 
the  desire  to  maintain  a  continued  appearance  of  union.  As 
the  last  step  in  this  partisan  tendency  the  late  General  Con- 
vention had  divided  the  whole  organized  western  field  between 
two  new  Bishops,  representing  the  same  class  of  church  views. 

There  had  been  recurring  intimations  of  dissatisfaction  and 
efforts  of  reHef  from  the  system  thus  pursued.  In  1851,  and  again 
in  1855,  meetings  had  been  held  to  consider  the  subject,  but  the 
earnest  request  of  some,  not  yet  prepared  to  unite  in  a  separate 
organization,  had  induced  continued  delay.  Subsequent  to  these 
meetings  there  had  been  frequent  conferences,  until  the  preparatory 
steps  were  taken  to  form  the  American  Church  Missionary  Society. 
The  several  meetings  at  which  this  important  result  had  been  ac- 
complished were  composed  of  the  most  efiicient  and  influential 
clergymen  and  laymen  of  the  Evangelical  portion  of  the  Church. 
They  were  marked  by  the  most  open  and  free  discussion,  without 
concealment  or  the  exclusion  of  any  who  desired  to  participate. 
The  conclusion  reached  appeared- the  clear  and  undoubted  line 
of  duty  in  the  crisis  involved,  and  it  was  the  cause  of  the  highest 
satisfaction  that  at  last  a  stand  had  been  taken  in  accordance  with 
honesty  of  conviction  and  purpose,  and  most  likely  to  promote  and 
maintain  the  truths  of  the  gospel  in  the  Church. 

The  first  Auniversary  meeting  of  the  new  society  was  held  in 
St.  George's  Church,  on  the  evening  of  the  24th  of  October,  18G0. 

On  this  occasion  Dr.  Tyng  presented  and  read  the  report  of  the 
executive  committee.  It  recited  at  much  length  the  history  of  the 
organization  and  the  progress  of  its  operations,   and  closed  with 


286  Rev,  Stephen  Higgi?ison    Ty?ig,  D.D, 

the  following  declaration  of  the  motives  with  which   the  Society 
was  estabUshed,  and  the  course  which  it  was  intended  to  pursue : 

*'  This  is  a  society  founded  upon  distinct  and  distinctly  adopted 
principles.  The  two  rival  schemes  of  mere  KituaHsm  and  of  Evan- 
gelical truth,  the  one  leading  to  a  satisfaction  with  the  form  and 
the  letter,  and  the  other  leading  to  a  spiritual  and  intelligent  em- 
bracing and  maintenance  of  the  gospel  in  the  spirit,  as  these  two 
schemes  are  seen  contending  in  the  Episcopal  Church,  are  wholly 
inconsistent  with  each  other.  The  necessity  of  the  defence  of  the 
gospel  in  our  Church,  led,  thirteen  years  ago,  to  the  formation  of 
the  Evangelical  Knowledge  Society,  to  maintain  its  all-important 
truths  by  the  press.  Well  would  it  have  been  for  us,  if,  instead  of 
delaying,  under  the  solicitation  of  respected  and  beloved  individ- 
ual brethren,  we  had  consummated  at  the  same  time,  as  many 
desired  to  do,  a  society  for  the  maintenance  of  these  great  princi- 
ples by  living  missionaries.  At  last,  after  all  the  experiments  of 
delay  and  concession  have  proved  unavailing,  our  brethren  and  the 
friends  of  Evangelical  truth  have  been  constrained  to  assume  a 
stand,  which,  if  taken  thirteen  years  ago,  would  have  saved  large 
sums  of  money,  expended  in  opposition  to  these  very  truths,  and 
occupied  large  tracts  of  ground  with  a  faithful  Evangelical  minis- 
try. To  send  out  such  a  ministry,  and  such  a  ministry  only,  is  the 
purpose  of  this  society,  not  a  ministry  merely  fortified  with  ecclesi- 
astical certificates,  but  a  ministry  known  and  certified  in  Evan- 
gehcal  personal  character.  This  distinguishing  purpose  must  be 
openly  avowed,  and  thoroughly  understood.  We  desire  to  find 
Evangehcal,  spiritual  men,  whose  hearts  are  really  engaged  in  the 
preaching  of  a  crucified  Saviour,  and  in  saving  the  souls  of  their 
fellow-men,  who  do  not  employ  themselves  in  the  mere  preaching 
of  the  Church  and  the  Sacraments,  but  truly  proclaim  the  riches  of 
pai-doning  grace  in  the  blood  of  Jesus  to  penitent  sinners;  who  are 
not  occupied  in  the  maintenance  of  a  mere  sectarian  warfare,  in 
crying  *  The  Temple  of  the  Lord  are  we/  but  desire  grace,  and 
exercise  love  towards  all  those  who  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
who  are  not  satisfied  in  the  mere  adding  to  the  numbers  of  an  out- 
ward flock,  in  Baptism,  Confirmation,  and  the  Lord's  Supper,  but 
labor  that  sinners  may  be  converted  in  heart,  born  again  of  the 
Spirit,  and  made  new  creatures  in  Christ  Jesus;  who  do  not  direct 
sinners  to  a  Saviour  to  be  found  in  ordinances  and  outward  forms, 
but  to  a  Saviour  to  be  received  in  the  heart  by  faith,  and  embraced 
in  the  soul  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  the  assurance  of  a 
lively  and  blessed  hope;  who   do  not  proclaim  the  sinner's  justifi- 


Ministry,  iS^j  to  1861.  287 

cation  byliuman  works,  or  ordinances  of  man's  observance,  but  by 
the  glorious  righteousness  of  Christ,  made  by  faith  in  Him,  the 
robe  aud  clothing  of  the  soul;  ministers  who  will  tread  in  the 
bright  path  of  apostles,  reformers  and  messengers  of  a  later  day, 
like  the  Venns,  Simeons,  Wilsons,  Scotts,  and  Richmonds  of  Eng- 
land; and  the  Griswolds  and  Moores,  the  Milnors  and  Bedells  of 
our  Church. 

*'  If  such  men  can  be  found  among  us,  we  wish  to  send  them 
and  establish  them  throughout  our  Church.  If  such  laborers  as 
these  cannot  be  found,  or  are  not  to  be  brought  forward  to  the 
harvest,  we  shall  have  no  employment  in  this  association,  for  we 
are  purposed  to  send  no  others.  Nor,  if  in  any  case  we  find  our- 
selves deceived  in  individuals,  shall  we  consent  to  employ  them, 
after  they  are  discovered  to  be  not  of  us. 

"  If  it  be  objected  that  this  is  a  pai-ty  stand  and  movement,  we 
are  not  careful  to  answer.  We  mean  it  shall  be  only  the  party  of 
the  Saviour,  and  the  movement  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  if  the  Lord 
shall  be  pleased  graciously  to  bless  and  prosper  our  work.  And  il, 
is  upon  the  ground  of  these  distinctive  principles  as  expressed  in 
the  clear  and  faithful  standards  of  our  Evangelical  and  Apostolic 
Church  that  we  have  united,  and  mean  to  stand.  If  men  do  not 
like  these  principles,  and  do  not  wish  to  promote  them  and  to  see 
them  triumph,  we  cannot  expect  their  union  and  co-operation  with 
us.  Principles  opposed  to  these  are  arrayed  with  an  openness 
which  we  should  have  done  well  always  to  imitate;  and  they  who 
choose  them  have  abundant  instruments  for  their  promotion  in 
channels  already  opened.  This  is  the  first  perfectly  free  and  open 
channel  for  the  extension  and  furtherance  of  principles  like  ours. 
Our  single  avowed  platform  is  loyalty  to  Jesus  the  Saviour,  devo- 
tion to  His  gospel,  aud  desire  and  purj^ose,  only  and  always,  to 
promote  and  establish  His  dominion  over  souls  redeemed,  con- 
verted and  saved.  If  the  years  of  our  past  concessions  had  been 
thus  occupied  and  devoted,  the  aspect  of  the  Episcopal  Church 
would  have  differed  widely  from  the  present. 

"  For  the  extension  of  these  great  Evangelical  principles,  for 
which  we  have  professedly  contended,  and  which  we  have  desired  to 
establish,  there  is  an  abundant  and  opening  field.  There  is  not  a 
single  organized  diocese  in  our  country  in  which  there  are  not 
communities  and  churches  desiring  and  asking  for  such  a  ministry, 
and  often  struggling  in  feebleness  and  disa])p()intment  to  obtain  it. 
Often  in  years  past  have  wo  personally  found  hands  stretched  out 
to   exclaim    against  the  oppressions   of  Tractarianism    aud   semi- 


288  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D. 

popery  in  the  teachings  of  the  pulpit,  and  in  the  corruptions  of  the 
simple  and  earnest  worship  of  our  Prayer-book,  and  asking  us 
personally  and  individually  for  aid  to  gain  a  faithful  and  edifying 
ministry  of  the  Word.  We  have  now  an  association  to  answer,  if 
the  Lord  permit,  such  important  and  imperative  applications. 

"  The  whole  domestic  missionary  field,  beyond  the  organized 
dioceses,  asks  for  just  the  ministry  which  we  desire  to  send.  There 
is  no  limit  to  the  future  extended  usefulness  of  such  a  society,  if 
liberally  supjDorted,  faithfully  administered,  and  earnestly  main- 
tained. If  others  desire  to  receive  or  to  maintain  another  ministry, 
we  have  no  warfare  with  them  for  places  or  persons.  But  the  sup- 
port of  such  a  ministry  must  come  from  those  who  desire  and 
prefer  it.  No  longer  can  we  permit  ourselves  to  labor  and  pay  for 
the  extension  and  support  of  a  system  which  we  conscientiously 
believe  to  be  fundamentally  erroneous,  under  the  plea  of  an  exter 
nal  but  heartless  union,  and  in  r.  real  concession  of  personal  con^ 
victions  of  duty,  solemn  acknowledgments  of  truth,  and  indispensa- 
ble obligations  to  maintain  it. 

"  For  this  great  work  of  spreading  the  Saviour's  gospel,  in  its 
purity  and  power,  by  a  faithful  Evangelical  ministry,  over  a  large, 
open  and  unoccupied  field,  we  are  here  united.  We  thus  plainly^ 
and  without  qualification,  declare  our  principles  and  our  purposed 
work.  And  convinced  that  we  are  truly  on  the  Lord's  side,  i:nd  in 
the  Lord's  service,  we  look  up  to  Him  for  His  prospering  blessing, 
and  to  our  friends  and  brethren  around,  for  their  liberal  persever- 
ing and  earnest  co-operation.  If  Jesus  shaU  be  pleased  to  smile 
upon  our  work.  His  blessing  will  make  us  rich,  and  no  sorrow 
therewith.  A  reviving  gospel  will  glorify  His  name,  many  precious 
souls  converted  and  saved,  and  churches  yet  unborn,  in  fields  thus 
prepared  and  transmitted,  shall  shine  to  His  honor,  when^  like 
David,  '  we  have  served  our  generation  and  fallen  asleep.^ ''" 

With  these  distinctively  avowed  purposes  the  society  entered 
upon  its  work.  Its  organization  gave  rise  to  much  discussion,  and 
the  tone  of  many  of  the  articles  in  the  Church  press,  in  opposition 
to  it,  were  hostile  in  the  extreme,  but  its  supporters  ably  defend,  d 
their  position,  and  but  a  short  time  elapsed  before  conciliatory 
propositions  were  made  by  the  Board  of  Missions.  These  were, 
however,  firmly  declined,  as  independent  action  seemed  a  more 
desirable  course. 

In  the  close  and  constant  connection  which  Dr.  Tyng  had 
maintained  with  the  missionary  work  of  the  Church,  and  for  many 
years  as  one  of  the  most  active  members  of  the  foreign  committee 


Ministry,  1857  to  186 1.  289 

of  the  Board  of  Missions,  he  had  pressed  the  claims  of  both  domes- 
tic and  foreign  missions  unceasingly.  He  had,  it  may  be  affirmed, 
collected  c  larger  amount  of  funds  for  their  support  than  any  other 
of  the  clergy  of  his  time,  but  he  had  consistently  and  strenuously 
advocated  at  all  times  the  voluntary  system  as  the  only  correct  and 
equitable  mode  of  their  administration.  The  organization  of  the 
American  Church  Missionary  Society  was,  therefore,  the  attainment 
of  his  hopes  and  desires  for  many  years,  and  he  engaged  actively 
and  earnestly  in  its  projected  establishment,  and  all  the  proceedmgs 
by  which  it  was  successfully  accomphshed. 

Continued  prosperity  attended  it  in  all  its  efforts,  and  among 
the  churches  contributing  to  the  successful  prosecution  of  its  work, 
none  exceeded  St.  George's  in  the  amount  of  its  collections,  or  m 
the  interest  of  its  individual  members. 

One  of  Dr.  Tyng's  most  earnest  associates  in  the  organization 
of  this  society,  the  Rev.  Henry  Anthon,  D.D.,  rector  of  St.  Mark's 
Church,  New  York,  did  not  long  survive  to  co-operate  m  its  work 
His  lamented  death,  on  the  5th  of  January,  1861,  removed  one  of 
its  most  ardent  advocates  and  most  valued  officers.  In  the  memo- 
rial sermon  which  Dr.  Tyng  delivered,  at  the  request  of  the  vestry 
of  St  Mark's  Church,  he  mentioned  the  following  incident  of  his 
first  acquaintance  with  Dr.  Anthon,  and  in  view  of -their  recent  con- 
nection, and  the  very  intimate  relation  which  had  long  existed 
between  them,  it  is  a  most  interesting  fact. 

"It  has  been,"  he  said,  "  but  for  the  twelve  years  past  that  my 
relations  to  him  have  been  particularly  personal  or  intimate.  Our 
first  mutual  introduction,  when  compared  with  the  facts  of  these 
closing  years,  was  singular  enough. 

«  In  1829  he  and  another  clergyman  in  this  city  were  appointed 
with  myself  a  committee   at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Domestic 
and  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  in  Philadelphia,  to  adjudicate,  if 
it  were  possible,  some  terms  of  agreement  between  the  two  parties 
in  the  Church,  in  the  affairs  of  that  society.     We  met  in  my  study 
in  Philadelphia;  they,  the  selected  representatives  of  the  one  side, 
and  I   of    the  other.     We  could    agree    on    but   little;  our  views 
were  very  separate,  and  the   discussion  of  separating  principles  in 
our  Church  was  then  what  it  has  remained  for  the  more  than  thirty 
years  since.     But  how  changed  has  been  the  issue  with  these  indi- 
viduals themselves  I     One  pushed  his  exclusive  Bentiments  until  he 
left  the  Church  and  became  a  Papist.     The  other  followed  them 
as  long  as  he  could  with  a  clear  conscience  toward  God,  and  then 
turned  noblv  back,  in  the  midst  of  inmiense  and  accumulated  diffi- 


290  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

calties,  and  for  years  has  stood  on  the  very  ground  which  on  that 
day  he  earnestly  ojoposed,  and  filled  at  his  death  the  office  oi 
chairman  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  new  missionary  society, 
forced  into  separation  by  the  very  principles  which  he  then 
defended  and  maintained.  The  facts  which  have  been  included 
between  these  two  points  of  time,  and  involvoa  in  the  very 
relations  which  thev  have  illustrated,  have  in  a  remarkable 
manner  demonstrated  the  proper  application  of  our  text  to 
him. 

"  The  religious  schools  of  Bishop  Griswold  in  Massachusetts, 
and  of  Bishop  Hobart  in  New  York,  in  which  we  were  severally 
brought  up,  were  certainly  very  different  indeed  ;  and  the  individ- 
ual transfer  of  mind  and  habits  from  the  one  to  the  other,  was  in 
many  great  points  of  thought,  a  complete  revolution.  That  he 
completely  renounced  the  one  for  the  other  in  such  a  revolution,  it 
would  not  become  me  to  say.  That  the  tendency  of  his  mind  and 
feelings  was  for  many  years  wholly  in  that  course,  has  been  a  fact 
too  openly  avowed  and  displayed  by  him  to  be  denied.  My  first 
acquaintance  with  him,  more  than  thirty  years  ago,  impressed  me 
with  a  peculiar  pleasure  from  his  manifest  earnestness  of  con- 
science, and  his  extremely  frank  and  friendly  manners,  and  from 
that  time,  every  year  but  the  more  engaged  my  respect  for  him  as 
a  truly  earnest  religious  man.  But  when  from  1830,  the  semi- 
papist  doctrines  of  the  Tractarian  school  began  their  procession 
among  our  churches,  though  his  feelings  and  opinions  were  very 
strongly  on  the  old  High  Church  ground,  it  was  impossible  for  him 
to  sustain  the  new  errors  which,  as  it  appeared  to  him,  were  now 
to  be  engrafted  upon  the  sentiments  of  his  youth.  He  instantly 
opposed  them,  and  contended  with  earnestness  against  them,  as  a 
system  which  he  knew  and  felt  to  be  thoroughly  wrong.  He  main- 
tained this  opposition  till,  in  July,  1843,  the  great  conclusion  of  the 
Carey  ordination  threw  him  completely  off  from  all  his  old  ecclesi- 
astical connections,  and  placed  him  necessarily  and  finally  upon  the 
opposing  side 

"  His  departure  has  made  a  sad  chasm  for  many.  Few  men  are 
like-minded,  generously  to  care  for  the  state  of  others.  Few  men 
would  be  so  generally  and  truly  missed  in  the  varied  walks  which 
affection  blesses,  and  fidelity  relieves.  To  us  who  were  especially 
connected  with  him  in  the  benevolent  affairs  of  our  Church,  his  loss 
will  be  great  indeed,  and  we  can  hardly  dare  to  look  for  any  one 
who  can  catch  his  ready  pen,  his  quick  perception,  his  clear  decis- 
ion, his  unfailing  punctuality,  his  unwearied  abihty  and  willingness 


Ministry,  iS^j  to  1861,  291 

to  work.  His  cheerful  manner  and  habit  were  the  very  life  of  our 
Associations.  He  never  failed  to  minister  to  our  pleasure,  to  our 
encouragement,  to  our  greater  earnestness  and  readiness  in  duty; 
and  there  will  be  no  dissenting  voice  among  those  who  have  associ- 
ated with  him  in  the  labors  of  the  gospel,  from  the  testimony  which 
I  have  given." 

The  death  of  Dr.  Anthon  not  only  made  an  important  vacancy  in 
the  management  of  the  two  Evangelical  Societies,  in  both  of  which 
he  had  been  particularly  active,  but  he  had  also  most  ably  edited  the 
Protestant  Churchman,  which  under  his  direction  had  been  the 
representative  paper  of  the  Evangelical  party.  In  this  responsibil- 
ity and  labor  Dr.  Tyng  had  for  some  time  previously  assisted  him, 
and  now,  on  his  death,  assumed  the  whole  burden  of  this  work, 
within  a  few  months  becoming  the  proprietor  and  sole  editor  of 
the  paper,  which  position  he  retained  for  several  years. 

The  conduct  of  a  weekly  paper  of  such  a  character,  imposed 
great  responsibility  and  added  greatly  to  his  labors,  yet  it  brought 
him  no  remuneration  in  any  pecuniary  return.  The  work  was" 
cheerfully  assumed,  however,  and  it  affords  but  another  instance  of 
his  readiness  in  every  good  work.  Notwithstanding  the  burdensome 
cares  which  his  immense  pastoral  work  involved,  in  whatever 
variety  of  effort,  no  appeal  to  him  was  ever  made  in  vain. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

UNION  SOCIETIES.     PUBLIC   ADDRESSES,    1845   to   1860. 

The  prominent  and  close  connection  of  St.  George's  Church 
with  what  were  known  as  Union  Societies  is  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting and  important  facts  in  its  history.  In  the  present  establish- 
ment of  these  organizations  of  Christians  of  every  name,  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  realize  the  opposition  and  obloquy  with  which  many  who 
united  in  them  were  forced  to  contend.  The  attitude  of  the 
Episcopal  Church  was  especially  hostile  to  them,  and  the  more 
honor  is  due  to  those  of  her  members  who  took  a  decided  stand  in 
affiliation  with  their  Christian  brethren  in  these,  then  questioned 
but  long  since  acknowledged  means  of  united  labor  for  the  glory  of 
Grod  and  the  welfare  of  their  fellow-men. 

In  the  formation  of  the  American  Bible  Society  in  1816,  as  in 
that  of  its  natural  outgrowth,  the  American  Tract  Society,  nine 
years  later,  Dr.  Milnor  and  members  of  the  congregation  of  St. 
George's  Church  were  most  active  agents. 

Thus  identified  with  them  in  their  origin,  St.  George's  continued 
ever  steadfast  in  their  support.  To  Dr.  Milnor's  "  quiet  persever- 
ance" it  has  been  said  "  The  Episcopal  Church  owes  much  of  its 
present  interest  in  the  cause  of  the  American  Bible  Society.  The 
cause  of  Union,  the  union  of  Christian  hearts  and  labors,  is  incal- 
culably indebted  to  the  dignified  stand  he  so  calmly  and  so  firmly 
held." 

A  review  of  Dr.  Tyng's  labors  in  this  field  is  an  important 
chapter  in  his  history.  There  was  no  more  distinguishing  charac- 
teristic of  his  ministry  than  the  earnestness  with  which  he  engaged 
in  and  advocated  these  so-called  "  religious  amalgamation  societies." 
In  the  first  years  of  his  ministry  he  espoused  their  cause  and 
he  remained  their  constant  champion,  defending  them  on  all  oc- 
casions and  from  every  species  of  attack.  The  American  Bible 
Society,  the  American  Tract  Society,  the  American  Sunday  School 
Union  and  others,  had  no  more  faithful  laborer  in  their  different 

292 


Union  Societies,  293 

lines  of  religious  effort.  In  these  connections,  lie  succeeded  Dr. 
Milnor  not  less  directly  than  in  his  pastoral  work,  and  with  ability 
unexcelled  he  gave  their  service  a  devotion  equalled  by  few  of  his 

contemporaries. 

The  anniversary  meetings  of  these  different  societies,  in  the 
month  of  May  each  year,  the  "  May  Anniversaries,"  so  long  held  in 
the  old  Broadway  Tabernacle,  were  then  in  their  full  glory.  People 
came  from  far  and  near  to  attend  them,  while  the  ablest  speakers 
in  the  land  were  sought  to  give  them  interest  and  influence. 

In  them  Dr.  Tyng  was  always  prominent,  welcomed  continually 
as  a  speaker  always  ready,  bold  and  uncompromising  in  his  utter- 
ances,  and  possessing  a  power  of  thought  and  expression  which 
commanded  universal  attention. 

It  has  been  written  of  him  in  this  connection,  that: 
"While   faithful   and   successful  as  a  pastor   to   an   uncommon 
degree,  he  exerted  an  influence  far  beyond  the  bounds  of  his  parish, 
and  mide  his  power  felt  in  almost  every  department  of  Christian 
philanthropy  and  benevolence.     Of  a  broad,  catholic  spirit,  with  in- 
tense convictions  of  the  efficacy  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  for  the  re- 
demption of  lost  and  suffering  humanity,  and  with  unsurpassed,  if 
it  was  not  unequalled,  power,  to  enforce  his  convictions,  upon  all 
who  came  within  the  sound  of  his  voice,  his  services  were  not  re- 
stricted  to   the    Church   of   his  love,  but  were  freely  given  to  all 
branches  of  the  household  of  faith.     So  quick  and  responsive  was 
his  sympathy  for  every  well-ordered  effort  to  bring  men  nearer  to 
Christ,  and  so  ardent  and  zealous  and  effective  were  his  appeals  for 
those  Engaged  in  these  efforts,  that  he  was  regarded  as  the  staunch 
and  eloquent  advocate  of  every  deserving  cause  of  benevolence  and 
reform,    and   no   orator   upon   their    platform  was  more   eloquent 

than  he. 

"  Especially  was  he  a  mighty  power  for  good  in  the  days  when 
the  anniversaries  of  the  great  National  Benevolent  Societies  were 
centres  of  interest  throughout  the  Evangelical  Church.  Year  after 
year  was  he  the  central  and  commanding  figure  of  ^Anniversary 
Week,'  and  often  his  voice  was  heard  at  most  of  the  meetings  that 
occupied  that  week. 

"  He  impressed  his  peculiar  personality  upon  every  occasion. 
Of  commanding  presence,  resembling  a  general  at  \\ie^  head  of  his 
army  rather  than  the  pastor  of  a  quiet  flock.  And  with  a  facility 
and'fluonoy  of  extemporaneous  utterance  that  never  hesitated  for  a 
word,  and  that  the  most  fitting  word,  and  with  rare  felicity  of 
thou-ht   and  illustration,  with   iiery,   impassioned,  magnetic  elo- 


294  -^^^-  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D»D. 

quence  swaying  an  audience  at  his  will,  Dr.  Tyng  will  ever  hold  a 
place  in  the  memories  of  his  favored  auditors,  as  among  the  most 
gifted,  persuasive,  cogent  and  irresistible  orators  of  our  day." 

Bishop  Clark,  in  writing  of  Dr.  Tyng's  power  as  a  speaker,  says: 
"  On  the  platform,  in  certain  respects,  he  had  no  superior.  It 
never  appeared  to  make  the  slightest  difference  whether  he  had 
been  able  to  prepare  himself  by  days  of  study  or  was  called  to 
speak  without  a  moment's  preparation.  The  promptness  with 
which  he  launched  himself  into  a  speech  and  the  spontaneousness 
of  his  utterance  were  very  characteristic  of  him.  From  the  moment 
that  he  oj^ened  his  mouth  the  words  seemed  to  come  of  themselves 
clean,  clear  cut  and  sparkling,  gliding  out  so  rapidly  that  it  some- 
times appeared  as  if  they  must  outrun  the  thought  that  gave  them 
their  impulse.  The  sentences  of  one  of  his  off-hand  speeches  would 
often  assume  the  same  protracted,  elaborate  form  which  ^charac- 
terizes Barrow's  discourses,  and  the  wonder  was  how  such  compli- 
cated periods  could  be  framed  without  any  previous  study.  I  once 
ventured  to  ask  him  if  he  never  forgot  the  beginning  of  one  of  these 
long  sentences  before  he  came  to  the  conclusion,  and  he  said  that 
this  was  often  the  case,  and  then  he  added :  '  I  just  talk  on  for  a 
while,  until  everybody  else  has  forgotten;  after  which  I  can  finish 
the  sentence  as  I  please.'  It  is  not  to  be  inferred  from  this,  that 
he  ever  failed  to  make  a  most  distinct  and  definite  impression. 
Amid  all  the  rich  profusion  of  words  and  interlacing  of  sentences, 
the  thought  stood  out  sharp  and  clear.  He  had  a  marvellous  mag- 
netic power  over  an  audience.  There  was  something  behind  the  ar- 
gument, and  even  behind  the  earnestness  by  which  the  argument 
was  expressed,  which  gave  him  a  peculiar  power,  and  if  he  had 
been  bred  to  the  bar,  there  are  very  few  lawyers  in  the  land  who 
could  have  coped  with  him. 

"  I  remember  a  great  public  meeting  where  he  was  assigned 
his  place  as  the  last  speaker  of  the  evening.  Before  his  time  came 
the  audience,  wearied  by  the  lateness  of  the  hour  and  the  efforts  of 
listening  to  a  series  of  dull  addresses,  was  fast  dropping  away,  and 
when  the  clock  struck  ten  I  whispered  to  him,  '  It  will  not  be  pos- 
sible to  keep  these  people  any  longer,  and  if  I  were  you,  I  would 
not  try  to  do  it.'  '  We  will  see  about  that,'  he  replied,  and  just  as 
the  last  speaker  closed,  the  Doctor  sprang  to  his  feet  and  with  half 
a  dozen  lightning  words  arrested  the  receding  tide  of  men  and 
women  and  held  them  all  spell-bound  to  the  end;  for  no  one 
seemed  able  to  move  from  his  place  after  the  electric  fire  of  the 
Doctor's  eloquence  had  touched  his  soul." 


Public  Addresses,  295 

The  Bev.  Dr.  Theodore  L.  Cuyler,  who  was  more  frequently 
perhaps  than  any  one  in  association  with  him  on  the  platform, 
remarks: 

"  He  was,  in  my  judgment,  the  prince  of  platform  speakers. 
His  ready  and  rapid  utterance,  his  hearty  enthusiasm,  his  cour- 
ageoas  style  of  speech,  and  his  i^xsoni  'projectile  power  of  reaching 
the  hearts  of  his   audience,   gave  him  this  undisputed  supremacy. 

"  One  evening,  a  complimentary  reception  was  given  to  John  B. 
Gough,  in  Niblo's  Garden  Hall.  A  large  number  of  eminent 
speakers  participated.  After  Henry  Ward-Beecher  and  I  had  fin- 
ished our  brief  addresses,  we  took  a  seat  over  by  the  wall  and  lis- 
tened to  Dr.  Tyng,  who  was  in  one  of  his  happiest  moods. 

"  While  he  was  speaking,  I  whispered  to  Mr.  Beecher,  *  Is  not 
that  superb  platforming ? '  Beecher  replied,  'Yes,  it  is  indeed. 
He  is  the  one  man  I  am  afraid  of.  I  never  want  to  speak  after 
him,  and  if  I  speak  first,  then  when  he  gets  up,  I  wish  I  had  not 
spoken  at  all.'  Some  of  the  rest  of  us  felt  just  as  Mr.  Beecher 
did. 

"  The  printed  reports  of  his  popular  addresses,  do  him  no  ade- 
quate justice.  He  spoke  too  rapidly  for  the  average  reporter,  and 
no  pen  or  paper  could  transfer  the  electric  voice  or  powerful  elocu- 
tion of  the  orator.  He  was  always  the  man  to  be  heard,  and  not  to 
be  read.     His  personal  magnetism  was  wonderful. 

"  1  count  it  to  have  been  a  constant  inspiration  to  have  heard 
him  so  often,  and  a  blessed  privilege  to  have  enjoyed  his  intimate 
friendship." 

Dr.  Tyng's  principle  of  action  in  his  Master's  service,  as  he  declared 
on  one  occasion,  was  to  be  always  ready  when  called  upon  in  a  good 
cause — and  most  truly  did  he  prove  the  truth  of  this  assertion.  It 
would  be  vain  to  attempt  to  recall  a  tithe  of  the  occasions  upon 
which  he  spoke  during  the  years  covered  by  the  present  review. 
Many  of  his  speeches  were  not  reported,  but  a  few  may  be  specially 
referred  to  as  depicting  his  character  and  giving  expression  to  his 
views. 

On  the  arrangement  of  the  Standing  Committees  of  the  Ameri- 
can Bible  Society  in  1846,  he  was  appointed  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Anniversaries,  and  so  continued  for  the  twelve 
succeeding  years.  In  this  position,  as  he  said  in  one  of  his  speeches, 
he  acted  "as  the  sexton  of  the  Anniversaries;  it  was  his  duty  to 
bury  every  delinquent  speaker." 

At  its  anniversary  in  May,  184G,  he  delivered  an  address  which, 
even  in  the  following  imperfect  abstract,  is  worthy  of  particular 


296  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

note,  alike  for  the  earnestness  of  its  expression  and  the  beauty  of 
its  thought. 

"  I  feel  that  I  am  doing  my  Master's  work,"  he  said,  "  when  I 
plead  the  cause  of  the  American  Bible  Society.  I  have  nailed  the 
flag  to  this  cause,  and  never  shall  it  be  hauled  down.  I  view  it  as 
the  work  of  God,  and  it  is  not  the  right  of  any  man  to  gainsay  the 
principles  on  which  it  is  founded  or  the  work  which  it  accomplishes. 
I  cannot  find  it  within  my  conscience  to  withhold  my  co-operation 
in  its  efforts.  From  the  first  day  until  this  day,  and  in  time  to 
come,  my  heart  is  with  it.  The  day  is  hastening  when  the  men  who 
have  clung  to  this  cause  will  be  the  truly  honored.  The  interests 
in  which  we  are  engaged  are  imperishable,  and  the  time  will  come 
when  men  who  now  look  with  jealousy  on  this  society  will  be  glad 
to  shelter  themselves  under  an  influence  which  is  felt  to  be  good, 
only  good,  and  good  forever.  In  looking  abroad  upon  the  spiritual 
destitution,  the  direct  and  only  method  of  its  supply  is  by  giving 
them  the  Bible.  I  do  not  mean  to  undervalue  other  instrumentali- 
ties. But  everything  connected  with  the  Bible,  except  its  sacred 
truth,  is  but  an  incident  thereto.  Give  me  that,  and  I  will  view 
all  other  things, — the  Church  and  its  clergy, — but  as  its  building, 
as  the  means  and  instruments  of  its  conveyance.  For  this,  were 
churches  made,  and  for  this  only  was  the  ministry  established.  I 
agree  most  heartily  with  the  gentleman  from  Virginia  :  'We  will 
stick  to  the  ministry  while,  and  only  while,  they  stick  to  the  Bible.' 

"  The  right  to  have  the  Bible,  to  interpret  the  Bible  and  to  ap- 
ply its  truth  is  not  the  right  of  the  Church  nor  the  Clergy.  It  is 
the  right  of  every  individual.  The  Comforter  is  not  promised  to 
the  Church  nor  the  Clergy,  but  to  every  believing  soul.  And  I 
hold  that  each  individual  soul  has  the  unqualified  right  to  read  and 
interpret  and  apply  the  Bible  for  himself.  It  is  my  Pilgrim  blood 
that  has  made  me  Episcopalian.  It  is  the  very  independence 
which  brought  our  fathers  to  Plymouth  Rock,  that  brought  me  un- 
der the  shelter  of  that  kind  of  hierarchy  which,  in  the  corruptions 
of  its  power,  those  men  rejected,  and  against  which  they  rebelled, 
and  I  honor  them  for  that  rejection.  I  would  have  rebelled  and 
rejected  it  myself.  And  should  similar  oppression  and  similar  cor- 
ruption ever  arise  nearer  home,  I  would  follow  the  Puritans  and 
the  Scotch  in  resisting  its  power,  but  I  would  imitate  the  Puritans 
in  seeking  a  refuge  in  the  wilderness  rather  than  the  Scotch  in  tak- 
ing up  a  sword  in  my  own  defence.  In  this  spirit  we  are  bound  to 
follow  out  this  work.  We  must  respect  and  regard  the  right  of 
every  man  to  have  the  Bible.     What  are  the  great  contests  of  our 


Public  Addresses,  297 

day  but  contests  between  the  Bible  and  sometliing  whicli  men 
would  have  us  accept  in  its  stead  ?  At  what  do  all  the  anti-Chris- 
tian organizations  of  the  day  aim,  but  to  deprive  us  of  the  Bible, 
and  to  lead  us  to  take  what  they  offer  us  in  its  room. 

"  The  Socialists,  the  Fourierites,  the  infidels  of  every  class  would 
take  from  me  my  Bible  and  throw  me  upon  passions  and  appetites 
and  interests  which  nothing  but  the  Word  of  God  can  give  me 
power  to  control.  And  shall  I  abandon  this  sure  guide  and  accept 
of  their  proffered  substitutes  ?  Shall  I  leave  the  light  and  the  glory 
of  God,  and  go  down  to  dig  and  delve  with  self  and  sin  and  Satan 
beneath  the  sod  ?  Shall  I  leave  the  lofty  heights  of  the  empyrean, 
the  seat  of  God's  ineffable  glory,  and  stoop  to  commune  with  the 
powers  of  darkness  and  of  hell  ?  I  hold  the  whole  system  to  be  a 
perfect  incarnation  of  Satan  in  its  influence.  Its  purposes  are  base 
and  its  principles,  which  I  am  sorry  to  see  some  respectable  book- 
sellers keep  upon  their  shelves,  involve  nothing  but  moral  pesti- 
lence and  death,  to  be  dealt  out  to  man. 

"  There  is  another  class  who  would  take  the  Bible  from  me  and 
give  me  in  its  place  the  dogmas  of  the  Church  of  Kome.  Now,  sir, 
I  hold  that  if  any  man  is  infallible,  I  am  infallible  myself.  If  I 
am  to  submit  to  the  opinions  of  any  mere  man,  it  shall  be  the 
man  who  lives  within  my  breast.  I  will  be  bound  by  no  man's  in- 
fallibiHty.  But  I  will  take  the  Bible  for  myself,  and  ask  assistance 
from  that  source  where  all  have  the  promises  of  guidance  and  di- 
rection. 

"But  there  is  still  another  form  of  hostility  to  the  Bible,  sacred 
in  its  origin,  but  baneful  in  its  results.  It  is  that  which  seeks  to 
break  it  up  in  catechisms  and  forms  and  creeds  of  man's  device.  I 
will  take  the  creeds  of  my  own  Church,  on  the  ground  which  that 
Church  decides,  so  far  as  to  me  they  are  in  accordance  with  the 
sacred  Scriptures  and  no  farther.  The  connection  between  the 
Bible  and  the  men  who  immediately  succeeded  the  period  of  in- 
spiration is  between  infallible  and  fallible.  However  I  may  rever- 
ence the  men,  I  can  acknowledge  no  authority  in  them  beyond  the 
Word  of  God.  There  is  no  shelving  shore  from  revelation  to  later 
periods  of  the  Church.  The  junction  is  like  the  elevated  pier  in  the 
full  tide  of  ocean.  No  man  shall  throw  me  overboard,  no  man  shall 
'  tempt  me  overboard,  nor  will  I  go  to  sea  with  any  man  or  any  clas« 
of  men,  without  that  sure  and  infallil)]e  compass,  the  Word  of  God, 
And  by  that,  and  that  alone,  shall  my  bark  be  directed. 

••  Tlie  Bible  is  itself  supreme.  It  does  not  need  a  ministry  to 
interpret  it;  it  does  not  tolerate  a  ministry  to  stand  upon  its  ground. 


298  Rev.  Stephen  Higginsoii    Tyjtg,  D.D. 

Every  one,  the  highest  and  the  lowest,  the  poorest  cottage  girl  who 
sits  by  her  door  and  knows  nothing  but  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ, 
'  a  truth  the  brilliant  Frenchman  never  knew,'  must  read  it  for 
herself  and  interpret  it  for  herself,  and  is  as  truly  responsible  for 
the  manner  in  which  she  applies  its  truth  as  the  most  learned  of  its 
readers. 

"  When  I  go  to  that  book,  God  speaks  to  me.  I  need  no  succes- 
sion. I  go  at  once  to  the  fountain-head.  It  is  not  man  that  speaks. 
He  speaks  to  me,  as  if  there  were  but  one  single  Bible,  and  an  an- 
gel had  come  down  and  bound  it  upon  my  bosom.  It  is  my  Bible. 
It  was  written  for  me.  It  is  the  voice  of  God,  holding  communion 
with  my  own  soul,  and  never  will  I  forfeit  my  right  to  commune  with 
God.  Nor  is  that  communion  to  be  held  before  councils  or  in  open 
temples,  or  in  the  presence  of  sects  and  priests  and  through  the 
intervention  of  others.  It  is  an  act  to  be  transacted  in  the  most 
sacred  sanctuary  of  the  Lord.  No  sects,  no  priestly  interference 
can  be  admitted.  It  is  an  affair  between  God  and  my  soul.  And 
as  Abraham  bid  the  young  men  abide  with  the  ass  at  the  foot  of 
the  mountain,  so  will  I  ascend  and  go  to  meet  God,  alone  at  the  top. 
I  wish  my  views  upon  this  point,  thrown  out  as  they  are  before  this 
large  assembly,  to  be  stated  clearly  and  to  be  distinctly  understood. 
The  press  may  proclaim  them  to  the  world  as  those  of  a  man  who 
speaks  for  himself,  and  not  under  the  constraint  of  creeds  or  the 
imposition  of  men.  That  book  is  the  book  of  God,  and  when  I  go 
and  commune  with  it,  I  hold  communion  with  my  God. 

"I  am  Moses,  just  come  down  from  the  moving  mountain,  his 
face  shining  with  joy  and  the  glory  of  God. 

"  I  am  Isaiah,  and  have  come  from  the  golden  courts  where  the 
seraphim  and  cherubim  shout  hallelujah  to  the  Lord  God  of  Hosts. 

"  I  am  Paul,  and  have  seen  the  third  heavens  opened,  and  can 
tell  what  is  uttered  there,  and  have  seen  glories  ineffable,  which 
no  tongue  can  tell  nor  imagination  conceive. 

"  I  am  John,  and  have  laid  my  head  upon  the  Master's  bosom, 
and  have  caught,  warm  with  his  breath,  the  very  whispers  of  the 
sweet  counsels  which  He  has  breathed  into  my  ear. 

"  It  is  not  from  any  intervention  or  interpretation  of  man  that 
it  derives  its  power.  God  gave  it  to  me.  He  made  it  and  He  has 
preserved  it,  nor  does  the  fact  that  He  has  transmitted  it  for  cen- 
turies through  the  agency  of  unclean  birds,  as  Elijah  was  fed  by 
the  ravens  of  the  valley,  change  its  character.  It  is  still  bread  and 
food  for  all  the  world. 

"  And  now  that  I  am  called  to  speak  for  this  society,  I  can 


Public  Addresses,  299 

speak  with  confidence  and  determination.  We  are  brought  to  the 
crisis  when  the  work  must  either  go  on  or  be  given  up.  On  every 
side,  need,  desire,  suffering,  pressing  want  meet  our  view.  And 
we  at  this  day,  to  an  extent  we  have  little  power  to  calculate,  hold 
the  key  of  supply. 

"  We  are  to  save  this  land  for  Christ  in  this  generation  in  which 
we  live,  or  we  are  to  lose  it  forever.  We  are  to  carry  on  the  work 
noio  or  lose  the  chance  of  settling  the  question  who  shall  have  do- 
minion over  it.  If  each  one  of  the  thousands  gathered  here  from 
widely  distant  sections  of  the  land  will  go  away  resolved  to  double  his 
exertions  and  contributions  to  the  cause,  we  shall  carry  out  the 
plan  and  seven  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  apostles  and  prophets 
will  be  sent  out  into  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land." 

In  an  address  in  the  same  year,  at  the  anniversary  of  the  Society 
for  Ameliorating  the  Condition  of  the  Jews,  he  took  as  his  subject 
"  The  Fulfilment  of  Prophecy  "  and  said: 

"  It  is  now  more  than  fifteen  years  since  the  veil  had  been  taken 
from  his  eyes  regarding  the  prophecies  that  told  of  the  warfare  and 
glory  of  Israel,  and  ever  since,  he  had  everywhere  and  at  all  times 
proclaimed  the  belief  which  he  still  devoutly  held  that  the  literal 
interpretation  of  prophecy  is  the  only  consistent  one ;  that  the  Jew- 
ish people  would  yet  return  to  the  land  of  promise,  and  that  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  would  personally  reign  among  them,  hterally 
making  Jerusalem  the  throne  of  the  Lord,  and  using  Jacob  for  his 
battle-axe  to  subdue  the  nation  unto  Himself."  Continuing,  he 
said: 

"  There  is  not  a  pulse  in  my  heart  that  does  not  beat  in  sympa- 
thy with  and  hope  for  Israel.  For  years  I  have  pondered  their 
destinies  in  the  privacy  of  my  study.  The  Bible  has  become  more 
precious  and  the  Jews  more  loved,  and  there  is  not  a  Christian  en- 
terprise of  the  day  which  so  interests  my  heart.  When  four  years 
ago  I  was  in  London  and  that  dearly  loved  man,  most  fitly  named 
Michael  Solomon,  was  about  to  proceed  on  his  mission  to  Jerusa- 
lem, I  thought,  and  indeed  remarked  to  a  friend :  '  Who  knows 
but  he  may  live  to  see  the  feet  of  the  Saviour  alight  on  Olivet. ' 
But  he  sleeps  on  the  heights  of  Zion,  and  still  the  glory  is  not  there. 
Faith,  liowover,  none  the  less  relying  on  the  divine  promi.ses,  con- 
firmed by  the  divine  providence,  halts  not,  falters  not,  doubts  not; 
but  waiting  for  tlie  ha.stening  unto  the  glorious  result  when  all  Is- 
rael shall  bo  saved,  feels  tiiat  no  spirit  is  too  earnest,  no  plan  too 
large  or  too  liberal,  and  no  prayer  too  fervent  that  looks  to  the  great 
end  of  giving  Israel  to  Clirist  and  Christ  to  Israel" 


300  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

In  advocating  the  cause  of  Temperance,  in  whicli  through  life 
he  was  most  earnestly  engaged,  he  said: 

"  Men  may  say  I  speak  strongly.  If  men  on  the  watch-tower 
fan  to  sound  the  alarm,  who  wiU  ?  It  is  the  duty  of  the  pulpit  to 
speak  out  boldly  and  faithfully." 

An  address  upon  the  same  subject,  which  he  delivered  in  be- 
half of  the  New  York  City  Temperance  Society,  during  the  year  . 
1846,  is  thus  referred  to: 

"  In  a  speech  of  much  power  and  beauty  he  reviewed  the  good 
that  had  been  already  accomplished,  and  showed  the  necessity  of  a 
religious  prosecution  of  the  work  on  the  part  of  Christians,  and 
especially  Christian  ministers.  It  is  a  part  of  Christian  duty,  for 
intemperance  is  an  evil  which  stands  wonderfully  in  the  way  of  the 
labors  of  the  ministry,  and  tells  fearfully  against  them.  He  con- 
tinued, in  his  own  peculiar  and  impulsive  eloquence,  to  show  the 
necessity  there  is  for  every  Christian  minister  identifying  himself 
with  the  cause;  none  have  a  right  to  excuse  themselves.  The  work 
belongs  to  the  Church,  and  by  the  Church  of  God  it  can  best  be 
done.  This  was  his  leading  point,  and  those  who  have  heard  him 
need  not  to  be  informed  of  the  clearness  and  beauty  with  which  it 
was  demonstrated. 

"  Could  those  who  are  in  doubt  respecting  the  necessity  there 
is  for  them  to  take  a  stand  in  this  matter,  have  listened  to  him, 
could  they  have  followed  him  from  point  to  point  in  this  argument, 
as  for  nearly  an  hour  he  went  on,  they  would  have  gained  more 
light  and  a  better  knowledge  than  they  now  profess  to  have." 

At  the  Twenty-fourth  Anniversary  of  the  American  Sunday 
School  Union,  held  at  Musical  Fund  Hall,  in  Philadelphia,  on  the 
evening  of  May  15th,  1848,  Dr.  Tyng  delivered  a  notable  address.* 
In  offering  the  resolution  that  "  The  real  welfare  and  the  useful 
influence  of  our  beloved  country  must  ever  be  mainly  dependent 
on  the  religious  training  of  the  children  of  our  land,  and  that  the 
American  Sunday  School  Union  is  an  agency  wisely  adapted  to 
promote  this  end,"  he  spoke  upon  the  subject  at  much  length, 
and  in  his  most  forcible  manner,  in  the  approval  of  its  work. 

Though  frequently  urged  to  accept  engagements  upon  the 
lecture  platform,  he  could  not  be  induced  to  employ  his  time  for 
the  purposes  either  of  personal  gain  or  of  merely  literary  enter- 
tainments. Seldom,  therefore,  was  his  voice  heard  upon  any 
subject  dissociated  from  the  one  object  of  his  life  and  thought. 

*  Appendix  II. 


Public  Addresses,  301 

One  of  these  few  occasions,  and  it  is  the  more  interesting  from  this 
fact,  was  the  celebration  of  the  centennial  of  the  initiation  of 
Washington  into  the  Fraternity  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 

Elaborate  preparations  were  made  by  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  for  the  proper  commemoration  of  this  interest- 
ing event,  which  occurred  on  the  4th  of  November^  1852.  From 
his  well-known  interest  in  the  order,  of  which  he  had  been  a  mem- 
ber since  1826,  Dr.  Tyng  was  invited  to  deliver  the  oration.  The 
celebration  was  most  imposing  and  brilliant  in  its  character,  as 
well  from  the  impressive  ceremonies  as  from  the  attendance  of  the 
various  lodges  in  the  full  regalia  of  their  different  degrees.  Metro- 
politan Hall,  accommodating  an  audience  of  some  four  thousand 
persons,  was  crowded  in  every  part,  and  still  large  numbers  were 
unable  to  obtain  admission. 

The  oration  of  Dr.  Tyng  was  a  eulogy  of  the  character  of 
Washington  as  "  an  exemplification  of  the  principles  of  Free 
Masonry,"  and  was  subsequently  published  by  the  Grand  Lodge, 
as  being  particularly  adapted  to  remove  prejudices  against  the 
order.  It  is  probably  the  only  extant  examjDle  of  his  writing  of  a 
similar  character,  and  in  its  delivery  was  said  to  have  been  most 
eloquent  and  effective. 

Identified  as  Dr.  Tyng  had  been  .with  the  operation  of  the 
American  Bible  Society,  the  provision  of  enlarged  accommodation 
for  its  increasing  work  was  a  project  into  which  he  entered  with 
much  interest  and  effort.  The  completion  and  opening  of  the  new 
Bible  House  on  Astor  Place,  in  February,  1854,  was  therefore  an 
occasion  of  great  gratification,  a  large  amount  of  the  special 
contributions  necessary  to  defray  its  cost  having  been  personally 
obtained  by  him.  It  is  related  that  at  one  meeting,  when  required 
funds  were  not  at  hand,  it  was  proposed  that  an  intermission  for 
an  hour  should  be  taken,  during  which  each  one  present  should 
make  a  special  effort.  At  the  end  of  the  time,  Dr.  Tyng,  it  is  said, 
returned  with  pledges  amounting  to  more  than  ten  thousand  dol- 
lars, as  the  result  of  his  one  hour's  work.  The  amounts  of  the 
collections  in  St.  George's  Church,  which  have  been  before  men- 
tioned, abundantly  attest  the  interest  and  liberal  action  of  its  people 
in  the  work  and  system  of  this  and  its  kindred  societies.  They 
were  favorite  objects  of  its  beneficence,  and  the  annual  offering  for 
each  was  as  regular  as  for  any  department  of  its  own  or  its  mission 
work. 

The  Anniversary  meetings  of  May,  1854,  were  rendered  espe- 
cially interesting  by  the  presence  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Duff,  the  distin- 


302  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyiig,  D.D, 

guished  missionary  to  India.  Having  its  origin  in  his  visit,  a 
remarkable  convention  of  the  friends  of  missions  of  the  various 
Christian  denominations  was  held,  to  deliberate  on  the  general 
subject  of  missions  to  the  heathen  world.  It  assembled  in  the 
lecture-room  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church,  (ReVo  Dr. 
Alexander's)  On  two  successive  days,  the  4th  and  5th  of  May,  and 
in  the  number  who  met  together,  the  high  position  which  they 
occupied  in  the  Church  and  State,  the  subjects  discussed  and  the 
spirit  which  pervaded  the  assembly,  it  was  an  occasion  of  very 
great  moment.  As  a  member  of  this  convention  Dr.  Tyng  spoke 
several  times,  though  no  report  of  any  of  his  speeches  has  been 
found.  In  his  address  at  the  anniversary  of  the  American  Bible 
Society,  however,  some  days  later,  he  spoke  in  the  most  feeling  and 
eulogistic  manner  of  Dr.  Duff,  and  referred  to  the  convention  in  the 
following  words: 

"  Seven  different  families  of  Christians  sat  down  together  at  that 
meeting,  and  fed  on  that  spiritual  bread  that  liveth  forever.  Never 
have  I  spent  two  such  days  as  we  spent  at  that  convention.  Never 
can  we  hope  to  spend  happier  days  till  we  meet  together  around  the 
throne  of  our  Master,  and  all  forget  the  nation,  the  language,  the 
color,  the  tribe,  the  circumstances  of  life  from  which  we  came, 
learning  that  as  God  '  has  made  of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men  to 
dwell  on  the  face  of  the  whole  earth,'  so  He  has  washed  in  One  the 
whole  company  of  His  redeemed  forever.'  " 

After  again  referring  to  Dr.  Duff,  he  closed  by  saying: 

"  In  the  very  degree  in  which  we  have  learned  to  love  him,  we 
have  learned  to  love  our  Master  more  under  the  guidance  of  the 
divine  Spirit  and  the  influence  of  his  example." 

With  such  views  it  was  impossible  that  he  should  fail  to  take  a 
lively  interest  in  the  then  new  Young  ]\Ien's  Christian  Associations, 
They  encountered  much  of  the  same  opposition  which  had  before 
been  experienced  by  other  unions  for  religious  but  unsectarian 
efforts.  Few  of  the  Episcopal  clergy  were  disposed  to  give  their 
approval  to  these  associations,  and  many  of  other  denominations 
hesitated  in  assent  and  co-operation.  From  their  first  inception, 
however,  Dr.  Tyng's  encouragement  was  unreservedly  extended, 
and  his  interest  and  assistance  were  never  wanting  at  any  stage  of 
their  work. 

His  address  at  the  Church  of  the  Puritans,  on  May  15th,  1854, 
the  second  anniversary  of  the  New  York  Association,  is  worthy  of 
note,  in  its  testimony  of  his  confidence  in  its  organization  and 
plans.* 

*  Appendix  III. 


Public  Addresses,  303 

The  "  Slavery  Question,"  so  long  the  great  subject  of  contro- 
versy, was  brought  still  more  prominendy  forward  by  the  events 
of  the  year  1850.  Hitherto  its  discussion  had  been  chiefly 
confined  to  the  arena  of  political  debate,  but  it  soon^entered  as  a 
disturbing  and  dividing  subject  in  religious  associations,  where 
before  it  had  not  been  the  cause  of  any  agitation. 

The  passage  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law,  and  subsequent  at- 
tempts to  enforce  it,  evoked  from  the  opponents  of  slavery  most 
vehement  denunciation,  and,  at  times,  violent  resistance.  Large 
numbers  of  the  clergy  united  in  indignant  protest  against  a  law  so 
capable  of  evil  in  its  provisions  and  powers.  Many  even  counselled 
resistance  to  its  enforcement.  On  the  other  hand  the  commercial 
classes  deprecated  the  disturbing  influence  of  the  agitation  in  the 
North,  in  their  fear  of  the  threatening  attitude  of  the  South,  and 
with  them  many  of  the  clergy  coincided  in  sympathy  and  action. 

When  the  question  arose  in  associations  in  which  these  two 
classes  had  before  harmoniously  engaged,  the  conflict  between 
them  was  often  sharp  and  bitter. 

In  the  American  Tract  Society  this  was  especially  the  case,  and 
as  Dr.  Tyng  occupied  a  prominent  part  [in  the  controversy,  his 
relations  to  it  and  the  declaration  of  his  views  upon  it  become  of  not 
a  little  importance. 

Repugnance  to  slavery,  innate  from  his  New  England  origin, 
had  been  strengthened  by  his  observation  of  the  system  during  his 
ministry  in  the  South.  No  one  was  more  confirmed  and  unchange- 
able in  anti-slavery  principles  than  he,  but  he  has  been  frequently 
and  most  erroneously  classed  among  those  who  advocated  and 
urged  extreme  and  radical  measures  for  the  abatement  of  the  evil. 
Sympathy  with  revolutionary  schemes  of  any  kind  was  foreign  to 
his  whole  nature  and  mind.  This  is  proven  by  all  his  utterances, 
but  nowhere,  perhaps,  more  clearly  expressed  than  in  his  sermon 
"  Duty  to  our  Generation,"  ^lelivered  on  Thanksgiving  Day,  De- 
cember 12th,  1850,  when  he  said: 

**  This  secured  and  consolidated  freedom  is  an  attainment,  for 
the  perpetuation  of  which  we  are  deeply  responsible  to  our  genera- 
tion. But  its  perpetuation  must  depend  upon  reverence  for  the 
majesty  of  the  law;  upon  the  wisdom,  caution  and  mutual  forbearance 
of  tlie  various  sections  of  our  peojilo,  in  their  difToreiit  territories, 
and  with  their  sometimes  conflicting  interests;  upon  the  solemn  de- 
termination of  all  classes  to  resist  '  all  sedition,  privy  conspiracy, 
and  rebellion,'  to  protect  and  maintain  the  execution  of  the  law 
against  the  power  of  individual  opposition,  or  organized  anarchy, 


304  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

however  temporary  evil  or  individual  injustice  may  seem  to  arise 
from  its  administration. 

"  Over  this  glorious  prospect  of  human  freedom,  one  sad  and 
heavy  cloud   has  been  slowly  passing,  but  certainly  passing,   as  I 
still  hope  and  believe.     This  cloud  of  inherited  slavery,  a  burden 
not  sought  or  voluntarily  assumed  by  the  people  of  this  nation,  im- 
posed upom  them,  and  transmitted  to  them  by  a  colonizing  parent, 
has  been  gradually  narrowing  its  shadow,  until  within  the  few  past 
years,  we  were   encouraging  ourselves  with  the  hoj)e  that  the  evil 
would  be  soon  finally  and  forever  removed.     We  were  content  to 
wait,  and  hope  patiently  for  its  complete  extinction,  in  the  course 
which  had  been  so  successfully  and  happily   commenced.     But  a 
violent  eagerness  for  the  immediate   overthrow  of  the  evil  has,  I 
fear,  in  its  operation,  materially  retarded  it,  and  thrown  new  diffi- 
culties in  the  way,  of  very  peculiar  and  painful  force.     And  yet, 
notwithstanding  this  discouraging  interference,  I  would  never  lose 
Bight  of  the  purpose,  by  every  equitable,  constitutional  and  Chris- 
tian means,  to  extinguish  the  dominion  of  human  slavery  forever. 
TJnlimited  and  immediate  emancipation,  upon  my  soul,  I  believe  to 
be  impossible,  and  certainly  ruinous  to  one  class  involved,  if  not 
equally  to  both.     But  there  is  one  manifest  remedy,  and  I  must 
still  labor,  and  hope  and  pray  for  the  time  to  arrive,  when  the  gen- 
eral sense  of  the  nation  shall  perceive  its  interest  and  duty,  by  a 
complete  and  generous  colonization  of  Africans  in  Africa,  to  loosen 
every  bond,  and  thus  to  perpetuate,  as  [may  be  so  readily  done,  on 
the  largest  scale,  and  with  the  most  glorious  results,  the  principles 
of  freedom,  Christianity  and  civilization,  uj^on  the  densely  peopled 
continent,  as  they  have  been  established  in  the  rising  rejDublic  of 
Liberia, — a  community  whose  organization  is  scarcely  less  an  honor 
to  the  United  States,  than  the  settlement  of  our  own  Pacific  shores. 
"  Of  the  frequent  threats  of  national  rupture  and  political  de- 
struction which  are  heard  in  connection  with  this  subject,  I  shall 
not  trust  myself  here  to  speak.     Agitating  as  they  are,  I  cannot 
suppose  they  will  be  urged,  or  allowed  to  proceed  to  an  actual  accom- 
plishment of   purpose  thus  declared.     I  cannot  believe  that  the 
gracious  blessing  and  protection  of  God,  over  a  nation  which  He  hat 
so  remarkably  fostered,  have  been  so  utterly  withdrawn,  that  the 
continuance    of  this  great  union,  the  last  earthly  shelter  of  the 
wretched,  from  the  evils  both  of  despotism  and  anarchy,  is  to  be 
made  dependent  upon  the  perpetuation  of  suffering  on  the  one  side 
or  the  threats  of  violence  on  the  other.     Slavery  cannot  be  violently 
or  immediately  broken  up  in  those  states  in  which  it  has  been  in- 


Public  Addresses.  -^oS 

herited,  and  the  continuance  of  the  Union  seems  to  me  the  ap- 
pointed and  the  only  possible  instrument  for  the  prevention  of  this 
violent  issue.  Many  months  would  not  elapse,  I  fear,  after  the  pro- 
tection of  that  Union  was  thus  fatally  rejected,  before  the  tragedy 
of  St.  Domingo  would  be  repeated  on  the  soil  which  had  thus  cast 
off  the  guardianship  of  national  defence;  and  the  destruction  of 
either  one  or  the  other  of  the  two  races  involved  would  be  the  inev- 
itable result.  To  gain  the  final  universal  abolition  of  slavery  in 
the  United  States,  is  one  of  the  resi^onsibilities  we  have  to  this 
generation,  and  to  those  who  are  ,to  succeed  us  To  accomplish 
this  result,  in  connection  with  the  great  principles  and  purposes  of 
our  national  confederacy,  and  in  furtherance  of  them,  is  certainly 
another.  But  the  maintenance  of  this  Union,  for  the  great  moral 
ends  in  human  welfare  which  it  is  to  accomplish,  and  to  secure 
the  still  greater  extent  of  human  freedom,  which  it  is  intended  to 
perpetuate,  I  esteem  an  object  for  us,  paramount  in  its  importance, 
and  for  which  every  sacrifice  is  wisely  made,  but  the  final  surrender 
of  righteousness  to  wrong." 

Some   few  months  later,   when   speaking   at  the  anniversary  of 
the  New  York  Colonization  Society  on  May  8,  1851,  he  said: 

"  It  was  thirty-two  years  since  he  had  attended  the  first  meeting 
of  a  colonization   society,    and    during    that  long   period   he    had, 
through  good  report  and  evil  report,  remained  steadfast  in  his  at- 
tachment to  the  cause  as  one  of  the  noblest  enterprises  of  Christian 
benevolence.    It  appeals  to  principle  and  correct  feeling.    Its  friends 
are  no  disorganizers,  no   anarchists  striving  to  overturn  society  by 
insane  agitation.    He  had  seen  the  day  when  the  friends  of  coloniza- 
tion had  been  depressed,  but  he  had  not  doubted  that  the  enterprise 
was  to  solve  the  problem  of  Africa's  redemption  and  America's  peace. 
"  His  own  course   had   been  censured   as  pro-slavery  and  dis- 
graceful to  his  New  England  origin.     He  regarded  it  as  his  highest 
honor    to  have  been  born  in  the   *  Old   Bay   State,'  where  he  was 
taught  obedience  to  law  as  a  first  dutv.     He  would  always  contend 
for  the  higher  law,  the  law  of  God,  but  one  of  the  first  precepts  of 
that  law  was  to   render  obedience  to  the  laws  of  the  land.     If  to 
obey  law,  was  to  be  pro-slavery,  he  should  continue  to  be  so.     He 
hated  the  '  Fugitive  Slave  Law,'  but  while  it  was  the  law  of  the 
land,  he  should  obey  it." 

Such  expressions,  at  the  very  height  of  the  then  prevailing  ex- 
citement, admit  no  question  as  to  the  stand  which  he  maintained, 
and  when  the  subject  was  presented  in  another  relation,  his  words 
were  with  no  uncertain  sound. 


3o6  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng^  D.D. 

There  had  been  for  several  years  a  growing  discontent  with  the 
position  of  the  Tract  Society  on  the  subject  of  slavery.  The  course 
of  its  management  had  been  very  earnestly  discussed,  and  its  mem- 
bers were  distinctly  arrayed  for  the  contest,  which  for  a  time  over- 
shadowed all  other  questions  in  its  work. 

In  the  beginning  Dr.  Tyng  was  disposed  to  uphold  the  man- 
agement of  the  society  in  the  conservative  course  which  they  sought 
to  pursue,  and  in  no  wise  sympathized  in  the  effort  to  force  into 
the  society's  publications  a  discussion  of  the  slavery  question  in  its 
political  aspect.  He  was  decided  in  opposition  to  all  schemes  which 
would  make  the  society  an  engine  of  political  agitation.  At  its 
anniversary,  in  May,  1856,  he  was  unexpectedly  called  -upon  to 
speak,  and  after  an  earnest  appeal  in  its  behalf,  said: 

"  In  the  work  of  the  Tract  Society  the  attitude  of  apology  has 
been  taken  too  long.  It  is  remarkable  that  all  hostility  to  the 
societv  is  from  things  that  are  not,  and  not  from  things  that  are. 
When  has  a  man  ever  stood  up  and  endeavored  to  demonstrate 
that  the  Tract  Society  is  wrong  ?  Who  says  our  positive  teaching 
of  doctrine  is  false  ?  What  charges  are  there  of  vicious  principles 
or  vicious  practices  ?  But  when  the  society  has  incorporated  the 
whole  Bible,  and  not  compromised  a  single  truth,  when  every  pub- 
lication is  breathing  of  a  Saviour,  and  every  page  seems  like  a 
feather  dropped  from  an  angel's  wing,  all  fragrant  with  the  aroma 
of  a  higher  atmosphere  and  the  sweet  resplendence  of  the  throne 
of  God,  then  if  men  complain  because  we  have  omitted  the  tenth 
pin  of  the  tabernacle,  or  a  similar  matter,  I  would  say,  Away  with 
such  people;    I  would  never  apologize  or  retract. 

"  When  a  man  comes  and  says  this  work  cannot  be  Christianity, 
because  it  puts  a  little  '  a  '  for  a  capital '  A  ';  it  cannot  be  Christianity 
because  it  has  lost  one  word  out  of  the  title  page,  I  would  deal 
with  him  as  a  trifler  and  treat  him  as  such.  It  is  too  late  to  apolo- 
gize. We  have  tried  for  thirty  years  to  preach  the  gospel;  let  it 
be  shown  that  we  have  not  preached  the  gospel  and  we  will  retract. 
As  an  officer  of  the  society  I  will  never  consent  to  concede  its  great 
national  basis  for  any  sectional  or  local  one.  Southern  or  north- 
ern, eastern  or  western,  occasional  or  permanent,  wherever  it  majf 
be,  or  affecting  however  it  may  any  particular  interest  of  any  part 
of  this  great  community,  I  will  make  no  concessions." 

This  speech  drew  upon  him  an  attack,  which  is  notable  from  the 
fact  that  his  reply  is  one  of  the  very  few  instances  in  which  he  ever 
defended  himself. 

"  I  am  obliged  to  you,"  he  writes  to  the  editor  of  the  JReligiouS 


Public  Addresses,  307 

Herald,  "  for  the  paper  of  the  24th  sent  me,  and  also  for  the  notice 
of  myself  in  it.  It  is  a  fixed  rule  and  habit  of  my  life  never  to 
vindicate  my  own  course  or  character  from  personal  animadver- 
sion, partly  because  I  am  really  conscious  that  on  the  whole  I  am 
more  generally  overestimated  than  undervalued  by  criticism  which 
I  read  concerning  myself,  and  partly  because  I  really  find  myself 
most  generally  agreeing  in  opinion  with  those  who  appear  to  think 
the  least  of  me.  This  is  my  present  position.  I  quite  concur  with 
you  in  your  estimate  of  my  address  at  the  last  anniversary  of  the 
Tract  Society,  and  deem  it  to  have  been  a  very  weak  and  unworthy 
performance.  But  I  wish  to  correct  two  suppositions  in  your 
notice  which  involve  the  character  of  others. 

"  First:  the  society  had  no  responsibility'^  for  a  word  uttered  by 
me,  nor  was  I  '  charged  with  any  unpleasant  duty  by  them.'  Some 
of  their  expected  speakers  failed,  and  I  was  asked,  very  unexpect- 
edly, to  take  their  place.  I  did  it  hastily,  and  whatever  were  the 
faults  of  my  efibrt,  no  member  of  the  society  had  any  responsibility 
for  them,  nor  gave  me  any  other  request  than  to  speak  in  some  way 
of  the  periodical  press,  which  I  tried  to  do. 

"  Second:  In  the  offensive  expressions  which  you  quote,  and 
which  you  very  justly  censure,  I  had  no  reference  in  my  mind 
whatever  to  the  persons  or  to  the  class  to  whom  you  have  applied 
them.  I  had  just  been  engaged  in  a  defence  of  the  society  against 
a  very  different  class  of  assailants,  and  on  very  difterent  grounds, 
and  this  controversy  gave  a  shape  to  my  remarks,  which,  after  all, 
was,  as  you  say,  to  be  regretted.  And  I  quite  agree  with  you  in 
the  gratification  that  '  there  was  scarcely  anybody  there  to  hear 
it.'  But  I  hope  I  shall  be  believed  by  you  when  I  assure  you 
nothing  could  induce  me  '  wantonly  to  insult  any  Christian  brother,' 
and  far  less  the  venerated  and  excellent  brethren  to  whom  vou 
have  referred.  May  I  ask  you  the.  favor  of  an  insertion  of  this  in 
your  next  paper  ?  Stephen  H.  Ty2s'g. 

New  York,  May  25th,  1855. 

Quoting  and  commenting  upon  this  letter.  The  Independent  re- 
marked: "This  manly  explanation  will  heighten  the  respect  of 
every  reader  for  the  Christian  character  of  Dr.  Tyng,"  and  the 
Rclif/ious  Herald,  to  which  it  was  written,  said: 

'•Those  then  wlio  have  exulted  in  the  idea  that  Dr.  Tyng  be- 
stowed a  scourging  upon  the  anti-slavery  censors  of  the  Tract  So- 
ciety, will  please  to  repent  of  their  inalicioua  joy  and  believe  tliat  he 
was  too  much  of  a  gentleman  and  a  Christian  to  do  any  such  tiling." 


3o8  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Tract  Society,  in  May,  1856,  it 
was  known  that  a  strong  effort  to  change  the  management  of  the 
society  would  be  made  by  those  who  wished  it  to  take  a  more  de- 
cided anti-slavery  stand.  In  this,  as  has  been  said,  Dr.  Tyng  did 
not  concur,  and  he  was  Tehemently  attacked  at  the  meeting  for  a 
notice  which  he  had  given  on  the  Sunday  preceding  this  annual 
election.  His  whole  course  in  his  defence  presents  an  important 
view  of  his  character  in  circumstances  of  great  aggravation. 
Speaking  in  reply  to  the  charge  which  had  been  made,  he  said: 

"  Mr.  President,  I  need  affect  no  modesty,  sir,  when  an  assault 
so  personal,  so  undignified,  so  violent,  and  so  irrelevant  is  made 
upon  my  personal,  official  and  social  character  and  relation.  A 
gentleman  has  chosen  to  refer  to  me  personally  as  the  author  of  an 
incendiary  announcement  from  a  sacred  place  called  a  pulpit,  or 
some  ather  sacred  place.  The  effect  of  the  announcement  he  de- 
clares to  have  been  the  charging  of  himself,  perhaps  alone,  per- 
haps with  others,  as  a  '  disguised  enemy  of  the  Tract  Society.' 

"  Sir,  I  proclaim  in  the  face  of  this  whole  meeting,  that  never 
upon  any  occasion,  public  or  private,  civil  or  social,  have  I  used 
such  an  expression  with  reference  to  that  gentleman,  nor  in  refer- 
ence to  any  other  gentleman  whom  I  suppose  to  be  represented  by 
him,  in  the  exceedingly  improper  assault  he  has  made  upon  my 
personal  course,  character  and  station.  I  did,  sir,  openly  declare 
to  the  members  of  a  congregation,  who  are  contributing  between 
three  and  four  thousand  dollars  annually  to  the  support  of  the 
American  Tract  Society,  that  in  consequence — I  now  repeat  the 
expression  as  near  as  memory  serves  me,  and  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
shall  give  me  utterance — in  consequence  of  publications  appearing 
to  bear  altogether  the  persecuting  and  unrighteous  character  of 
assaults  upon  the  action  and  agencies  of  the  American  Tract 
Society,  I  stepped  out  of  my  usual  course  to  request  the  personal 
attendance  of  persons  in  that  congregation,  who  had  contributed 
twenty  dollars  and  ujDwards  as  life  members,  or  fifty  dollars  and 
upwards  as  life  directors  of  the  society.  I  gave  an  honest  notice, 
sir;  I  gave  a  gentlemanly  notice,  sir;  I  gave  a  notice  which  became 
my  position,  and  a  notice  by  which  I  am  perfectly  ready  to  stand 
in  the  midst  of  a  community  who  know  me,  and  upon  whose  re- 
spect and  confidence  I  throw  myself,  without  the  slightest  reserve 
or  hesitation.  I  ask  no  response.  I  feel  perfectly  able  to  defend 
and  protect  myself.  I  do  not  this  day,  sir,  charge  that  gentle- 
man —  with  whom  I  have  no  personal  acquaintance  —  I  do  not 
charge  that  gentleman  as  '  a  disguised  enemy  of  the  Tract  Society.' 


Pitblic  Addresses.  309 

I  do  not  charge  him  as  disguising  anything.  I  do  not  believe  that 
such  a  man  will  stoop  to  disguise  himself  in  any  pursuit  I  will 
never  descend  even  to  mingle  in  a  warfare  with  weapons,  the  use 
of  which  he  has  set  me  here  the  improper  example.  I  revere  his 
character,  I  honor  his  ministr}',  I  applaud  his  high  position,  I  have 
truly  respected  the  fidehty  with  which  in  his  whole  life  he  has 
appeared  in  the  midst  of  the  churches  of  this  land.  I  respect  him 
now.  Nothing  has  been  said  at  this  time  which  in  the  slightest 
degree  affects  or  shall  affect  the  fraternal  and  affectionate  confidence 
with  which  I  will  regard  and  cherish  his  reputation  and  influence. 

"  I  spoke  to  my  congregation  of  public  assaults  that  were  made 
in  public  papers,  assaults  that  I  denominated  persecuting;  assaults 
that  I  denominated  unrighteous;  they  were  the  words  which  1 
used.  Before  any  gentleman  is  called  to  hold  himself  responsible 
for  a  mere  newspaper  paragraj^h,  written,  it  may  be,  from  memory, 
or  by  some  uninformed  reporter,  and  that,  sir,  by  a  gentleman  not 
unfamiliar  with  the  press,  its  errors,  its  possible  mistakes  and  fre- 
quent misapprehensions — I  hold,  sir,  that  a  gentleman  so  arranged, 
so  constituted,  and  so  related,  ought  to  hold  himself  aloof  and 
superior  to  the  possibility  of  being  entrapped  by  the  errors,  sir,  of 
the  printer's  devil,  into  that  which  the  world  will  interpret  to  be 
the  work  of  the  far  higher  agent  of  evil  himself." 

When  at  this  time  a  committee  of  fifteen  was  appointed  to 
inquire  into  and  review  the  proceedings  of  the  Executive  Commit- 
tee and  report  what  course  the  society  should  pursue,  Dr.  TjTig 
earnestly  opposed  the  proposition,  arguing  that  it  implied  a  lack 
of  confidence  in  the  Executive  Committee,  and  it  was  due  in  no 
small  degree  to  his  argument  that  a  disavowal  was  made  of  such 
intention. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1857,  the  committee  made  a  report 
which  marked  the  line  of  discrimination  in  what  the  society, 
according  to  its  constitution,  should  publish.  This  report  was 
unanimously  adopted,  and,  in  reference  to  slavery,  provided  that 
'*  the  political  asj^ects  of  slavery  were  entirely  witliout  the  proper 
sphere  of  the  society,"  "but  that  those  moral  duties  which  grow  out 
of  the  existence  of  slavery,  as  well  as  those  moral  evils  which  it  is 
known  to  promote  and  which  are  condemned  in  Scripture,  undoubt- 
edly do  fall  within  the  province  of  the  society,  and  can  and  ought  to 
be  discussed  in  a  fraternal  spirit." 

However  oj)poscd  to  the  appointment  of  the  committee.  Dr. 
Tyng  thoroughly  approved  its  conclusions,  and,  in  speaking  for  the 
society  at  its  next  anniversary,  said: 


31  o  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D,D» 

*'  It  was  not  his  good  fortune  to  be  present  at  the  anniversary 
of  1857.  The  society  at  that  meeting  laid  a  foundation  broad  and 
deep,  and  agreed  to  stand  upon  it,  with  a  remarkable  and  surpris- 
ing unanimity. 

"  The  resolutions  then  passed,  he  had  read  over  and  over  again, 
and  he  pronounced  them  to  be  a  perfectly  unexampled  instance  oi 
calm,  moderate,  conservative  and  righteous  jurisdiction  in  the 
premises  involved.  It  was  not  a  temporary  or  local  issue.  It  was 
not  a  question  of  slavery  or  anti-slavery.  It  was  simply  the 
question  whether  the  great  principles  of  the  American  Tract 
Society  should  have  a  local  or  universal  application.  Who  could 
say  that  this  society  ought  not  to  testify  against  vices  growing  out 
of  certain  circumstances.  We  do  not  touch  the  rights  of  any  slave- 
holder ;  we  do  not  interfere  with  him  where  we  have  no  right  to 
interfere  ;  we  wish  only  to  publish  against  the  immoralities  and 
vices  which  slave-holding  is  known  to  promote  ;  we  ask  that  thou- 
ands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  faithful  parents  and  masters  at  the 
South,  who  are  longing  to  have  the  means  and  opportunity  of 
direct  personal  influence  for  good  upon  then-  families,  shall  be  per- 
mitted to  have  them.  The  question  is  a  question  of  the  mainte- 
nance of  the  fundamental  principles  of  the  Tract  Society.  Our 
hearts  are  pressed  upon  the  line  of  duty  in  this  conviction." 

He  concluded  by  offering  a  resolution  affirming  those  of  the 
previous  year  and  instructing  the  management  to  carry  them  into 

effect. 

After  a  long  and  excited  discussion,  the  failure  of  the  manage- 
ment to  take  any  action  was,  however,  ariproved  and  the  publications 
of  the  society  remained  silent  upon  the  subject. 

In  the  following  year  (1859)  the  subject  was  again  brought 
forward,  but  an  effort  to  suppress  any  discussion  or  any  instruction 
of  the  Publishing  Committee  was  successfully  accomplished.  So 
great  was  the  influence  of  those  who  feared  any  action  which  might 
offend  the  slave-power,  that  a  resolution  condemning  the  slave- 
trade  was  defeated,  though  subsequently  adopted,  in  a  qualified 
form,  expressing  dissent  from  any  approval  of  that  trade. 

When  the  determination  of  the  society  became  so  manifest,  Dr. 
Tyng  and  others  like-minded,  withdrew,  and  transferred  their  sup- 
port to  the  American  Tract  Society  of  Boston,  with  which  he  was 
thenceforth  identified  for  several  years.  This  society,  organized  in 
1814  as  the  New  England  Tract  Society,  changed  its  name  in  1823 
to  the  American  Tract  Society  of  Boston,  and  in  1825,  when  the 
American   Tract  Society  was   founded  In  New  York,  agreed  to   co- 


Public  Addresses,  311 

operate,  thouglinotto  combine,  with  it.  It  now  became  again  inde- 
pendent, and  the  refuge  of  those  who  could  no  longer  unite  in  the 
action  of  the  New  York  Society. 

Dr.  Tyng  entered  enthusiastically  into  the  cause,  which  was  thus 
established.  His  speech  in  its  behalf  at  the  Church  of  the  Puri- 
tans on  the  10th  of  May,  I860,*  brings  out  in  bold  rehef  many  strik- 
ing points  of  his  character,  and  presents  in  more  detail  some  of  the 
questions  involved  in  the  controversy  which  has  thus  been  sketched. 

Subsequent  to  this  time  the  spirit  of  the  May  meetings  gradu- 
ally declined.  The  permanence  and  power  of  the  institutions  in 
whose  behalf  they  were  held  had  become  firmly  established.  In  the 
next  few  years  other  subjects  absorbed  the  attention  of  the  people, 
other  objects  arose  to  make  for  a  time  superior  claims  to  their 
interest,  and  though  the  work  of  the  societies  continued  with  unin- 
terrupted success,  graver  questions  pressed  for  public  discussion. 

Through  every  year  that  followed,  however.  Dr.  Tyng  continued 
unfailing  in  his  support  and  unceasing  in  his  interest,  and  even  to 
the  last  years  of  his  ministry  was  their  consistent  and  abiding  friend. 

In  his  fidelity  to  their  cause  he  met  frequent  opposition,  and,  as 
has  been  already  mentioned,  not  a  little  abuse,  but  he  was  as  unde- 
terred by  any  remonstrances  as  unmoved  by  any  objections.  The 
following,  an  editorial  from  T)ie  Churchman,  may  not  inaptly  be 
quoted  as  in  fair  degree  an  expression  of  the  sentiment  of  many 
whom  that  paper  represented: 

"  Clerical  Contempt  of  Lent. 

"  The  insincerity  of  the  ultra-Protestant  school  of  our  clergy  as 
respects  even  so  solemn  a  season  of  this  Chui'ch  as  Lent,  is  receiv- 
ing a  signal  illustration  here  just  now. 

*'  The  city  is  placarded  with  advertisements  of  a  grand  *  Com- 
plimentary Entertainment,'  of  a  most  attractive  character,  at  Niblo's 
Saloon,  in  honor  of  some  great  zealot  of  temperance,  at  which  the 
world  is  tempted  to  go  and  revel  by  the  promise  of  *  well-spread 
tables,  sweet  music,  and  rich  speaking  from  Rev.  Dr.  Tyng,'  the 
said  reverend  doctor  being,  as  one  of  her  ordained  ministers,  sworn 
to  regard  the  injunction  of  a  Church  which  directs  the  said  season 
of  Lent  to  be  kept  as  a  solemn  fast, — that  is,  from  all  such  carnal 
distractions,  especially  as  *  well-spread  tablesand  sweet  music,*  aye, 
and  such  '  rich  speakinj^,'  too,  as  Dr.  Tyng  on  such  occasions  is  ad- 
dicted to, — in  the  words  of  the  prayer,  which  it  is  the  reverend  doc- 

*  Appendix  IV. 


312  Rev,  Stephen  Higgi7ison    Tyng,  D.D. 

tor's  duty  to  offer  up  in  his  church  every  day  this  week,  '  by  using 
such  abstinence,  our  flesh  being  subdued  to  the  Spirit,  we  may  ever 
obey  God's  holy  motions  in  righteousness  and  true  holiness.* 
Wliat  can  the  Church,  what  can  t-he  world  think  of  such  dupHcity 
and  charlatanry  as  this  ?  Can  one  much  wonder  at  earnest,  over- 
sensitive minds  being  driven  to  Eome  ?  Has  our  Church  no 
remedy  for  so  pernicious  an  outrage." 

Long  accustomed  as  he  had  been  to  such  criticism  and  to  every 
species  of  objection  to  these  union  societies,  he  viewed  as  of  es- 
pecial importance  an  attack  upon  the  princiiDles  and  methods  of  the 
American  Sunday  School  Union,  which  appeared  in  April,  1855,  in 
the  columns  of  TM  Episuopal  Recorder.  Though  this  communication 
bore  the  signature  "  A.,"  its  author  was  subsequently  acknowledged 
fco  be  the  Bishop  of  Pennsylvania.  Such  an  authority  added  great 
weight  to  the  pleas  which  the  communication  contained,  and  Dr.  Tyng 
?.t  once  made  a  vigorous  reply  in  the  Union's  defence.  To  avoid  all 
appearance  of  responsibility  in  other  persons,  however  he  published 
this  answer  in  an  independent  pamphlet,  which  also  contained  the 
orip^inal  communication  and  the  favorable  comments  upon  it  by 
The  Banner  of  the  Cross,  a  Church  paper  published  in  Philadelphia. 
Thus  the  case  was  fully  presented.  In  the  force  of  its  argument, 
his  reply  was  unanswerable  and  a  final  disposition  of  the  objections 
urged. 

The  following  extracts  from  it  will  exhibit  the  strength  of  his 
position  as  well  as  the  character  of  the  charges  which  were  made, 
and  it  may  fitly  conclude  this  review  of  his  labors  in  the  cause  of 
Christian  fellowship  and  united  Christian  labors: 

"  After  having  been  for  so  many  years,"  he  wrote,  "  associated 
with  Bedell  and  Milnor  and  others  of  most  respected  kindred 
brethren  among  the  dead  and  the  living,  who  have  personally  and 
affectionately  maintained  this  institution  and  the  principles  of  union 
involved  in  it;  after  having  on  more  than  thirty  public  occasions 
urged  its  claims  upon  others,  in  addresses  on  its  behalf,  it  appears 
to  me  my  right  and  duty  to  defend  my  own  course  and  that  of  my 
brethren  who  have  been  united  with  me  in  this  work,  which  we  have 
believed  to  be  the  work  of  God,  from  the  difficulties  and  objections 
which  '  A. '  has  arrayed  against  us. 

"  The  article  referred  to  presents  the  two  distinct  parts  of 
direct  objections  to  the  organization  and  the  management  of  the 
American  Sunday  School  Union  and  of  practical  censure  upon  those 
Episcopalians  who  still  unite  in  it.  I  am  greatly  delighted  that  in 
setting  out  upon  his  array  of  objections  against  the  American  Sun- 


Public .  Addresses,  313 

daj  School  Union, '  A.'  particular!}^  concedes  the  general  principle^of 
desirable  and  practicable  union  among  Christians,  so  far  at  least  as 
the  circulation  of  the  Holy  Scriptures   is   concerned.     ,     .     o     .     . 

"  We  will  hereafter,  therefore,  consider  it  as  a  question  now  con- 
ceded and  settled,  that  *  ilie  union  of  Christians  of  various  natnes,  in 
circulating  tlie  Scriptures,  is  one  tvhich,  under  proper  restrictions,  seerns 
liable  to  no  objections j  except  from  those  who  deny  that  the  Bible  is  the 
rule  of  faith.'  To  this  '  union  of  Christians  of  various  names,'  there 
is  therefore  in  itself  no  objection.  In  regard  to  the  general  theory 
of  organization  upon  which  such  societies  are  founded,  the  warfare 
now  has  ceased,  and  all  questions  are  now  to  be  considered  as  spe^ 
cific,  and  in  sole  reference  to  the  particular  and  selected  objects  for 
which  such  *  union  of  Christians  of  various  names '  may  be  formed. 
This  is  a  very  important  and  satisfactory  clearing  of  the  ground. 
It  leaves  for  our  consideration  the  single  question:  Is  the  American 
Sunday  School  Union  such  an  '  union  of  Christians  of  various 
names,'  and  for  such  a  specific  object,  as  Episcopalians  may  justly 
approve  and  adopt  ? 

"  'A.'  denies  this  in  very  decided  terms  and  upon  several  grounds 
of  objection.  He  denies  indeed  at  the  outset  the  possibility  of  such 
an  union  for  *  missionary  labor ^  or  in  the  Christian  training  and  nurture 
of  tJie  young.'  Or  at  any  rate,  he  thinks  that  here  we  encounter  diffi- 
culties of  which  '  they  only  will  speak  contemptuously  ivlu)  Imve  not  consid- 
ered  them.'  It  is  undoubted  that  we  have  encountered  difficulties, 
of  which  I  at  least  have  no  disposition  to  speak  contemptuously. 
But  certainly  the  chief  difficulty  of  all,  is  in  the  separating  and 
hostile  spirit  which  we  meet  in  many  whom  we  would  gladly  com- 
prehend in  such  an  union The  objections  constantly 

urged  to  such  unions,  are,  as  in  the  article  of  'A.,'  not  to  the  positive 
objects  for  which  they  are  organized,  but  from  other  objects  and 
ends  which  are  not  included,  and  which  are  supposed  therefore  to 
be  imj^roperly  and  needlessly  sacrificed. 

"  *  A.'  says,  *In  point  of  fact  no  such  union  exists.  The  Ameri- 
can Sunday  School  Union  is  a  union  of  all  Christians  only  in  name.* 
With  neither  of  these  assertions  can  I  at  all  agree.  *  The  union  of 
Christians  of  various  names,*  for  any  sj^ecified  object,  is  simply  au 
union  of  individuals  who  agree  in  that  object,  and  in  the  terms 
wliith  are  proposed  for  its  accomplishment.  It  is  a  simple  obedi- 
ence to  the  Apostle's  precept:  'Whereto  we  have  already  attained, 
let  us  walk  by  the  same  rule,  let  us  mind  the  same  thing.'  These 
individual  Christians  '  have  attained  '  the  same  mind  and  the  same 
jutlgmeut  in  reference  to  the  particular  object  which  is  proposed 


314  Rev*  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

for  their  consideration  and  action  in  this  specified  union,  and  they 
agree  to  act  together  in  its  accomplishment. 

"  The  American  Sunday  School  Union  does  not  profess  to  be  *  an 
union  of  all  Christians/  but  of  those  only  who  agree  in  the  object 
which  it  proposes,  and  in  the  way  which  they  have  adopted  for  the 
attainment  of  this  object.  In  such  an  union  there  is  no  possible 
exclusion  of  any.  It  is  a  previous  agreement  of  separate  individuals 
to  unite  on  certain  terms  for  a  specific  object;  of  course  those  only 
who  agree  in  this  object  on  these  terms  can  be  included  All  vol- 
untary societies  are  necessarily  eclectic  in  their  com23rehension3  and 
must  exclude  those  who  do  not  agree  in  their  proposed  purposes 
and  plans. 

"  When  *  A.'  passes  from  a  consideration  of  the  membership 
of  the  American  Sunday  School  Union,  to  review  its  actual  organi- 
zation and  the  administration  of  its  affairs,  he  arrays  objections 
which  at  least  give  us  this  one  consolation,  that  he  has  exhausted 
the  fountain  of  difficulties,  and  permits  only  the  complaint  to  be 
made  of  him  which  was  formerly  made  of  the  sermons  of  Dr.  Bar- 
row,— that  he  left  nothing  to  be  said  by  those  who  came  after  him. 

"  Under  this  category  he  says,  first,  that  '  its  operations  arc  such 
that  even  of  the  churches  ivhich  its  members  represent  a  large  proportion  of 
the  ministers  and  people  in  each  decline  to  participate  '  This  is  undoubt- 
edly true.  This  is  the  very  history  of  the  voluntary  ^  exclusion  of 
themselves  by  objecting  persons  of  which  I  havo  already  spoken. 
.  .  .  Certainly  *  A.'  may  say:  *I  object  to  these  operations,  and 
therefore  I  withdraw,'  but  it  would  be  very  absurd  for  *  A.'  to  say. 
'I  object  to  these  operations,  and  therefore  you  ought  to  with- 
draw,* or,  '  I  object  to  these  operations,  and  therefore  you  cannot 
really  be  united  in  them."  And  it  would  be  still  more  unworthy  of 
the  independent  judgment  of  'A.'  to  say  :  '  A  great  proportion  of 
ministers  and  people  decline  to  participate  in  these  operations,  and 
therefore  I  am  bound  to  withdraw.'  *  A.'s  personal  objections  to 
the  operations  may  be  something.  But  the  allegation  of  the  fact, 
that  he  knows  a  great  many  other  people  who  also  object,  ought  to 
be,  to  a  wise  mind  like  his,  certainly  nothing  at  all. 

"  *  A.'  next  argues  that  '  no  clergyman  holds  a  place  hi  the  adminis- 
tration of  its  affairs  except  as  a  subordinate  agent ^  '  and  then,  that  '  in  its 
teaching  only  so  much  of  Christian  doctrine  is  permitted  to  appear  as  twelve 
laymen,  who  constitute  the  publishing  committee,  shall  unanimously  judge 
to  be  Evangelical  on  the  one  side,  or  expedient  on  the  other. '    • 

"These  may  be  reasonable  objections  against  uniting  in  the 
American  Sunday  School  Union  to  those  who,  in  their  estimate  of 


Public  Addresses,  31 5 

such  facts,  find  them  to  be  great  dijQficulties  to  be  encountered. 
But  surely  they  are  very  strange  and  entirely  empty  arguments 
against  the  *'  catholicity  or  the  '  comprehensive '  character  of  this 
union  in  itself.  And  yet '  A.'  does  not  hesitate  in  the  bold  asser- 
tion *  Such  facts  refute  most  conclusively  all  claims  to  catholicity. 
The  American  Sunday  School  Union  is  comprehensive  neither  in 
respect  to  membership,  administration  nor  teaching.'     .... 

"  The  merits  of  the  objection  that  *  no  clergyman  holds  place  in 
the  administration  of  its  affairs,'  have  been  always  worthy  of  con- 
sideration. I  have  often  heard  it  discussed,  and  have  thought  of 
it  not  a  little.  But  1  have  found  no  personal  difficulty  in  an  union 
with  this  association  upon  the  terms  in  which  this  fact  is  included. 
Nor  shall  I  feel  any  more  difficulty  if  the  ground  of  such  an  objection 
were  removed.  And  the  objection  to  uniting  in  an  association 
because  certain  of  its  offices,  whose  duties,  and  labors  and  calcula- 
tions are  peculiarly  appropriate  to  laymen,  must  be  helc!  by  laymen, 
would  seem  to  me,  so  far  from  presenting  a  difficulty  tc  be  encoun- 
tered, that  I  should  only  rejoice  in  the  fact  that  Christian  laymen 
were  willing  to  give  their  time,  and  thought  and  labor  so  freely 
to  the  work,  and  thus  to  become  in  the  most  efficient  sense  helpers 
to  the  ministry  and  laborers  in  the  husbandry  of  God.     In  the 

*  administration  of  the  affairs '  of  the  American  Sunday  School 
Union,  it  is  indispensable  that  agencies  in  the  various  departments 
of  such  an  institution  should  be  devolved  upon  selected  committees. 
And  it  would  appear  impossible  that  a  Publishing  Committee  could 
be  more  wisely  selected   than  upon  the   principle   of   appointing 

*  twelve  laymen  '  from  the  different  bodies  of  *'  Christians  of  various 
names,'  who  are  united  in  the  operation.  ...  In  the  American 
Sunday  School  Union  the  right  of  adopting  and  publishing  is  ex- 
pressly made  dependent  on  the  unanimous  agreement  of  the  com- 
mittee. No  book  can  be  published  until  they  do  all  agree.  How 
palpable  then  becomes  the  fallacy  of  *  A.'s  assertion,  that  the  '  teach- 
ing of  the  great  association  depends  on  the  judgment  of  any  one  of 
this  dozen  of  gentlemen.  Surely  the  power  to  refuse  to  teach  in 
the  shape  of  a  particular  book,  is  not  the  power  to  teach  by  the 
publication  of  books,  which  is  the  shape  of  teaching  here  described. 
Can  any  one  of  this  number  thus  teach  ? 

"  Does  not  the  teaching  jf  this  great  association  require  the 
unanimous  'judgment  of  all  of  the  twelve  *?  And  can  it  ever,  there- 
fore, *  depend  on  the  judgment  of  one  '  ? Upon  tlie 

principle  of  his  objection  there  could  be  no  *  union  of  Christians  ' 
of  any  one  name,  for  there  can  never  be  the  reposing  of  trust,  or 


3i6  Rev,   Stephen  Higginson    Ty?ig,  D.D. 

the  confiding  of  authority  to  man  without  the  commission  of  power. 
And  the  insisting  upon  absolute  security  against  such  possible 
abuse  is  to  insist  upon  abohshing  all  associations  of  men.  I  am 
ready  to  submit,  therefore,  thus  far  in  my  consideration  of  the  article 
of  'A.'  that  his  assertions  are  far  from  being  proved.  They  are 
unsusceptible  of  proof.  They  are  not  founded  upon  truth.  They 
may  be,  I  respectfully  submit,  they  have  here  been  entirely  and 
adequatel}^  disproved. 

"  From  the  first  ground  of  objection,  'A.'  proceeds  next  to  con- 
sider the  actual  teaching  of  the  union,  and  from   this  j)art  of  his 
review,  referring  to  their  silence  on  subjects  of  controversy  among 
Christians  composing  the  union,  he  derives,  as  his  final  conclusion, 
the  very  distinct  and  strange  annunciation :  'from  this  studied  silence 
Episcopalians  have  nothing  to  hope,  and  everything  to  fear.'     Any  possi- 
ble application  of  the  principle  that  silence  is  to   be  regarded  so 
pregnant  an  agency  for  evil,  and  so  fatal  a  source  of  danger,  would 
seem   to   our   general  experience   to   bear   the    aspect  of   a  new 
discovery.     What  possible  harm  any  one  can  do  to  the  Episcopal 
Church,  or  any  church,  by  saying  nothing  about  it,  it  would  be 
hard  to  conceive.     .     .     .     Poor  indeed  is  the   condition  of    the 
Episcopal   Church,  if  it  trembles  before  an  imagined  enemy,   be- 
cause in  '  studied  silence '  that  enemy  takes  no  notice  of  it.     My 
own  thirty  years'  experience  of  the  practical  and  demonstrated 
relations  of  the  American  Sunday  School  Union  to   the  Episcopal 
Church,  an  experience  which  certainly  in  this  department  has  not 
been  negative,  i^would  lead   me  in   the    most    solemn   manner  to 
reverse  precisely   the    assertion    of  'A.'    and   to    say:    'from  this 
studied  silence  Episcopalians  have  everything  to  hope  and  nothing 
to  fear.'     And  I  should  appeal,  in  the  freest  consciousness  of  truth, 
and  with  the  assurance  of  triumphant  success,   to  the  recorded 
history  of  our  Church  for  the  settlement  of  the   single   question. 
Who  have   done  more  to  extend  this  Church,  or  who  have  actually 
extended  and  established  it  more  completely  and  permanently  in 
the  fields  which  they  have  occupied  than  the   clergy  and  members 
of  the   Episcopal   Church,  who  have  been  for  these   thirty  years 
associated  with   the  American  Sunday  School  Union  ?     Let   even 
Philadelphia  alone  repty,   and  let  the  origin  and   history  of   her 
increasing  surface  of  Episcopal  influence  for  these  thirty  years  be 
examined  for  a  verdict  in  the  case  proposed.     In  actual  historical 
operation,  I   affirm  that   no  institution  has  more  constantly   and 
really    helped  the  sound  and  Evangelical  growth  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  than  the  American  Sunday  School  Union. 


Public  Addresses,  317 

"  But  let  us  analyze  the  foundation  on  which  '  A.'  builds  this 
unqualified  assertion.  In  the  principle  of  his  aggression,  he  gives 
us  now  an  illustration  of  just  that  kind  of  opposition  to  the  '  union 
of  Christians  of  various  names,'  to  which  I  have  referred.  This 
principle  is  to  object  not  to  what  the  union  does  say  and  teach,  but 
to  what  it  does  not.  .  .  .  Upon  this  particular  head  his  funda- 
mental objection  is  ^  its  teaching  is  restricted;'  'restricted  by  the  fun- 
damental terms  of  the  association.' 

"  This  is  indubitable.  The  union  is  founded  for  the  purpose  of  a 
restricted  teaching.  Its  teaching  is  to  be  restricted  to  subjects 
religiotcs,  not  secular;  scriptural^  divine,  not  human;  fimdamental,  the 
truths  of  Holy  Scripture,  in  which  its  associates  concur,  not  inci- 
dental and  subordinate  truths  in  which  they  dififer. 

"  These  are  the  fundamental  terms  of  the  association.  Doubt- 
less. The  very  creation  of  an  eclectic  association  for  any  object,  im- 
plies inevitable  restriction.  This  union  is  an  association  to  furnish 
*  teaching,'  to  Sunday  Schools,  '  restricted '  to  the  Bible  as  its  au- 
thority; to  Evangelical  religion  as  its  subject;  to  the  fundamental 
doctrines  of  man's  salvation  as  the  surface  of  its  field.  That  it  does 
this,  that  it  has  faithfully  followed  out  this  avowed  object  in  its  ad- 
ministration, *  A. '  does  not  pretend  to  deny.  He  can  not  deny  it. 
It  can  not  be  denied  with  truth.  How  strangely  then  sounds  the 
proposition  that  from  such  teaching  '  Episcopalians  have  nothing  to 
hope  and  everything  to  fear.'  Could  I  believe  such  a  proposition, 
it  would  lead  me  not  to  renounce  the  union,  the  Scriptural  character 
of  whose  teaching  could  not  be  gainsaid,  but  a  Church  whose  pros- 
perity and  welfare  could  not  abide  in  the  simple  teaching  of  the 
Scripture.  If  it  ever  came  to  the  inevitable  question,  the  Bible  or 
the  Episcopal  Church, — a  question  which  really  can  never  arise — I 
could  not  allow  myself  an  hour  of  hesitating  deliberation  in  my  own 
decision  of  it.  This  actual  unscriptural  teaching  is  what  *  A.'  was 
bound  to  show,  and  what  he  must  show  to  maintain  an}'  ground 
that  his  own  judgment  can  apj^rove.  He  must  prove  that  the  posi- 
tive teaching  of  the  union  is  unscriptural  and  false,  if  he  means  to 
try  that  teaching  by  the  Bible.  He  must  show  that  its  positive 
teaching  is  hostile  to  the  standards  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  if  he 
choose  to  examine  it  by  that  tribunal.  Or  if  he  acknowledge  that 
its  positive  teaching  is  not  anti-scriptural  and  false,  and  yet  is 
inconsistent  with  the  prosperity  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  he  must 
assume  the  strange  responsibility  of  the  assertion  that  from  teach- 
ing which  is  acknowledged  to  be  Scriptural  and  true  *  Episcopalians 
have  notliing  to  hope  and  every  thing  to  fear.*     .     .     . 


3l8  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D,D, 

"  But  what  are  the  particular  points  of  restriction  which  '  A.* 
finds  here  as  the  subject  of  his  objection?  I  answer  by  an  enumer- 
ation of  them  all,  in  his  own  arrangement.  They  are  :  *  Infant 
Baptism/  '  Succession  in  the  ministry,'  '  Calvinism,'  '  Baptism  as  a 
means  of  grace,'  '  Liturgical  worship,'  '  Church  catechetical  train- 
ing,' '  Confirmation,'  '  Episcopacy,'  '  Commemorative  festivals  in  the 
Church  of  Christ.'  These  are  the  subjects  on  which  '  they  (the 
American  Sunday  School  Union)  are  mute^ — on  which  they  can  not  speak 
favorably  ;  they  can  not  speak  unfavorably^  And,  '  from  this  studied 
silence,  Episcopalians  have  nothing  to  hope  and  everything  to 
fear.'  These  are  all  the  subjects  which  '  A='  alleges  as  illustra- 
tions of  this  fatal  reserve.  Is  it  possible?  And  these  are  the 
*  articuli  stantis  aut  cadentis  Ecclesice  !  '  And  these  are  the  points 
upon  which  '  reserve  '  is  so  fatal  and  destructive  to  the  Episcopal 
Church.  I  am  ashamed  of  such  an  exhibition  of  the  character  of  my 
Church;  that  Church  which  is  founded  with  apostles  and  prophets 
upon  the  doctrine,  of  which  Jesus  Christ  Himself  is  the  chief  cor- 
ner-stone ;  that  Church  which  has  been  from  my  birth  '  my  own 
friend,'  and  in  all  generations  past  *  my  father's  friend,'  and  which 
never  '  will  I  forsake.' 

"  That  Church  depends  neither  upon  speech  nor  silence  on  any 
or  all  of  the  subjects  thus  reserved.  Her  glory  is  higher,  her  foun- 
dations are  deeper,  her  life  is  more  real,  and  her  prosperity  more 
secured  and  permanent  than  to  be  touched  by  the  '  studied  silence ' 
of  any  man  or  combination  of  men,  in  regard  to  any  or  all  of  these 
restricted  points.  Some  of  these  points  are  the  subject  of  as  much 
difference  of  opinion,  and  of  as  much  reserve  and  '  studied  silence  ' 
within  the  limits  of  the  Episcopal  Church  itself,  as  in  the  Publish- 
ing Committee  of  the  American  Sunday  School  Union.  And  if 
none  of  them  were  ever  mentioned  in  a  single  Episcopal  pulpit  or 
Sunday  School,  the  permanent  growth  and  prosperity  of  this 
Church  would  not  by  that  omission  be  injured,  or  Episcopalians 
have  anything  less  to  hope  or  anything  more  to  fear.  These  are 
not  the  things  which  save  or  which  defile  a  man. 

"Could  'A.'  have  found  'reserve'  in  the  publications  of  the 
American  Sunday  School  Union  upon  the  Trinity  of  God;  the 
Saviour's  deity,  or  atonement  for  sin;  the  work  and  influence  of 
the  Holy  Ghost;  the  fall  and  corruption  of  man,  the  need  and  the 
accomplishment  of  his  redemption  and  conversion;  the  justification 
of  his  soul  by  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  the  glories  of  his 
future  salvation,  and  the  dangers  of  his  eternal  condemnation  in  sin, 
well  might  he  have  sounded  the  alarm  '  from  this  studied   silence 


Public  Addresses.  319 

Episcopalians  have  nothing  to  hope  and  every  thing  to  fear.'  But 
he  will  search  in  vain  for  any  restrictions  or  reserve  on  points  like 
these.  In  all  these  great  doctrines,  and  in  their  great  kindred  and 
accordant  truths,  this  '  Society  tliat  takes  care  of  children  faithfuUv  leads 
the  lambs  of  the  flock  to  the  green  pastures  of  the  gospel,  and  the 
waters  of  salvation.  In  the  siraple  and  constant  teaching  of  such 
fundamental  and  saving  truths,  they  utter  to  the  flock  a  clear  and 
certain  sound,  which  none  can  fail  to  understand,  and  which  multi- 
tudes are  led  to  follow.  It  is  for  these  truths'  sake,  the  very  life 
and  being    of  the    Episcopal    Church  and  of  every  true  Church, 

truths,    which    this   union  so  faithfully   and   constantly  teaches, 

t»'uths  to  which  the  Union  restricts  its  teaching,  but  which  in  them- 
selves it  never  reserves  or  conceals, — it  is  for  the  sake  of  these,  from 
which  '  Ej^iscopalians  have  every  thing  to  hope  and  nothing  to  fear,' 
that  we  have  so  long  and  so  cordially  loved  and  supported  the 
American  Sunday  School  Union.  And  with  all  these  positive  truths 
before  him,  taught  in  all  the  publications  of  the  Union,  and  held  in 
no  reserve;  how  is  it  possible  that  a  writer  like  'A.' should  have 
been  willing  to  exalt  a  list  of  secondary  and  comparatively  unim- 
portant doctrines  to  a  level  with  these,  as  if  they  were  of  compara- 
ble importance  or  worth  ? 

"Does  'A.'  believe  that  a  single  one  of  his  Hst  of  doctrines 
reserved  is  essential  to  the  salvation  of  a  single  soul  ?  Does  he 
deny  or  doubt  that  the  great  and  glorious  truths  which  the  Union 
does  constantly  teach,  are  adequate  or  indispensable  or  essential 
to  the  salvation  of  the  souls  of  men  ?  How,  tlien,  can  he  bring  the 
authority  of  his  name  and  influence  thus  to  confound  that  which 
is  justly  questionable  and  merely  incidental,  with  that  which  is 
vital  and  indisputable  in  the  great  subject  of  religious  teaching. 
How  can  he  thus  denounce  a  society  to  the  i:)rejudices  of  Episco- 
palians, the  whole  of  whose  publications  he  will  acknowledge  to 
be  pure  from  error,  and  filled  with  the  glorious  doctrine  of  our 
great  salvation  ?  He  thus  accomplishes  two  evils,  in  neither  of 
which  will  he  ultimately  justify  himself.  The  one  is,  undermining 
in  the  minds  of  others  the  influence  and  value  of  great  truths, 
upon  which  alone  his  own  soul  is  resting  all  its  hopes.  The  other 
is  exciting  and  protecting  in  these  minds  prejudices  and  feelings 
of  hostility,  which  it  is  impossible  his  calm  judgment  should  finally 
approve  Nor  do  I  believe  that  *  A.'  would  hesitate  for  one  moment 
in  the  expression  of  his  sincere  desire,  that  his  own  children  might 
be  led  to  embrace  the  truths  which  this  union  teaches;  or  that  he 
would  withhold  the  joy  of  his  heart  when  ho  saw  those  truths  thus 


320  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Ty?zg,  D.D. 

embraced  and  loved  by  those  most  dear  to  liim;  though  not  a  sin- 
gle one  of  the  doctrines  of  his  reserved  list  had  been  studied,  or 
was  mentioned,  or  regarded  as  connected  with  them. 

"  And  in  the  review  of  all  the  peculiar  objections  which  he  has 
thus  made  in  detail  to  *  the  restrictions '  of  the  Union,  to  the  mode 
of  their  arrangement,  and  to  the  points  of  doctrine,  which  by  their 
operation  are  *  reserved,'  I  have  only  to  say  that  so  far  from  their 
being  '  difficulties  to  be  encountered '  by  me,  they  are  the  very 
things  for  which  I  love  the  American  Sunday  School  Union  and  do 
still  labor  for,  and  desire,  its  promotion.  Nor  has  one  '  difficulty,' 
as  he  calls  them,  which  *  A.'  has  urged,  appeared  before  me  with  any 
novelty  in  its  aspect,  with  any  force  of  truth  in  itself,  with  any 
convincing  power  in  the  method  of  its  arrangement  or  presenta- 
tion, or  with  any  other  probable  influence  on  the  minds  of  others 
than  that  which  the  exalted  name  and  character  of  the  declared 
writer  are  adapted  to  impart,  or  the  uninquiring  and  unconsidering 
minds  of  many  of  his  readers  are  likely  to  lead  them,  from  such 
an  authority,  too  willingly  to  receive. 

"  In  following  '  A.'  through  a  consideration  of  the  actual  relation 
of  the  American  Sunday  School  Union  to  the  Episcopal  Church, 
which  constitutes  the  third  part  of  his  communication,  I  would  first 
of  all  transcribe  with  much  pleasure  his  valuable  description  of 
Christian  Unity :  '  It  is  not  through  a  factitious  uniformity  of  opin- 
ion that  we  are  to  bring  about  a  real  unity  among  Christians.  A 
thorough  uniformity  of  doctrine  on  all  points  is  simply  unattaina- 
ble. If  we  would  have  the  uniti/  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace,  we 
must  not  only  tolerate  opinions  different  from  our  own;  we  must 
honor  and  love  those  who  maintain  them,  if  in  other  respects  they 
exemplify  the  Spirit  of  Christ.' 

"  I  delight  also  to  record  the  fact  that  the  Editor  of  the  Banner 
of  the  Cross  bas  cheerfully  said,  in  reference  to  this  noble  sentiment, 
'  That  response  is  all  tlmt  we  could  desire.'  Here,  I  rejoice  to  declare 
my  hearty  concurrence  with  the  brethren.  If  this  single  principle 
had  been  practically  conceded  to  us,  and  all  had  agreed  to  act  upon 
its  terms,  and  under  its  influence,  our  controversies  would  have 
been  extremely  few.  This  is  as  complete  a  definition  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  union  and  of  operation,  established  and  displayed  in  the 
American  Sunday  School  Uniou,  and  adopted  by  those  who  co- 
operate with  it,  as  could  have  been  given  to  us.  The  great  Jeremy 
Taylor,  in  his  dedication  of  his  Life  of  Christ,  says  in  a  similar  spirit, 
and  with  his  accustomed  richness  of  eloquence,  '  God  hath  de- 
scribed our  way  plain,  certain  and  determined  ;  and  although  He 


Public  Addresses.  321 

was  pleased  to  leave  us  indetermined  in  the  questions  of  exterior 
communion,  yet  He  put  it  be^^ond  all  question,  that  we  are  bound 
to  be  charitable.  He  hath  placed  the  question  of  the  state  of  sep- 
aration in  the  dark,  in  hidden  and  undiscovered  regions ,  but  He 
hath  opened  the  windows  of  heaven  and  given  great  light  to  us, 
teaching  how  we  are  to  demean  ourselves  in  the  state  of  conjunction. 
Then  he  says  of  the 'gaining  of  proselytes,'  'from  Church  to 
Church  : '  '  In  all  this,  there  is  nothing  certain,  nothing  noble  ;  but 
he  that  follows  the  work  of  God,  that  is,  labors  to  gain  souls,  not  to 
a  sect  or  a  subdivision,  but  to  the  Christian  religion,  that  is,  to  the 
faith  and  obedience  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  hath  a  jDromise  to  be  assisted 
and  rewarded  ;  and  all  those  that  go  to  heaven,  are  the  purchase 
of  such  undertakings,  the  fruit  of  such  culture  and  labors  ;  for  it  is 
only  a  holy  life  that  leads  us  there.  And  now  I  shall  not  be 
ashamed  to  say,  that  I  am  weary  and  toiled  with  rowing  up  and 
down  in  the  seas  of  questions  which  the  interests  of  Christendom 
have  commenced.  And  I  find  that  men  are  most  confident  of  those 
articles,  which  they  can  so  little  prove  that  they  never  made  ques- 
tions of  them;  but  I  am  most  certain  that  by  living  in  the  religion  and 
fear  of  God,  in  obedience  to  the  King,  in  the  charities  and  duties  of 
communion  with  my  spiritual  guides,  in  justice  and  love  with  all  the 
world  in  their  several  proportions,  I  shall  not  fail  of  that  end  which 
is  perfective  of  human  nature  and  which  will  never  be  obtained  by 
disputing.'  These  are  the  simple  principles  of  human  conduct, 
which  the  gospel  proposes  and  promotes.  And  these  are  the  prin- 
ciples upon  which  we  i)rofess  to  act,  and  strive  to  act,  in  maintain- 
ing such  religious  associations  as  the  American  Sunday  School 
Union.  It  is  not,  as  '  A.'  calls  it,  in  marked  inconsistency  with  his 
own  declared  principle  of  unity,  '  an  agreement  to  hold  only  one 
set  of  opinions  as  imj^ortant,  and  to  represent  all  others  as  unscrip- 
tural  and  insignificant  ;  to  assume  that  we  alone  know  what  scrip- 
ture teaches,  that  it  reveals  just  four  or  five  doctrines,  and  neither 
more  nor  less.'  The  Union  represents  no  opinions  as  unimportant 
either  positively  or  negatively.  It  gives  the  13ible  and  Question 
Books  upon  the  Bible  as  its  books  of  instruction.  It  '  suppresses 
notliing  which  God  has  revealed.'  All  the  doctrines  which  the 
Scriptures  contain,  be  they  '  four  or  five,'  or  ten  times  four  or  five,  it 
gives,  with  tlie  Scriptures  which  contain  them,  and  leaves  them  to  be 
•  Irawn  out  by  the  teachers  who  impart  thorn,  '  neither  compromis- 
ing nor  diluting  anything  found  in  iha  Bible.'  And  if  any  or  all  of 
the  doctrines  which  '  A.'  1ms  said  are  'reserved,'  are  to  be  found  in 
the   Bible,  the  Union  leaves  them,  and  leaves  them  to   be  taught 


32  2  Rev.  Stephen  Higginsori    Tyngy  D.D, 

from  thence  as  'A.'  or  any  other  Christian  teacher  shall  think  most 
accordant  to  the  spirit  and  language  of  the  passages  of  Scripture 
which  are  severally  studied 

"  And  precisely  at  this  point  comes  in  the  consideration  of  the 
further  objection  of  'A.',  that  'the  fundamental  conce^Dtion  of 
Christianity  in  this  scheme,  is  that  of  teaching  instead  of  training.'' 
What  more  can  an  association  of  this  kind  do  than  to  prepare  the 
material  for  teaching  ? 

"  The  training  is  not  an  abstract  provision,  but  a  living  practical 
application  of  the  means  and  instruments  of  this  provision  in  actual 
use.  This  is  a  work  which  no  society,  even  within  the  limits  of  any 
one  church,  however  sectarian  in  its  character,  can  accomplish.  It 
can  but  prepare  the  means  for  teaching.  The  responsibility  for 
training  must  always  be  left,  just  where  the  American  Sunday 
School  Union  leaves  it :  in  the  hands  of  the  living  ministry  of  the 
Church,  and  the  actual  teachers  and  conductors  of  the  School.  .  . 
Practically  and  theoretically,  and  in  great  varie- 
ties of  illustrations,  it  teaches  the  great  fundamental  doctrine  of 
the  gospel,  and  thus  lays  that  foundation  of  Scripture  truth,  of 
which  the  several  churches  who  desire  it  may  take  full  advantage, 
and  upon  which  they  may  erect  in  peaceful  structure  their  own 
separate  edifices  of  government  or  doctrine.  .  .  .  When  *  A.' 
descends,  in  this  connection,  to  prejudice  the  minds  of  his  read- 
ers, by  the  insinuation  '  that  the  selection  and  preparation  of 
works  for  the  Union  press,  is  in  the  hands  of  a  gentleman  of  great 
worth,  but  whose  antecedents,  habits  and  opinions,  all  pledge  him 
to  a  theology  little  varying  from  the  Congregational  and  Indepen- 
dent,' and  that  '  we  see  at  once  whither  the  literature  which  eman- 
ates from  such  a  press  must  tend,'  he  puts  himself  beyond  the  pale 
of  just  defence.  Not  only  does  this  become  a  broad  insinuation 
of  the  dishonesty  of  a  professedly  impartial  salaried  agent,  but 
also  one  equally  broad,  of  the  weakness  or  connivance  of  the  three 
gentlemen,  '  most  estimable  and  respectable  men,'  who  are  mem- 
bers and  representatives  of  his  own  Church  in  the  Publishing  Com- 
mittee, under  whom  this  agent  is  employed  to  act.  And  when  he 
refers  to  '  antecedents  and  habits,'  he  should  remember  that  not 
every  Koman  citizen  was  '  free  born,'  and  that  even  in  the  highest 
places  of  our  own  Episcopacy,  there  are  not  a  few  whose  '  antece- 
dents, habits  and  opinions,'  were  anything  but  Episcopal.  This 
was  an  allusion  far  from  becoming  in  a  writer  like  'A.' 

"Of  the  blessings  which  have  flowed  from  the  American 
Sunday  School  Union,  no  Church  has  more   richly  partaken  than 


Public  Addresses,  323 

the  Episcopal  Church,  and  *  the  gifts  of  the  Episcopalians'  have 
been  most  abundantly  repaid  in  the  fruits  which  we  have  gathered. 
Till  this  Union  was  established,  we  had  none  professedly  in  our 
own  Church.  It  is  not  at  all  probable  that  we  ever  should  have 
had  one  but  for  this  example.  But  alas  !  even  since  we  have  had 
what  is  called  a  '  Protestant  Episcopal  Sunday  School  Union,'  how 
perfectly  unworthy  of  our  confidence  has  it  proved  itself  to  be ! 
'  A.'  says  of  our  own  Church  :  '  There  is  the  alienation  of  brethren 
of  the  same  communion.  Some  of  them  array  themselves  in  sup- 
port of  the  Union,  others  withhold  such  support,  and  the  con- 
sequence is  seen,  as  now,  in  a  household  strife,  which  is  neither 
seemly  nor  useful.  Here  is  a  mournful  family  quarrel,  and  for 
that  quarrel  we  hold  the  American  Sunday  School  Union  in  good 
part  responsible.'  This  is  an  illustration  of  the  fable  of  the  lamb 
and  the  wolf,  to  be  sure.  Either  the  lamb  or  his  grandfather 
troubled  the  stream,  and  therefore,  at  any  rate,  he  ought  to  be 
destroyed. 

"Does  *  A.'  believe  for  one  moment  that  our  great  Evangelical 
contest  in  the  Episcopal  Church  depends  upon  mere  questions  of 
association  ?  Or  that  its  foundation  and  importance  are  in  the 
flimsy  dispute  of  a  mere  family  quarrel  ?  Suppose  we,  who  are 
called  Evangelical,  and  mean  to  call  ourselves  so,  had  been  inclined 
to  unite  in  the  '  Protestant  Episcopal  Sunday  School  Union,'  what 
chance  had  we,  from  the  very  beginning  of  its  existence,  of  an 
union  upon  any  other  ground  than  that  of  the  whole  doctrine 
against  which  we  were  contending  ?  What  offer  of  inclusion  was 
ever  made  to  us,  but  the  hold  of  a  triumphant  prison-ship  ?  That 
Union  started  upon  the  very  principles  which  we  renounced  as 
false  ;  against  which  we  had  contended  and  were  contending ; 
which  we  solemnly  believed,  and  do  still  beheve,  were  not  only 
unevangelical  but  anti-evangelical ;  which  we  considered  another 
gospel,  that  was  no  gospel,  and  could  never  adopt  but  with  the 
shipwreck  of  faith  and  a  good  conscience.  We  never  had  the  op- 
portunity of  union  upon  any  ground  that  was  in  any  sense  com- 
mon. Those  were  days  in  which  Evangelical  men  in  the  Epis- 
copal Church  were  considered  doomed  to  death,  and  were 
hardly  permitted  to  live  ;  when  one  Bishop  could  write  to 
another  concerning  them  (see  Bishop  Hobart's  Life,  Vol  1,  p.  372 
and  succeeding,  A.D.  1827) — as  '  a  party  too  unprincipled  to  be 
wrought  upon  by  fact  or  argument.  I  trust  there  will  be  firmness 
enough  in  a  majority  of  the  Bishops  to  commit  the  cause  to  God, 
by  cleaving   to  i)riuciples  at  every  hazard,  refusing  every  attempt 


324  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

at  compromise.  With  the  help  of  God,  I  shall  watch  to  keep  my 
diocese  free  from  this  infection.  Let  all  walk  by  this  rule  and  D.'s 
increasing  Evangelicals,  will  disappear  like  the  morning  dew.'  The 
mighty  are  fallen,  but  the  dew  remains  and  multiplies  upon  the 
earth.  From  the  day  of  its  establishment  to  this  day,  that  Society 
has  never  made  one  concession  of  the  boldest  High  Church  doc- 
trine. And  even  now,  after  a  pretended  revision,  which  has  left" 
behind  books  in  numbers,  that  we  can  not  with  a  clear  conscience 
give  to  our  children — books  which  I  presume  to  say  are  no  more  satis- 
factory to  '  A. '  than  they  are  to  me — the  possibility  of  our  union  on 
the  ground  which  they  propose  to  us,  is  more  distant  than  ever. 
We  can  never  sacrifice  the  gospel  of  Christ  to  a  mere  hollow  and 
insincere  union  in  an  outward  conformit}^  I  say,  then,  we  should 
have  been  left  completely  destitute  of  books  for  the  Sunday  Schools 
of  our  Evangelical  Episcopal  churches  but  for  the  American 
Sunday  School  Union. 

"  And  now  to  what  an  issue  does  'A.'  himself  conduct  us? 

"We  must  renounce  an  association,  the  positive  teaching  of 
which  is  purely  good  and  thoroughly  Evangelical,  against  which  we 
can  neither  see  nor  hear  a  single  solid  objection,  because  it  does 
not  occupy  the  ground  of  an  additional  Episcopal  teaching  which 
we  can  readily  supply  ;  and  we  must  settle  a  '  mournful  family 
quarrel,'  by  uniting  in  an  association,  the  main  current  of  whose 
positive  teaching  is  radically  corrupt,  and  whose  deficiencies  are 
the  very  gospel  which  we  need,  but  which  can  never  be  supplied 
in  conjunction  with  teaching  so  vitally  unsound 

"  And  '  A.'  wishes  me  to  settle  '  a  household  strife  which  is 
neither  seemly  nor  useful,'  by  adopting  what  I  know  to  be  dark- 
ness in  exchange  for  light,  and  selHng  my  conscience  towards  God 
for  a  temporary  expediency  with  man.  He  will  not  be  surprised  to 
hear  me  say,  this  is  impossible.  And  still  the  more  impossible  the 
older  I  grow,  the  more  my  experience  increases,  and  the  nearer 
my  account  is  at  hand.  .  .  .  As  an  Episcopalian,  I  believe  in 
the  sacred  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  feel  bound  to 
follow  their  direction.  As  a  believer  in  the  Scripture  I  feel  bound 
to  avoid  those  who  make  unnecessary  divisions  in  the  Church  of 
God,  and  whereto  I  have  already  attained  the  same  mind  with  any, 
to  walk  by  the  same  rule  and  mind  the  same  thing.  As  a  believer 
in  the  Holy  Scriptures  I  have  attained  the  same  mind  with  many  of 
my  fellow  '  Christians  of  various  names'  in  regard  to  the  import- 
ance of  their  circulation  without  note  or  comment,  and  I  therefore 
unite  with  these  in  a  fellowship  in  this  great  work.     As  an  Episco- 


Public  Addresses,  325 

palian,  I  have  attained  the  same  mind  with  many  of  my  fellow 
*  Christians  of  various  names'  in  regard  to  the  importance  of  estab- 
lishing Bibie  Sunday  Schools  and  preparing  a  purely  Scriptural 
scheme  of  books  for  the  instruction  and  the  enjoyment  of  the 
children  in  them  ;  and  seeing  no  '  difficulties  to  be  encountered,'  I 
cheerfully  unite  with  them  in  this  important  work.  They  do  not 
ask  me  to  sacrifice  a  single  principle  of  truth  that  I  hold,  for  the 
sake  of  this  Union,  or  even  to  concede  the  most  decided  expression 
of  my  Church  peculiarities  or  preferences  for  the  maintenance  of  it. 

"I  have  worked  in  it  and  with  it  for  thirty  years,  and  have 
never  found  the  single  instance  in  which  either  it  interfered  with  my 
rights  as  an  Episcopalian  or  my  duties  as  a  pastor  in  the  Church. 
I  therefore  adhere  to  it  without  hesitation.  I  see  its  influence  to 
be  great  and  good  ;  increasingly  great  and  purely  good.  It  helps 
me  in  the  ministry  of  the  gospel.  It  fouls  none  of  the  streams  to 
which  I  lead  my  flock.  It  corrupts  none  of  the  pastures  in  which 
I  feed  my  lambs. 

"  I  therefore  love  it  more  and  more  as  I  see  and  know  the  more 
of  its  operations  and  its  worth.  As  an  Episcopahan  calling  myself 
Evangelical,  and  meaning  so  to  be,  I  see  the  importance,  in  their 
proper  place,  of  the  ordinances,  and  ministries  and  ritual  observ- 
ances, and  peculiarities  of  my  own  Church,  for  which  this  Union 
can  make  no  provision.  In  this  department  I  have  attained  the 
same  mind  with  many  of  my  Evangelical  brethren  in  the  Episcopal 
Church,  and  I  walk  with  them  by  the  same  rule,  in  forming  and 
maintaining  the  Evangelical  Knowledge  Society,  in  which  we  can 
adopt  all  the  foundations  which  the  American  Sunday  School 
Union  has  laid  for  us,  and  build  upon  it  a  Church-structure  with 
which  we  may  be  satisfied,  and  in  which  we  can  abide.  Here  we 
can  prepare  and  furnish  to  our  schools  and  churches  an  Evangeli- 
cal scheme  of  Episcopacy,  conformed  at  once  to  the  Scriptures,  in 
which  I  unite  with  the  American  Sunday  School  Union,  and  to  the 
Praver-book,  in  which  I  cannot  ask  them  to  unite  with  me. 

"  And  the  more  I  see  and  know  of  tlie  works  and  labors  of  the 
Evangelical  Knowledge  Society,  the  more  am  I  satisfied  that,  in 
this  arrangement,  we  have  for  our  Episcopal  Churches  just  what  we 
need,  Evangelical  truth  and  apostolical  order.  Here  we  have  an 
ultimate  issue  and  provision  which  is  all  that  Evangelical  men  and 
churches  among  us  have  asked  and  do  ask.  And  as  an  Episcopa- 
lian. I  feel  mv  whole  course  in  this  succession  of  relations  to  be  sus- 
ceptible  of  the  cleares":  defence  and  subject  to  no  just  animadver- 
sion.    I  may    adopt*  A. 's  own  expressions,  and  say:    I  *  close  as  I 


Z^^  Rev.  Stephen  Higguison    Tyng,  D.Do 

began,  with  a  full  recognition  of  their  integrity  and  intelligence, 
from  whom  I  unhappily  differ.  I  claim  no  exemption  from  fallibil- 
ity ;  I  ask  for  the  views  here  presented  no  other  consideration 
than  is  due  to  their  intrinsic  force.'  I  have  spoken  frankly  and 
freely  of '  A.'s  communication.  In  himself,  I  recognize  none  other 
than  a  brother  sincerely  beloved  and  respected  in  \\iQ  highest 
degree.  But  even  to  one  whom  I  esteem  so  highly,  I  cannot  give 
'  place  by  subjection,  no,  not  for  an  hour,'  when  the  truth  of  God 
appears  to  me  to  be  at  stake.  And  after  all  my  desires  and  at- 
tempts at  union  with  brethren  in  various  relations  in  the  Church  of 
God,  I  find,  like  Gurney,  that  there  are  duties  and  opinions  remain- 
ing, in  which  I  am  entirely  solitary,  and  must  ascend  to  the  top  ol 
the  pyramid  and  be  alone  with  God.'" 


r 


CHAPTER  VIT. 

MINISTRY,  1861  to  1865.     CIVIL  WAR. 

When  all  previous  forebodings  and  fears  were  suddenly  changed 
into  awful  reality,  and  the  Civil  War  burst  upon  the  land,  there 
was  no  uncertainty  as  to  the  position  which  Dr.  Tyng  held  in  refer- 
ence to  the  questions  at  issue. 

Many  hesitated,  and  among  all  classes  wide  differences  of 
opinion  existed,  but  he  took  his  stand  firmly  at  the  beginning,  and 
maintained  it  unfalteringly  even  to  jthe  end.  Throughout  that 
whole  period  of  trial  he  was  constantly  in  the  fore-front  of  those 
who  strove  to  lead  the  people  to  the  highest  plane  of  principle  and 
the  utmost  decision  of  purpose.  His  face  was  literally  "  set  as  a 
flint,''  in  an  unwavering  support  of  the  National  authority,  an  un- 
ceasing demand  for  established  National  liberty.  For  these  he 
contended  earnestly  and  eloquently  at  all  times,  and  succeeding 
events  justified  in  a  most  singular  manner  his  foresight  and  predic- 
tion. His  various  sermons  upon  National  affairs  are  remarkable, 
not  less  for  their  prescience  and  boldness  in  declaration  of  the 
principles  which  must  be  acknowledged  and  maintained,  than  for 
their  exhibition  of  so  many  of  his  prominent  traits  of  character, 
and  hence  call  for  particular  notice. 

The  discussion  of  subjects  of  political  or  temporary  interest  was 
not  in  his  view  appropriate  to  the  pulpit,  and  therefore  avoided  on 
all  occasions,  save  those  of  such  special  appointment  as  forbade 
silence,  upon  the  questions  of  the  day.  This  was  a  rule  of  his  min- 
istry, never  more  strictly  adhered  to  than  during  the  years  when 
its  breach  could  have  been  most  reasonably  excused. 

On  the  Sunday  following  the  intelligence  of  the  attack  on  Fort 
Sumter,  when  the  whole  country  was  aflame  with  excitement,  and 
the  minds  of  the  people  seemed  wholly  engrossed  with  the  one 
subject  of  thought,  Pr.  Tyng  announced  most  decidedly  the  course 
which  he  should  i)ursue,  whatever  might  be  the  demand  with  which 

other  subjects  were  pressed. 

327 


328  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

"Let  the  dead  bury  their  dead:  but  go  thou  and  preach  the 
Kingdom  of  God,"  were  the  significant  words  of  his  text.  In  justi- 
fying their  application  to  the  circumstances  in  which  he  then  stood, 
he  clearly  defined  the  position  which  the  pulpit  should  occupy  in 
such  a  connection. 

*'  This,"  he  said,  "  is  a  principle  eminently  applicable  and  imper- 
ative in  the  present  condition  of  our  social  relations.  A  crisis  has 
arisen  in  our  nation  and  government;  a  revolution  has  burst  forth 
in  society;  a  conflict  of  sentiment,  of  sections,  of  intense  personal 
determinations;  an  actual,  internal  mutual  warfare  has  been  com- 
menced, the  issue  of  which  no  man  can  predict,  the  continuance  of 
which  it  is  impossible  for  human  wisdom  to  define,  and  the  sorrows 
and  ramified  influence  of  which  every  class,  and,  j)erhaps,  every 
person  in  the  nation  must  feel.  The  relation  of  the  Christian 
pulpit  and  the  gospel  ministry  to  such  anticipations  of  trial,  and 
such  absorbing  of  human  attention  and  thought,  is  a  very  impor- 
tant question,  not  only  to  the  ministry,  but  to  the  Church;  not  for 
the  preachers  merely,  but  for  those  who  hear  them.  The  daily 
press,  that  immense  modern  engine  of  influence  upon  human 
thought  and  action,  urges  the  occupation  of  the  pulpit  with  the 
special  subject  which  this  crisis  has  introduced.  The  desires,  per- 
haps the  convictions,  of  many  who  habitually  and  seriously  listen 
to  the  public  ministry,  are  moved  to  make  a  similar  demand.  It  is 
impossible  for  the  Christian  ministry  to  avoid  the  responsibility 
and  the  obligation  of  a  consideration  of  such  demands.  But  it  is  a 
very  serious  question  for  them,  which  is  not  to  be  settled  merely  by 
the  opinions  of  their  fellow-men,  or  the  temporary  pressure  of  sur- 
rounding judgment,  how  far  they  shall  consent  to  yield  to  the  in- 
fluence which  they  must  thus  meet,  and  discuss  the  questions  which 
are  in  social  debate,  or  reflect  the  difl'erent  opinions  of  men  and 
papers  of  the  day,  in  their  appointed  preaching  of  the  kingdom  of 
God. 

*'  As  men  and  citizens,  they  have  their  own  rights  of  opinion  and 
judgment,  and  of  their  free  and  responsible  expression,  when  in 
any  of  the  equal  relations  of  social  life  they  mingle  with  their  fellow- 
men.  They  have  the  same  channels  of  public  communication  with 
others,  and  they  may  well  resist  any  attempt  to  limit  the  freedom 
of  their  exercise  of  these  social  rights  by  any  opposition  or  aversion 
of  their  fellow-men  to  their  liberty  of  speech  and  thought,  them- 
selves bearing  the  whole  responsibility  of  the  results. 

"But  it  becomes  a  very  different  and  an  immensely  important 
question — shall  they  occupy  the  sanctuary  of  God  with  the  things  of 


Mmistry,  1861  to  186^,  329 

Caesar  ?  Shall  they  pervert  the  ambassage  for  Jesus  to  a  discussion 
of  questions  of  tribute  or  of  strife  ?  And  what  though  I  could  ex- 
cite you  to  shout  with  the  wildness  of  your  awakened  feelings,  and 
convert  this  sacred  temple  of  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  into  a  mere 
theatre  of  confused  noise,  should  I,  could  I,  bless  you  thus  ?  It  is 
not  the  high  claim  of  burying  my  father.  It  would  be  better  for 
me,  indeed,  if  I  had  had  no  father  to  bury.  I  should  have  but  a  poor 
consolation  in  the  applause  which  I  received  from  the  few  or  the 
many,  when  Jesus  should  ask  me,  '  Hast  thou  done  these  things  at 
all  unto  me  ? '  The  inflammable  passions  of  men  find  food  and 
occasion  enough  from  every  source  beside,  however  right  and  just 
may  be  the  demand  which  calls  them  out,  and  if  the  pulpit  join  in 
the  exciting  cry  of  warfare  and  blood,  to  be  converted  into  the 
mere  platform  of  politics  and  patriotism,  whence  is  any  influence  to 
come  through  earthly  agency,  to  moderate  and  harmonize  the 
acerbities  of  men,  to  call  to  mind  the  higher  authority  of  the  Prince 
of  Peace  V  Shall  I  rob  you  of  this  day  of  heavenly  peace,  and  fill  it 
up  with  a  continuance  of  the  discussions  of  politics  and  statecraft, 
which  have  wearied  and  overwhelmed  you  through  all  the  week  ? 
What  difference  is  there  in  morality  between  a  Sunday  newspaper 
and  a  Sunday  secular  pulpit  ?  Surely  it  is  neither  my  duty  nor 
my  right,  though  my  opinions  are  decided  and  my  desires  long 
settled  on  these  questions;  it  is  neither  my  Master's  will  nor  for 
your  real  happiness  and  welfare  to  take  this  sacred  hour  and 
sacred  place  for  such  themes  or  such  employments.  Bishop 
Leighton  said,  in  the  convulsions  of  his  day,  when  English  intoler- 
ance was  desolating  the  fields  of  Scotland,  and  he  was  reproached 
for  withholding  from  the  controversy,  *  While  all  are  preaching  for 
the  times,  let  one  poor  priest  preach  for  eternity.'  While  other 
pulpits  echo  the  strife  of  parties  and  stir  up  the  earnestness  and 
passions  of  men  for  earthly  contests,  let  this  congregation  at  least 
have  the  Sabbath  in  peace. 

"  To  this  line  must  I  be  confined  in  my  appointed  work,  nor 
turn  aside  to  any  temporary  questions  which  cannot  profit  because 
they  are  vain.  The  duties  which  the  crisis  brings,  the  trials  which 
i':  creates,  are  within  my  province  of  ministry  clearly.  The  intrrosts 
which  have  made,  and  the  causes  which  liave  promoted  it,  the 
ends  in  which  it  must  result,  and  the  principles  and  side  wliich  it 
must  exalt,  arc  the  wnse  and  gracious  providence  of  God  alone." 

Tlie  Sabbaths  at  St.  George's  were,  therefore,  days  of  rest,  de- 
voted to  their  own  appointed  claim,  occupied  by  their  own  appro- 
priate theme. 


330  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyjig^  D,D, 

The  frequently  recurring  days  of  National  Fast  and  Thanksgiving 
afforded  Dr.  Tyng,  however,  abundant  opportunities  for  the  expres- 
sion of  his  views  on  public  questions.  On  all  these  occasions, 
which  were  so  marked  a  feature  of  that  period,  his  voice  was  heard 
in  the  clearest  proclamations  of  the  special  testimony  w^hich  each 
required.  It  would  be  interesting  to  recall  them  fully,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  events  by  which  they  were  prompted,  but  it  may  be 
permitted  to  refer  briefly  to  those  which  seem  the  most  impoitant. 

On  the  first  of  these  National  days  of  worship  appointed  by 
President  Lincoln,  the  26th  of  September,  1861,  Dr.  Tyng's  sermon 
was  particularly  striking. 

It  was  at  a  time  when  the  magnitude  of  the  struggle  had  just 
become  realized,  and  disappointment,  discouragement  and  dismay 
pervaded  the  entu'e  community.  Many  doubted  and  openly  denied 
the  justice  of  the  war,  while  the  propriety  of  its  prosecution  was  the 
subject  of  frequent  discussion.  Few  would  acknowledge  that 
slavery  was  the  fundamental  cause  of  the  conflict  or  an  issue  which 
must  be  determined  by  its  result.  The  fear  that  such  a  claim 
might  defeat  or  defer  a  peaceful  adjustment,  was  emphasized  in 
the  oft-repeated  assertion  that  the  war  had  no  reference  to  slavery. 
It  was  long  before  either  the  government  or  the  people  were 
brought  to  realize  that  the  nation's  triumph  must  be  slavery's 
doom,  while  some  time  was  yet  to  elapse  before  the  negro's  right 
to  engage  in  the  contest  was  acknowledged,  or  he  was  permitted  to 
enlist  in  the  armies  of  the  United  States. 

On  this  day,  however.  Dr.  Tyng  took  as  his  text  the  passage  of 
Scripture,  "  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Wherefore  criest  thou 
unto  me  ?  Speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  that  they  go  for- 
ward." 

"  There  is  an  instinct  in  man,"  he  said,  "  which  compels  him  in 
an  hour  of  difficulty  to  call  upon  God.  Such  a  crisis  led  Moses  to 
caU  upon  God,  on  the  borders  of  the  Red  Sea.  It  was  his  own 
secret  prayer  for  aid.  We  read  of  no  offering  here  of  united  or 
national  supplication.  The  murmuring  people  cried  unto  Moses, 
but  the  believing  Moses  cried  unto  God,  and  the  divine  answer  to 
his  prayer  we  have  before  us. 

"  It  is  not  forbidding  the  prayer  of  faith,  but  the  cry  of  doubt 
and  fear.  It  is  not  repressing  the  soul's  reference,  in  the  hour  of 
danger,  to  an  Infinite  Protector,  but  reminding  the  fearful  soul  of 
a  previous  command  and  promise.  When  therefore,  the  crisis 
came,  of  which  they  had  been  forewarned,  their  duty  to  trust  and 
obey  God,  who  had  thus  commanded  and  promised,  was  settled 


Ministry  y  1861  to  18  6y.  331 

and  clear.  /The  performance  of  duty  sanctified  by  prayer  is  tlie 
Christian's  privilege  and  riglit.  The  withholding  of  conscious 
duty  in  the  mere  cowardly  cry  for  help,  is  sinful  and  unbelieving. 
To  the  former,  the  reply  justly  is,  Pray,  but  work;  calmly  trust,  but 
actively  go  on.  To  the  latterthe^nswer  must  be^Go-Qn.injUie 
fulfilment  of  known  obligation,  and  cease  the  mere  outcry  of  indo- 
lence and  fear  _^ 

"  It  is  a  national  crisis  which  has  called  us  together  to  pray. 
We  may  consider,  therefore,  the  crisis  and  the  duty  which  it  involves 
and  demands. 

"  This  is  the  first  occasion  since  this  outbreak  cf  violence 
occurred  on  which  I  have  spoken  on  the  subject  to  you.  My  own 
opinion  and  views  upon  the  conflict  itself  I  have  withheld  from  the 
pulpit,  in  the  desire  rather  to  edify  and  sustain  your  hearts  in  the 
trial  which  it  brings,  than  to  discuss  the  elements  of  the  conflict 
itself.  On  this  occasion  I  shall  calmly  but  distinctly  speak  what  I 
think  upon  the  whole  sub]ect. 

"  A  year  ago  we  were  a  nation  in  great  earthly  prosperity,  and 
at  rest.  3Iost  cf  our  political  questions  were  at  rest.  One  only  aU- 
important,  all-pervading  subject  of  discussion  remained.  This  one 
subject  was  the  maintenance  and  perpetuation  of  African  sla- 
very  

"This  made  the  crisis It  is  a  struggle  forced 

upon  us,  not  by  the  South,  but  by  the  factious  demagogues  of  the 
South.  Not  by  all  the  slave-holders  of  the  South,  but  by  that  vio- 
lent portion  of  them  whose  spirits  are  desperate,  whose  ambition 
has  been  disappointed,  and  whose  only  hope  of  personal  exaltation 
and  advancement  appeared  to  themselves  to  consist  in  the  success- 
ful inauguration  of  a  reign  of  universal  violence,  terror  and  blood. 
Not  to  maintain  our  country  and  government  in  such  a  struggle,  is 
simply  to  yield  to  this  incursion  of  violence  everything  which  is 
worth  defending  on  earth,   and   everything  which,   in  our  varied 

responsibilities,  we  are   solemnly  bound  to   defend 

Was  there  ever  a  national  crisis  which  involved  higher  and  deeper, 
more  vital  and  important  principles  of  truth  and  duty?  Take  all 
the  Word  of  the  living  God,  all  its  principles,  j^romiscs  and  com- 
mands, can  there  be  a  moment's  doubt  on  which  side  they  are 
arrayed,  or  by  the  success  of  which  side  they  are  to  be  maintained 
and  propagated  ?  Not  more  certainly  was  Israel  in  the  path  of 
dutv,  wlion  ]\I()HOS  cried  at  the  sea,  than  is  our  nation  in  the  strug- 
gle  in  whicli  wo  are  engaged.  Not  more  appropriate  was  the 
prayer  of  faith  sanctifying   duty  in    their  case,   than  ia  ours;  not 


332  Rev.   Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

more  wrong  the  unbelieving,  trembling  cry  of  despair  or  doubt, 
when  uttered  thus  by  them,  than  if  uttered  by  us  now.  '  Where- 
fore criest  thou  unto  me  ?  Speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  that 
they  go  forward.-  If  they  go  forward  in  prayer,  victory  will  crown 
their  nation.  If  they  stand  still  to  cry,  or  vainly  court  a  sinful 
peace  with  crime,  because  they  are  afraid  to  resist  it,  they  may 
invoke  the  pardon  of  Pharaoh,  they  may  yield  to  his  slave-bearing 
authority,  but  they  will  find  no  peace  in  subjection  to  his  will 

"  What,  then,  is  our  duty  in  this  crisis  ?  '  Go  forward.*  '  Speak 
unto  them  that  they  go  forward.'  The  government  must  go  for- 
ward.    The  people  must  insist  upon  it  that  they  do  go  forward. 

"  Forward  in  the  prosecution  of  this  actual  struggle,  until,  cost 
what  it  may,  it  has  been  triumphantly  and  finally  settled  in 
the  full  re -establishment  of  our  government,  our  country,  our  laws, 
our  liberty,  and  our  territory,  over  every  foot  of  soil  which  violent 
insurgence  has  pretended  to  claim.  The  great  principles  at  stake 
are  only  to  be  secured  by  final  victory.  We  cannot  afford  to  rest 
at  any  point,  as  a  nation  keeping  the  truth,  tiU,  by  the  blessing  of 
God,  we  have  made  that  truth  triumphant.  To  doubt  whether  we 
may  as  a  rightful  nation  do  this  is  to  deny  the  whole  authority  and 
purpose  of  human  government.  It  is  as  much  the  righteous  duty 
of  a  government  to  punish  vice  as  to  maintain  true  rehgion  and 
virtue.  And  what  state  or  aspect  of  vice  more  'destructive,  more 
inexcusable,  more  an  outrage  upon  men,  could  have  ever  been 
imagined  by  man  than  the  wide-spread  and  slaughtering  rebellion 
with  which  our  country  is  now  struggling  ?  The  duty  of  the  gov- 
ernment is  to  go  forward,  and  the  duty  of  the  people  is  to  speak 
unto  them  that  they  go  forward,  with  increasing  vigor  and  deter- 
mination, at  whatever  cost  of  wealth,  and  with  whatever  employ- 
ment of  arms  or  men. 

"  But  they  must  go  forward  in  the  principle  and  purpose  of  the 
contest,  as  well  as  in  the  power  of  its  maintenance.  The  one  great 
outward  purpose  and  end  of  this  contest,  the  external  form  of  the 
result  which  we  are  to  secure,  is  the  complete  re-establishment  of 
our  Constitution  and  Union.  Under  its  control  and  wise  direction 
we  have  prospered  and  grown  through  the  years  and  generations 
past.  We  cannot  sacrifice  it  to  the  claims  of  anarchy,  or  allow  it 
to  be  overthrown  by  the  arm  of  violence.  Its  administration  has, 
beyond  all  question,  elucidated  in  it  defects  which  must  be  reme- 
died, and  provisions  which  require  to  be  altered.  But  these  altera- 
tions must  be  accomplished  by  the  regular,  appointed,  peaceful, 
considerate  methods  which  the  Constitution  provides.     Any  other 


Ministry,  1861  to  18  6y,  333 

method  would  be  but  the  very  subversion  of  the  Constitution  by 
the  arm  of  force — itself  the  hostihty  and  violence  on  the  part  of 
others,  against  which  we  are  now  contending. 

"  The  demanded  supremacy  and  universal  acknowledgment  of 
established  slave-holding,  was  the  one  real  occasion  of  this  struggle. 
This  was  the  demand,  pressed  in  every  variety  of  shape,  and  by 
every  class  of  pubUc  appeal.     In  Congress,  in  the  courts,  in  public 
addresses,  in  convention  resolutions,  they  have  said  to  the  resisting 
people,  acknowledge  it,  cease  to  contend  with  it,  allow  its  establish- 
ment, submit  to  its  dominion.     It  is  the  right  and  the  only  right  re- 
lation of  the  black  man  to  the  white,  or  of  labor  to  capital.     It  is 
scriptural,  it  is  benevolent,  it  is  humane,  it  is  refining,  it  is  exalting. 
No  other  system  of  social  dependence  and  service    is  equally  so. 
Allow  its   universal  sway  and  law,  and  we  wiU  consent  to  be  at 
peace.     This  was  the  varied  cry  for  war.     This  was  the  unceasing 
demand  of  those  who  have  made   the  war.     A  vast  portion  and  a 
final  majority  of  the  people  have  calmly  but  earnestly  resisted  the 
extension  of  this  oppression  in  every  shape.     They  would  earnestly 
have  desired — in  a  peaceful  colonization,  in  a  liberal  j^urchase  at  any 
cost,  in  any  system  of  progressive  and  gradual  emancipation — to 
have  removed  the  evil  unitedly  and  peacefully.     Every  offer,  every 
suggestion  was  refused  and  reviled;  and  now  it  has  been  forced 
into  the  issue  of  war.     And  the  government  must  go  forward,  and 
the  rising  people  must  speak  unto  them  that  they  go  forward,  and 
make  the  tinar  issue  of  the  war  the  settling  of  this  all-corrodiug 
question.     .  ....     As  long  as  it  remains  unsettled,  we  are 

not  only  at  war  among  ourselves,  we  are  at  war  with  Providence, 
with  justice,  with  God.  "Well  did  Mr.  Jefferson  say,  when  this  peo- 
ple were  in  their  infancy,  of  little  more  than  half  a  million:  '  I  trem- 
ble for  my  country  when  I  remember  that  God  is  just.'  Had  the 
men  of  his  day  removed  the  load  forever,  how  peaceful  and  free 
from  fear  and  contest  would  have  been  our  dispensation  and  ap- 
pointed life. 

'•  Every  motive  of  interest,  of  justice,  of  duty  to  our  countiy  and 
duty  to  our  posterity  recjuires  that  we  should  determine  on  the 
absolute  extinction  of  this  burden  now.  Others  have  the  responsi- 
bility of  bringing  up  this  subject  to  view  in  a  shape  and  relation 
wliicli  wo  should  never  have  desired.  Let  us  not  lose  the  occasion 
of  putting  it,  in  a  final  extinction  of  slavery  in  our  land,  beyond  the 
reach  of  further  poisoning  our  inheritance,  and  embittering  all  the 
relations  of  our  life.  To  do  this  now,  or  solemnly  to  pur]K)9e  to  do 
this,  v.nscly,  quietly,  but  with  an  unshrinking  determination,  is,  in 


334  ^^^-   Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

this  great  relation,  *  to  do  justly,  to  love  mercy,  and  to  walk  hum- 
bly with  our  God.' 

"  More  than  this.     Here  are  one  million  of  enslaved  Africans  in 
the  midst  of  this  contest,  in  the  vigor  of  adult  years.     They  cannot 
be   made  and  they  will  not  be  kept  neutral  in  the  contest.     They 
understand    its   operation.     They  have  perhaps  very  exaggerated 
expectations  of  its  results.     If  our  nation  and  government  do  not 
in  some  way  declare   and  establish  or  enter  upon  the  determined 
plan  for  their  emancipation,  we  cannot  doubt  that  sooner  than  the 
insurgents  will  consent  to  submission,  they  will   array,  with  the 
promise  of  freedom,  this  whole  immense  host  against  us.     It  seems 
indubitable  to  my  anticipation,  that  we  have  but  the  choice  whether 
they  shall  be  on  our  side  or  against  us,— whether,  by  an  act  of  gra- 
cious justice, — we  shall  place  them  on  the  standing  of  freemen  and 
take  them  out  of  the  warfare  so  far  as  we  can;  or  whether  we  shall 
consent  to  see  them  thrust  into  a  relation  in  which  we  really  have 
no  alternative  left  but  their  utter  extermination,  or  our  own  untold 
losses  and  sufferings  from  their  unreasoning  and  brutal  warfare. 
That  such  a  choice  and  alternative  alone  remain  to  us,  I  confess  I 
have  no  doubt.     Justice  and  mercy  to  this  people,  so  long  delayed, 
involve   far   more   and   greater  difficulties  than  if  they  had  been 
timely  ministered  in  their  healing  power  to  bless  and  to  save  them. 
I  fuUy  appreciate  all  the  difficulties  of  dealing  with  the  subject  suc- 
cessfully according  to  our  Constitution.     But  I  also  appreciate  the 
fact  that  the  Constitution  itself  is  at  stake  in  this  contest,  and  will, 
I  believe,  never  be  brought  out  of  this  contest,  if  this  question  be 
left  unsettled.     I  have  hoped  that  the  great  principle  laid  down  by 
Mr.  Adams,  that  in  a  time  of  Civil  War  this  great  internal  question 
was  taken  out  of  the  process  of  civil  law,  and  put  under  the  control 
of  military  necessity,  might  be  considered  established. 

"  Then  a  proclamation  from  the  highest  military  authority  might 
adjudicate  and  settle  it;  and  define  and  decree  the  terms  and  con- 
ditions of  emancipation;  both  in  limited  localities  and  appUcations 
like  the  cases  already  occurring,  and  in  the  general  and  universal 
relations  of  the  whole  subject  to  the  successful  prosecution  of  the 
struggle  for  the  Nation's  life.  I  do  not  ask  for  any  violent  actioUo 
The  result  of  sanguinary  insurrection  and  brutal  warfare  is  the 
very  thing  which  I  deeply  dread.  But  I  do  ask  for  a  solemn,  united 
purpose  on  the  part  of  the  government  and  people,  never  again  to 
construct  a  union  with  perpetuated  slavery  therein,  nor  throw 
forward,  in  a  mere  temporary  healing  of  the  difficulty,  the 
whole    grievous    burden    on    other   generations,   provoking    their 


Ministry,  1861  to  186'j.  335 

hatred,  the  abhorrence  of  mankind,  and  the  just  anger  of  a  holy 
God. 

"  At  any  rate  this  is  my  view  of  the  necessity,  freely  and  calmly 
expressed.  I  would  call  the  wisdom  of  the  administration  to  the 
consideration  of  the  question,  for  the  method  of  its  final  adjustment. 
And  then  I  would  say  to  the  executive  power:  *  Go  forward.'  Pro- 
claim liberty  throughout  the  land, — and  to  the  waiting  and  rising 
people,  in  the  majesty  of  their  sovereignty  and  strength:  *  Speak 
unto  them,  that  they  go  forward. ' 

"  Sound  it  from  every  hill-top  on  the  continent.  Echo  it  from 
every  vaUey.  Let  the  inhabitants  of  the  cities  take  it  up.  Let 
high  and  low,  rich  and  poor,  one  with  another,  solemnly,  unitedly 
resolve:  we  will  break  every  yoke,  we  will  let  the  ^oppressed  go 
free.  Such  a  stand  assumed  and  carried  out  in  this  crisis,  would 
command  the  homage  of  the  world,  as  it  displayed  the  uj)rising 
wisdom  and  justice  of  a  great  people;  would  bring  down  the 
blessing  of  God,  as  it  exhibited  a  people  determined  to  do  right, 
and  to  be  the  protectors  of  the  feeble  and  the  oppressed;  would 
open  through  the  sea  a  path  to  certain  triumph,  because  it  would 
make  the  contest,  in  all  its  aspects,  lofty  and  just,  and  would  insure 
permanent  dominion  of  peace,  because  it  would  leave  no  festering 
sore  in  the  body,  or  gall-bearing  root  in  the  ground.  For  such  a 
cause  and  in  such  a  crisis,  thus  to  be  settled  on  principles  of  right- 
eousness and  truth  forever,  we  may  surely  lift  up  the  prayer  of 
faith,  and  reverently  and  acceptably  ask  the  blessing  of  a  just  and 
holy  God,  confessing  our  crime  as  a  nation  in  this  prolonged  injus- 
tice, and  imploring  His  mercy  *  that  our  arms  may  be  blessed  and 
made  effectual  for  the  re-establishment  of  law,  order  and  peace 
throughout  our  country,  and  that  God  Himself  may  be  our  God, 
as  our  father's  God,  forevermore.' " 

In  the  marvellous  works  of  benevolence  which  so  distinguished 
the  jDeople  during  the  years  of  the  war,  Dr.  Tyng  took  deep  inter- 
est and  gave  most  hearty  co-operation.  At  the  frequent  meetings 
held  in  their  interest,  he  was  constantly  a  prominent  speaker,  but 
the  pressure  upon  the  columns  of  the  daily  press  allowed  no  ade- 
quate reports  to  be  preserved.  In  the  work  of  the  Christian  Com- 
mission, and  in  all  the  provisions  for  the  care  and  comfort  of  the 
soldiers,  he  was  active  in  word  and  work,  while  the  congregation  of 
St.  George's,  representing  so  largely  the  wealth  and  inlhionce  of 
the  city,  were  among  the  largest  contributors  to  the  support  of 
these  efTorta.  It  was,  however,  the  cause  of  the  destitute  and  suffer- 
ing negroes  with  which  Dr.  Tyng  was  personally  and  most  promi- 


53^  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng^  D.D. 

nently  identified,  and  the  efforts  for  the  relief  and  education  of 
the  freedmen  made  special  claims  upon  his  sympathy  and  sup- 
port. 

"  In  a  general  order  issued  by  General  Sherman  on  the  6th  of 
February,  1862,  attention  was  called  to  the  helpless  condition  of  the 
negroes  in  South  Carolina.  *  Hordes  of  totally  uneducated,  igno- 
rant and  improvident  blacks,'  he  said,  '  have  been  abandoned  by 
their  constitutional  guardians,  not  only  to  aU  the  future  chances  of 
anarchy  and  starvation,  but  in  such  a  state  of  abject  ignorance  and 
mental  stolidity,  as  to  preclude  all  possibility  of  self-government 
and  self-maintenance  in  their  present  condition.'  The  benevolent 
were  earnestly  appealed  to,  to  meet  this  pressing  need,  not  only  to 
provide  relief,  but  to  inaugurate  such  a  system  of  instruction  as  the 
circumstances  so  urgently  demanded. 

A  public  meeting  was  immediately  called  to  consider  the  sub- 
ject thus  presented,  and  at  this  meeting,  held  at  the  Cooper  Union, 
on  the  20th  of  February,  1862,  a  committee,  with  Pr.  Tyng  as  its 
chairman,  was  appointed  to  organize  an  association  which  should 
act  upon  General  Sherman's  suggestions.  Two  days  later  "  The 
National  Freedmen's  Relief  Association  "  was  formed. 

From  this  first  effort  for  the  relief  and  improvement  of  the 
negro,  sprung  all  the  various  measures  subsequently  adopted,  both 
during  and  after  the  war. 

The  association  immediately  elected  Dr.  Tyng  as  its  first  Presi- 
dent, and  for  a  long  period  he  discharged  the  arduous  duties  of 
this  office  most  assiduously.  The  organization  of  this  important 
work  and  the  necessary  superintendence  of  its  affairs  imposed 
great  responsibilities  and  required  much  attention.  Among  the 
duties  thus  devolving  upon  him,  the  issuing  of  passes  within  the 
government's  lines  at  Port  Royal  demanded  especial  discrimination 
and  care.  The  business  of  the  association  requiring  constant  visits  to 
Washington,  and  frequent  conferences  with  the  President  and  Sec- 
retary of  War,  he  was  frequently  consulted  by  them,  as  it  is*known, 
in  reference  to  important  questions  in  governmental  poHcy. 

Among  all  the  questions  then  arising,  that  in  reference  to  the 
negro,  presented  itself  in  different  conditions  and  forms.  When 
settled  in  one  way  by  the  Emancipation  Proclamation,  it  immedi- 
ately arose  in  another,  the  future  rights  and  relations  of  the  freed- 
men becoming  a  matter  for  earnest  consideration.  On  this  subject 
Dr.  Tyng's  views  were  not  less  decided  than  in  reference  to  slavery, 
and  are  found  most  forcibly  expressed  in  communications  to  The 
Independent  during  the  year  1863.     When  writing   of  slavery  as 


Ministry,  1861  to  186^.  337 

"  One  great  experiment,"  and  of  the  treatment  of  the  negro  as 
*'  The  next  great  experiment,"  he  says: 

"  As  a  nation,  gathered  from  all  nations,  we  have  had  peculiar 
problems  to  solve,  and  peculiar  contests  to  meet.  They  have  not 
been  in  the  mere  gradations  of  society.  These  are  everywhere  pre- 
vaihng.  Other  nations  have  encountered  and  overcome  them. 
Many  of  the  highest  and  grandest  names  in  European  history  have 
marked  the  career  of  men  who  have  forced  their  way  from  the  low- 
est to  the  highest  stations  in  Hfe,  by  the  energy  of  their  own  talent 
and  fidelity,  and  surrounding  society  and  national  history  have 
rejoiced  over  their  reputation  and  power.  Our  difficulty  has  not 
been  in  the  mere  fact  of  slavery  and  slave-holding.  Other  nations 
have  contended  with  this,  and  have  settled  it  successfully.  Rome 
made  her  slaves  freemen.  But  she  incorporated  them  with  her 
citizens  in  every  aspect  and  relation  of  social  rights.  Russia  has 
set  a  noble  example  of  giving  freedom  to  millions  of  slaves.  They, 
too,  will  be  absorbed  in  her  population,  and  their  origin  in  slavery 
will  be  forgotten  in  their  future  family  and  personal  history. 

"But  in  each. of  these  cases  there  has  been  affinity,  or,  at  least, 
not  incompatibility  in  race.  The  succeeding  generations  have 
combined  and  mingled  without  difficulty,  and  the  traces  of  dis- 
tinction are  lost  in  the  homogeneous  position  of  a  common  off- 
spring. But  we  have  the  question  of  slavery  in  connection  with  a 
race  of  different  color,  who  sadly  bear  the  mark*  of  their  distinction 
to  the  last  generation  of  their  posterity.  O'Connell  once  exclaimed 
in  a  feeling  of  bitterness,  in  his  inability  to  gain  attention  in  the 
House  of  Commons  for  some  Irish  claims:  *I  would  to  God  all  my 
Irish  people  were  blacks,  then,  perhaps,  gentlemen  would  hear  and 
sympathize.'  We  are  often  disposed  so  to  exclaim  in  reference  to 
our  own  poor  blacks.  If  we  could  change  their  color,  we  should 
remove  the  one  grand  difficulty  in  the  way  of  their  liberty  and  exal- 
tation. But  with  the  difficulty  as  it  is  we  must  contend,  and  over 
it,  in  some  way,  we  must  gain  the  victory. 

"  Two  nations  of  a  differing  inextinguishable  color  dwell  to- 
gether in  the  social  life.  The  nation  holding  them  both  has  the 
problem  of  all  human  happiness,  justice,  and  prosperity  to  settle. 
Two  possible  experiments,  and  only  two,  may  bo  tried  in  this  at- 
temjDt.  There  must  be  perpetual,  legal,  established  inferiority,  and 
consequent  tyranny  and  oppression,  or  there  must  be  unlimited  and 
equal  freedom,  citizenship,  and  social  rights.  The  former  of  these 
experiments  we  Lave  tried  for  two  hundred  years.  A  hapless  race, 
brought  here  by  violence,  have  been  kept  here  in  oppression.     This 


338  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson   Ty7ig,  D,D, 

determined  state  was  said  to  be  indispensable  to  their  welfare,  to 
their  protection,  to  their  verj  being.  Nay,,  men  dared  to  say  that 
God  has  solemnly  appointed  this  awful  oppression  as  a  hne  of 
human  duty  in  His  own  Word,  and  that  men  who  sought  to  '  break 
every  yoke,  and  let  the  oppressed  go  free/  were  infidels  to  inspira- 
tion and  rebels  against  God.  It  has  even  been  declared,  in  a  late 
pamphlet,  '  that  God  turned  the  descendants  of  Ham  black,  after 
the  flood,  that  there  might  be  no  mistake  in  future  time  in  catching 
the  right  parties.'  The  negro  preacher's  account  of  the  origin  of 
white  men  in  the  terror  of  Cain,  when  arraigned  for  the  murder  of  his 
brother,  would  appear  not  less  rational.  At  any  rate,  we  have 
made  sure  to  catch  the  right  ones,  for  every  one  whose  origin  could 
be  tortured  into  any  connection  with  this  oppressed  race,  however 
white  in  preponderance  of  hue,  has  been  eagerly  and  frantically 
seized  and  held  for  Adam's  sake.  But  this  experiment  has  been 
tried.  It  has  been  tried  with  every  conceivable  advantage.  The 
stream  cannot  roll  back  upon  its  fountain.  Come  what  will  come, 
I  suppose  we  are  never  to  be  deluded  again  by  this  monster  curse, 
and  that  oppressed  and  injured  race  are  to  be  held  in  open  and 
avowed  bondage  no  more. 

*'And  now  comes  the  great  alternative  experiment.  If  they 
cannot  be  kept  in  bondage,  can  they  be  maintained  in  freedom  ? 
As  free,  they  are  citizens,  to  be  held  in  just  and  secure  possession 
of  all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  American  citizenship  hereafter. 

^'  The  President  and  the  people  have  gone  yet  further  in  their 
united  testimony  and  pledge.  They  are  citizens,  and  they  shall  be 
soldiers  because  they  are  so.  Already  are  they  mustering  by 
thousands,  to  defend  a  country  which  has  thus  nobly  adopted  them, 
in  answer  to  this  call.  Regiments  are  now  to  be  numbered  by 
scores.  They  will  swell  to  a  mightyf  army.  Officers  of  the  highest 
character,  the  most  refined  education,  and  the  most  elevated  social 
position,  are  willing  and  eager  to  unite  with  them,  to  lead  them,  to 
command  them,  to  press  on  with  them  to  the  strain  of  battle  and 
the  grasp  of  glory.  Never  was  there  such  a  trial  of  untrained  sol- 
diers endured  as  these  heroes  have  triumphantly  borne.  In  the 
first  fights  which  they  have  seen  they  have  flinched  from  nothing. 
They  have  proved  themselves,  beyond  even  white  comparison, 
bold,  eager,  intelligent,  disinterested  and  unshrinking.  All  the 
qualities  of  citizenship  in  the  highest  individual  display  they  have 
exhibited  to  an  admiring  nation,  and  have  vindicated  for  them- 
selves an  imperishable  name.  This  crown  no  man  can  take  from 
them. 


Ministry  y  1861  to  186^,  339 

"  And  now  for  their  future,  let  the  unbending  laws  of  human 
civilization  test  and  regulate  it.  All  I  say,  is,  deal  with  them  as 
men,  not  as  black  men.  Give  them  no  special  advantages.  Lay 
on  them  no  personal,  peculiar  burdens.  Give  to  them  all  the 
rights  of  citizenship,  and  impose  upon  them  all  its  just  responsibili- 
ties. I  ask  for  them  no  patronage;  I  deprecate  in  their  behalf  no 
trials.  Let  them  have  all  that  white  immigrants  upon  our  soil 
receive o  a  nation's  protection  for  their  condition;  a  nation's  ac- 
knowledgment of  their  equal  rights;  a  nation's  defence  of  their 
peaceful  possession  of  all  that  they  can  earn  or  acquire  in  honorable 
trades  or  peaceful  and  useful  employments.  Let  this  free  and 
grateful  community  rise  above  the  degrading  imputation  that  they 
are  'niggers^  and  remember  that  they  are  men.  I  ask  no  more  for 
them  than  that  they  shall  have  the  chance  which  all  other  men 
have.  I  will  never  consent  to  any  less.  If  on  this  plane  of  respon- 
sibihty  they  cannot  rise,  they  must  sink.  If  they  cannot  take  care 
of  themselves,  they  must  perish.  We  have  thoroughly  demon- 
strated that  the  nation  cannot  take  care  of  them  in  any  other  rela- 
tion. 

**  On  this  subject  I  have  no  fears  and  no  anxieties.  Give  them 
perfect  liberty,  and  let  them  work  out  their  destiny  and  history  for 
themselves.  If  universal  suffrage,  v/ithout  limitation  of  persons  or 
circumstances,  is  to  be  given  to  others,  let  it  be  given  to  them.  If 
restrictions  and  restraints  on  the  right  of  suffrage  are  to  be  im- 
posed upon  others,  let  these  also  be  extended  to  them.  Give  them 
the  same  openings  in  work  and  trade, — the  same  security  in  person 
and  property, — the  same  encouragement  to  thrift  and  energy.  Let 
the  experiment  of  liberty  be  tried  as  fairly  for  them,  as  the  experi- 
ment of  slavery  has  been  tried  with  them.  They  must  abide  by 
the  results  of  aU  fair  and  honest  competition  in  every  line  of  life. 
Of  these  results  in  their  welfare  and  success,  I  hava  no  fears  or 
question.  But  let  the  experiment  be  honorably  and  fairly  tried. 
Any  class  legislation,  imposing  on  them  burdens  which  others  are 
not  required  to  bear  ;  hampering  them  with  disadvantages  from 
which  others  are  relieved^  and  compelling  them  to  work  against  a 
current  of  prejudice  and  hostility  which  others  are  not  obhged  to 
meet,  is  but  a  return  so  far  to  the  old  experiment  of  slavery, 
already  found  so  impracticable  and  ruinous.  It  will  have  the 
effect  of  oppressing  them  ;  and  in  the  liabitual  order  of  sociid  ex^ 
porience,  as  well  as  in  the  retri})utions  of  a  divine  providence,  it 
will  but  prepare  the  way  for  future  discontents,  difTiculty  and  con- 
test,— both  with  them  and  with  others  in  their  behalf. 


340  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  B.D. 

**  But  lias  this  nation  jet  suffered  enough  from  the  practice  of 
oppression,  to  adopt  a  scheme  of  justice  and  benevolence  for  the 
time  to  come  ?  Have  we  seen  enough,  and  tasted  enough  of  the 
miseries  of  wrong-doing  to  be  willing  now  to  do  honestly  and  com- 
pletely light  ?  Have  we  risen  to  a  stand  of  conviction  or  to  a  sense 
of  obligation  which  will  be  adequate  to  sustain  a  final  renunciation 
of  the  evil,  and  a  triumphant  determination  to  exalt  the  nation  in 
righteousness,  that  it  may  abide  in  peace  ?  For  this,  I  sometimes 
hardly  dare  to  hope.  And  yet,  I  am  thoroughly  convinced  there  is 
no  other  path  open  to  us,  either  of  security  or  peace.  And  the 
soundest  policy  as  well  as  the  clearest  justice  will  lead  us  as  a 
Nation  to  cultivate  and  exercise  the  largest  spirit  of  justice  and 
kindness  toward  them  as  toward  all  other  men. 

*'  T^at  they  will  sustain  themselves  in  industry,  honor  them- 
selves in  integrity,  make  themselves  profitable  in  usefulness,  and 
respectable  in  condition  and  relations,  I  am  perfectly  sure  :  and 
under  the  divine  protection  and  blessing  I  should  look  to  see 
them  exhibiting  all  the  common  excellences  of  good  and  prospering 
men  in  an  equal  measure  with  others, — and  some  of  the  human 
virtues  m  a  far  higher  degree.  They  will  bless  in  being  blessed. 
They  will  return  to  the  welfare  of  the  nation  an  ample  recom- 
pense for  all  the  protection  they  receive,  and  as  the  recipients  of  an 
exalted  kindness  in  the  midst  of  obstacles,  they  will  be  also  the 
pledges  and  witnesses  of  that  divine  bounty  which  assumes  the  pay- 
ment for  the  needy;  and  thus  'though  poor,  be makin^g many  rich.'" 
In  his  words  in  a  speech  on  another  occasion,  "whether  the 
blood  of  the  negro  came  from  Ham  or  Japhet,  he  did  not  care, 
they  all  came  from  Noah.  He  did  not  know  whether  he  was  an 
abolitionist  or  not,  but  he  was  an  out-and-out  defender  of  human 
rights."  Never  faihng  in  his  interest  in  this  cause,  he  continued  the 
champion  of  the  negro  in  his  demand  for  their  every  right. 

The  very  prominent  stand  which  Dr.  Tyng  thus  maintained 
and  his  recognized  power  as  a  public  speaker  brought  him  constant 
requests  to  dehver  addresses  upon  the  questions  which  then  so  com- 
pletely occupied  the  public  attention.  One  ol  these  invitations, 
received  from  prominent  citizens  of  Chicago,  may  be  noted  as  indi- 
cating the  wide-spread  observation  which  his  course  had  ^obtainedo 

Chicago,  Nov.  11,  1862. 
Eev.  S.  H.  Tyng,  D,  D. 

Bev,  and  Dear  Sir: — The  undersigned  citizens  of  Chicago,  having 
observed  with   admiration  and  gratitude  the  noble  position  that 


Mhiistry,  1861  to  186^.  34  i 

you  have  taken  in  defence  of  the  Nation  in  her  struggles  against  a 
fierce  and  powerful  foe,  are  desirous  to  hear  your  eloquent  voice 
in  the  great  Northwest  on  the  vital  questions  of  the  day. 

We  therefore  respectfully  ask  you  to  address  the  citizens  of 
Chicago  on  these  subjects  at  any  time  during  the  present  Winter 
when  it  may  be  convenient  to  yourself.     Yery  truly,  your  friends, 

Z.  M.  Humphrey  Bobert  H.  Clarkson, 

James  Pratt,  Egbert  Collyer, 

EoBERT  W.  Patterson,  W,  B.  Ogden, 

Eob't  Laird  Collier,  David  J.  Ely, 

Jas.  Grant  Wilson,  W.  L.  Newbury, 

W.  W.  Everts,  Artemas  Carter, 

Egbert  Boyd,  Tho's  B.  Bryan, 

Mark  Skinner,  E.  T.  Eogt, 

S.  C.  HiGGiNsoN,  C.  M.  Cady, 

E.  C.  Earned,  S.  B.  Gookins, 

Thomas  Drummond. 

All  such  invitations  he  was,  however,  obliged  to  decline,  save 
when  connected  with  some  special  benevolent  object  which  com- 
manded his  interest  and  aid.  The  ceaseless  pressure  of  his  daily 
work  gave  no  opportunity  for  such  occupation,  and  his  whole  dis- 
position confined  him  to  his  one  pursuit. 

"  This  one  thing  I  do''  was  in  his  constant  expression  the  purpose 
of  his  Ufe,  and  the  duties  of  such  a  ministry  forbade  his  engage- 
ment in  extraneous  or  public  afi'airs. 

Throughout  this  period,  the  work  o£  St.  George's  Church  con- 
tinued in  uninterruptoci  prosperity,  but  without  important  events 
or  facts  which  call  for  particular  record,  included  in  its  con- 
gregation were  many  voj^resenting  all  the  different  political  senti- 
ments and  sympathies  oi  the  time,  and  many  whom  Dr.  Tyng's 
utterances  on  such  subjects  might  be  expected  to  ofi'end.  This, 
however,  had  no  influence  upon  him,  eithc'J  to  restrain  or  to  de- 
ter. In  a  sermon  upon  the  occasion  of  the  Eighteenth  anniver- 
sary of  his  rectorship  in  April,  18G3,  he  refers  in  the  following  words 
to  the  harmony  and  happiness  of  the  people,  as  one  of  the  most 
grateful  elements  of  his  relations  • 

*  The  Nation's  trial  for  these  two  years  has  borne  hardly  upon 
all  congregations-  in  many  cases  has  separated  chief  friends. 

"Upon  political  subjects  and  questions  ministers  are   allowed 
neither  to  speak  or  to  be  silent ;  neither  to  have  any  opinions,  or 
to  have  no  opinions      Whatever  they  may  sa>    some  are  offended. 
li  the^  suy  nothing,  others  are.     There  are  jiersons  in   every  con 
grcgation  too  vivacious  and  sensitive,  to  listen  to  anything  in  which 


342  Rev.  Stephen  Htggtnson    Tyng,  D.D. 

they  do  not  agree  ;  others  too  set  and  determined  in  their  judg- 
ments to  permit  silence  upon  the  subjects  which  they  deem 
paramount. 

"  For  any  minister  to  satisfy  and  meet  all  these  classes,  is  impos- 
sible. He  would  be  a  very  weak  and  silly  man  who  should 
attempt  it.  But  I  suppose  I  have  been  called  to  suffer  as  little  in 
these  relations  as  any  of  my  contemporaries.  Of  the  opinions  of  the 
vast  projDortion  of  those  who  listen  to  me,  on  the  great  questions  of 
the  day,  I  am  completely  ignorant,  so  little  have  I  conversed  upon 
such  topics.  If  they  are  equally  ignorant  of  my  own  views  on 
them,  I  shall  not  regret  it. 

"There  are  no  questions  on  which,  as  they  proceed  in  develop- 
ment, a  wise  man  will  not  have  many  opinions,  and  sometimes  fail 
to  settle  a  pre-eminence  for  himself.  But  I  have  encountered  no 
personal  hostility,  and  no  extensive  desertion,  in  this  congregation 
on  this  subject  j  and  I  was  never  more  happy  in  all  my  relations 
with  them  than  I  am  now.  Thus  I  close  my  eighteen  years'  work, 
with  my  acknowledgments  of  gratitude  to  God,  of  affection  for 
the  people  committed  to  me,  of  devotion  to  the  work  and  will  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  in  my  time  to  come.  " 

The  division  in  political  sentiments  in  the  North  in  many  in- 
stances found  its  ajD^Dropriate  expression  in  the  acts  of  dislo^^alty 
by  which  the  government  was  continually  harassed  and  with  which 
it  had  constantly  to  contend.  From  the  outset,  informers  and  spies 
in  every  department  betrayed  the  trust  reposed  in  them,  while 
prominent  men,  under  the  guise  of  jDolitical  partisanship,  ill  con- 
cealed the  encouragement  and  aid  which,  by  means  of  a  divided 
North,  they  sought  to  give  to  the  South. 

During  the  Winter  of  1863,  this  spirit  of  disloyalty  becoming 
threatening  in  its  character  and  extent,  and  especially  open  and 
active  in  its  exertions,  vigorous  and  extraordinary  measures  were 
required  for  its  suppression.  These,  when  enforced,  were  the  sub- 
jects of  denunciation,  and  frequently  met  by  violent  resistance,  the 
administration  being  vehemently  assailed  for  its  so-claimed  illegal 
and  arbitrary  acts.  The  Conscription  act  recently  adopted,  gave 
additional  strength  to  this  opposition,  and  placed  in  its  hands  an 
important  factor  of  sedition  and  strife. 

Such  in  brief  were  the  circumstances  in  which,  on  the  request  of 
the  United  States  Senate,  President  Lincoln  ajDpointed  the  30th  day 
of  April,  1863,  as  a  day  of  Humiliation  and  Prayer,  and  urged  its 
special  observance  ujDon  the  people  of  the  land. 

As  the  most  appropriate  theme  for  his  sermon  on  this  occasion. 


Ministry,  1861  to  186^,  343 

Dr.  Tyng  selected  'Christian  Loyalty.'  It  has  been  considered  one 
of  the  most  eloquent  of  his  appeals  in  his  country's  cause.  The 
text  chosen  was  : 

Psalm  cxxxvii.  1-2-5-6.  "  By  the  rivers  of  Babylon,  there  we  sat 
down,  yea,  we  wept,  when  we  remembered  Zion.  We  hanged  our 
harps  upon  the  willows  in  the  midst  thereof.  If  I  forget  thee,  O 
Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand  forget  her  cunning.  If  I  do  not  re- 
member thee,  let  my  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  my  mouth  ;  if  I 
prefer  not  Jerusalem  above  my  chief  joy." 

"  This,"  he  said,  "  is  the  patriot's  devotion  to  his  country.  It  is  a 
living  spirit  in  his  heart.  It  clings  to  his  own  land  and  people  in 
their  lowest  depression  as  truly  as  in  their  highest  prosperity.  It 
is  living  and  active  within  him,  to  whatever  contumely  and  re- 
proach it  may  expose  him.  It  is  determined  and  unyielding,  how- 
ever multiplied  and  persecuting  may  be  the  foes  he  meets,  or  the 
disappointments  he  endures.  Nay,  like  every  class  of  that  true  and 
faithful  love,  of  which  it  is  an  illustration,  its  tenacity  and  power 
continually  grow  with  the  misfortunes  of  the  land  of  his  home,  and 
even  with  his  own  despair  of  its  recovery. 

*'  This  one  outspreading  sea  of  human  affection  gains  a  si^ecific 
name,  as  it  laves  the  shore  of  every  separate  2)ortion  of  the  dwell- 
ing places  of  man.  And  whether  filial,  marital,  parental,  social  or 
national,  it  is  but  the  same  generic  spirit,  designated  by  a  new 
name  as  it  becomes  specially  marked  by  new  relations  in  this  divine 
geography. 

"  When  this  heaven-born  love  touches  the  shore  of  National 
relations,  it  is  Loyalty.  But  one  higher,  grander  relation  can  it 
have  ;  that  one  which  exalts  it  beyond  all  earthly  bounds,  and  bids 
it  roll  upon  the  dominion  and  the  person  of  the  great  Lord  of 
Lords,  and  King  of  Kings.  The  Church,  the  person,  the  heavenly 
home  of  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church,  the  Prince  of  the  kings  of 
the  earth,  is  the  one  only  nobler,  loftier,  more  abiding  exercise  and 
display  of  human  love. 

"  The  child's  love  of  his  home,  the  father's  love  of  his  family, 
the  Christian's  love  of  his  Saviour,  are  the  patriot's  love  of  his 
country,  and  the  citizen's  loyalty  to  his  nation  and  his  government. 
And  if  the  liowing  fountain  of  the  whole  dwell  within  the  man,  the 
course  of  its  streams  is  easily  to  be  predicted.  If  the  channels  of 
these  streams  are  dry,  the  fountain-head  has  dried  and  ceased  to 
How.  Indifference  to  the  claims  of  national  loyalty,  and,  still 
more,  a  coldness  which  comes  with  apparent  depression,  and 
which  springs  from  the  disappointment  of  individual  selfish    ambi- 


344  R^"^'  Stephen  Higginso7i    Tyng,  D.D. 

tion,  is  a  spirit  and  character  which  every  good  man  must  abhor. 
I  should  feel  neither  my  property  nor  my  person, — my  home  nor 
my  family, — my  life  nor  my  reputation,  to  be  safe  within  the  grasp 
of  a  man  who  could  boldly  renounce  the  obligations  of  unchanging, 
consistent  loyalty,  and  join  himself  to  the  revolutionary  influence 
and  plans  contrived  and  combined  to  overthrow  the  dominion  of 
a  just  authority,  which  had  furnished  him  all  his  shelter  and  suc- 
cess,— and  to  break  up  the  Nation  under  which  he  had 'peacefully 
lived  and  grown  under  its  healthful  shadow." 

After  considering  loyalty  to  Jerusalem  as  "  Love  for  her 
Nation,"  "Love  for  her  Country,"  "Love  for  her  Constitution," 
"  Love  for  her  Freedom  Established,"  he  continued  : 

"  My  loyalty  to  Jerusalem  is  my  love  for  her  Government.  .  . 
I  love  this  government.  I  love  it  in  its  origin.  I  love  it  in  its  sim- 
plicity. I  love  it  in  its  supremacy.  I  love  it  in  its  individuality.  I 
love  it  in  its  constitutional  strength.  I  love  it  in  its  personal 
power,  determination  and  will. 

"  There  is  an  affected  distinction  made  between  this  govern- 
ment and  its  administration.  I  agree  that  there  is  the  possibility  of 
such  a  distinction  in  theory.  But  it  is  the  simple  distinction 
between  form  and  life,  between  conceded  power  and  its  activity. 
It  is  a  distinction  possible  only  in  the  theory.  The  administration 
is  the  government  in  actual  life.  The  government  arises  into  being 
in  administration,  and  till  the  term  of  official  being  expires,  you 
cannot  separate  the  administration  from  the  government.  And 
my  loyalty  to  the  government,  in  which  I  find  the  honor  of  my 
Nation,  is  my  loyalty  to  the  administration  of  that  government,  in 
its  personal  representatives  of  the  executive  sovereignty  of  the 
people.  I  agree  that  this  does  not  involve  my  complete  satis- 
faction in  opinion  with  all  the  actions  of  the  administration. 
It  certainly  did  not  for  me  when  James  Buchanan  was  the 
representative  of  the  people's  executive  sovereignty.  It  cer- 
tainly has  not  for  me,  in  all  things,  in  the  administration  of  his 
successor. 

"  But  I  should  find  no  fault  with  alleged  arbitrary  acts.  I  would 
that  he  were  the  re-impersonation  of  the  iron  will  and  determination 
of  Andrew  Jackson,  and  that  every  sympathizer  with  this  shocking 
treason  had  been  made  to  feel  the  power  of  the  people's  stern  dis- 
pleasure. And  yet,  I  rebuke  my  own  impetuosity  of  spirit,  and  I 
honor,  as  perhaps  far  wiser,  the  forbearance,  the  gentleness,  the 
integrity,  the  fixed  pursuit  of  conscientious  principle,  which  have 
so  remarkably  distinguished  the  present  righteous  but  too  forbear- 


Ministry,  1861  to  186^.  345 

iug  sovereign  of   this  people, — for  in  him  I  honor  the    unlimited 
sovereignty  of  the  people  of  this  Nation  in  themselves. 

"  I  make,  therefore,  no  distinction,  for  there  can  be  no  practical  one 
established,  between  the  government  and  the  administration.  And  I 
view  all  hostility  to  the  administration, — quite  differing  from  mere 
disapprobation  or  disagreement  of  opinion, — to  be  but  an  assumed 
and  convenient  asj)ect  of  real  hostility  to  the  government  itself ; 
and,  whil^  the  administration  is  engaged  in  maintaining  the 
supremacy  of  the  Constitution,  and  the  very  existence  of  the  Nation, 
to  be  just  that  which  the  Constitution  defines  as  '  treason  against 
the  United  States,'  consisting  in  '  adhering  to  their  enemies,  and 
giving  them  aid  and  comfort.' 

"  In  the  present  crisis  of  the  Nation  my  loyalty  is  called  to  con- 
sider the  whole,  and  the  absorbing  question,  of  rebellion  and  war ; 
and  in  a  single  indivisible  alternative,  to  cleave  to  the  government 
of  my  country,  or  to  opjDose  and  distract  it  while  engaged  in  war. 
I  see  and  feel  all  this  most  sadlv. 

•  ••  •••  •••••• 

"  How  remarkable  is  the  present  aspect  of  this  government ! 
What  government  ever  found  itself  upheld  with  such  a  system  of 
finance  in  war,  such  armies  of  voluntary  defenders,  such  united 
loyalty  in  a  people,  such  rapid  disgrace  of  those  "who  have  opposed 
it  ?  What  nation  in  war  was  ever  distinguished  by  such  humanity 
to  foes,  such  unwillingness  to  exercise  even  a  moderate  and  just 
severity,  such  readiness  to  bear  with  injustice,  and  to  utter  an 
amnesty  for  crime  ?  What  other  government  on  earth  would  have 
tolerated  in  office  such  manifest  unfaithfulness  to  itself  in  high 
official  and  military  stations,  such  absolute  disobedience  to  superior 
authority,  such  undisguised  consideration  of  the  welfare  of  enemies, 
or  of  future  contingent  personal  attainments  ? 

"  Surely  the  last  charge  that  can  with  justice  be  made  against 
such  an  administration  is  arbitrary  violence  or  unseemly  severity. 
And  the  wisest  observers  can  only  comfort  themselves  in  their  ob- 
servation of  such  remarkable  patience  and  long-suffering,  with  the 
assured  feeling  that  it  must  cut  off  from  history  the  whole  spirit  of 
censure,  and  render  but  the  more  execrable  and  odious  the  con- 
Bpiracy  with  which  it  has  dealt  so  mercifully. 

**  But  ray  regard  for  the  present  administration  advances  with 
its  own  career.  Its  growth  is  in  all  the  attributes  which  must 
attract  the  confidence  and  love  of  generous  men.  The  day  which 
has  called  us  together  is  a  vivid  illustration  of  this.  How  remark- 
ably honorable  to  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  was  the   resolu- 


34^  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

tion  unanimously  adopted  by  them,  suggesting  such  a  reference  to 
the  Divine  authority  and  will !  How  equallv  creditable  to  him- 
self iiJ  the  proclamation  of  the  President ! 

"  The  Christian  people  of  this  land  cannot  fail  to  honor  and  to 
sustain,  with  the  most  loyal  devotion,  an  administration  so  dis- 
tinguished by  all  the  integrity  of  principle  which  can  honor  an 
Executive,  and  all  the  fidelity  of  personal  feeling  which  can  exalt  an 
individual.  And  in  looking  at  the  whole  field  spread  (fut  before 
me,  I  behold  a  glorious  governmentj  contending,  like  a  tempest- 
tossed  but  majestic  ship,  with  a  storm  of  intense  violence  and  fury, 
riding  on  the  angry  waves  uninjured,  unshrinking,  facing  still  the 
vehemence  of  the  tempest.  I  behold  an  administration  distin- 
guished by  probity,  moderation,  calmness,  honesty,  and  truth, — 
standing  still  on  deck,  a  wearied  but  unresting  pilot,  determined  to 
weather  the  gale,  and  bring  safe  to  port  the  precious  trust  commit- 
ted to  his  care.  I  see  his  lofty  head  above  the  gathered  anxious 
multitude  around  him,  still  tranquil,  determined,  generous  and 
unexcited  :  not  fast  enough,  not  stern,  not  avenging  enough,  I  am 
ready  to  say,  as  I  hear  multitudes  say  around  me.  But  what  man 
has  said,  or  dares  in  the  face  of  the  American  people,  to  say,  Not 
honest  enough,  not  conscientious  enough,  not  enough  really  trying 
and  determined  to  do  that  which  is  right?  I  see  him  with  his 
surrounding  council,  baring  his  head  amidst  the  storms,  and  while 
taxing  all  his  energies  of  mind,  and  heart,  and  feeling  for  the  most 
disinterested  and  thorough  fulfillment  of  his  fearful  duties,  with 
uplifted  eye  calling  aloud  through  all  the  wave-washed  deck,  in  a 
voice  that  all  shall  hear,  and  none  shall  misunderstand  ;  'Look 
aloft,  look  aloft.  Let  us  pray  to  God,  and  trust  ourselves  to  Him. 
Let  us  strive  to  do  His  will,  and  ask  and  supplicate  His  gracious 
blessing  with  us.  He  it  is,  who  maketh  the  winds  His  messengers, 
and  the  flaming  fire  His  ministers.' 

"  I  stand  and  survey  this  majestic  scene,  this  sublime  spectacle, 
and  I  return  to  my  own  heart  and  say  :  Before  I  am  disloyal  to 
such  a  government,  to  such  an  administration,  to  such  a  represent- 
ative of  the  sovereign  majesty  of  my  people,  '  let  my  right  hand 
forget  her  cunning,  and  my  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  my 
mouth.'  To  my  nation,  to  my  country,  to  her  principle  of  freedom, 
to  the  Constitution,  to  the  government,  while  I  live  will  I  be  faith- 
ful; and  however  depressed  or  downcast  or  desponding  may  be 
the  incidents  and  elements  of  the  day,  even  though  in  captivity  I 
sit  by  the  rivers  of  Babylon,  I  will  never  forget,  dishonor,  or  deny 
the  Jerusalem  I  have  loved,  beneath  whose  shade  I  have  grown  and 


Ministry,  1861  to  186^,  347 

been  refreshed,  and  with  whose  sons  and  daughters  I  have  gone  to 
the  house  of  God  and  taken  sweet  delight.  Still  in  prayer  for  my 
beloved  country  will  I  look  up  to  the  King  of  Kings  and  Lord  of 
Lords." 

There  soon  succeeded,  however,  a  period  in  strong  contrast  to 
that  in  which  these  words  were  uttered.  The  victories  of  Gettys- 
burg and  Vicksburg,  in  the  Summer  of  1863,  with  others  in 
various  pof  tions  of  the  field  of  conflict,  combined  to  silence  in  great 
measure  the  doubts  and  fears  which  had  before  prevailed.  Again 
were  the  people  summoned  in  acknowledgment  of  the  divine  power, 
but  at  this  time  to  praise  Him  "  for  the  wonderful  things  He  had 
done  in  the  nation's  behalf. "  The  30th  of  August,  and  again  the 
annual  day  of  Thanksgiving,  in  the  following  November,  were  set 
apart  by  the  President  as  days  of  special  Thanksgiving  for  the 
mercies  which  had  been  thus  vouchsafed,  and  which,  in  the  words  of 
the  President's  proclamation,  "  no  human  council  had  devised  nor 
had  any  mortal  hand  worked  out." 

In  such  repeated  calls  was  the  voice  of  the  pulpit  tuned  in 
prayer  and  praise  upon  these  different  occasions,  and  it  is  needless 
to  say  that  Dr.  Tyng's  voice  was  heard  in  an  earnest  response. 

Successive  events  indicated  the  downfall  of  all  attempts  at  the 
subversion  of  the  National  authority  and  presaged  an  early  return 
of  peace.  There  was  yet,  however,  to  be  a  final  struggle,  upon  the 
results  of  which  hung  all  which  the  war,  now  so  prolonged,  must 
decide.  In  the  National  election  occurring  in  the  Fall  of  1864  was 
the  last  opportunity  by  which  the  opponents  of  the  government 
might  attain  their  ends.  The  political  campaign  which  followed  the 
renomination  of  President  Lincoln  was  practically  the  death  strug- 
gle of  the  rebellion,  and  on  its  result  depended  the  terms  upon 
which  peace  might  be  secured.  No  canvass  was  ever  more  earnestly 
conducted  or  more  bitterly  contested,  every  shaft  of  malignity 
and  abuse  being  hurled  at  the  President,  in  the  efi'ort  to  weaken  his 
influence  and  destroy  his  power,  in  the  minds  and  afi'ections  of  the 
people.  The  National  Tlianksgiving  Day  appointed  upon  the  4th 
of  August,  1864,  occurring  in  the  midst  of  these  conditions,  addi- 
tional interest  is  given  to  the  words  of  Dr.  Tyng's  sermon,  which 
was  specially  upon  the  question  then  in  every  thought. 

The  terms  upon  which  a  righteous  peace  could  alone  be  made 
were  found  in  the  words  of  his  text  : 

"  Open  ye  the  gates,  that  the  righteous  nation  which  keepeth 
the  truth  may  enter  in,"  Isaiah  xxvi.  2  :  from  which  the  following 
thoughts  were  drawn — 


34^  Rev,  Stephen  Higginso7i    Tyng,  D,D, 

*'  A  gate,  in   human  use,  is  a   token    of  advancing  civilization. 
It   is  the  assertion  of  property;    and  of  the  right  of  withholding 
and  restraint.     It  is  also  the  offer  of  privilege  and  of  the  permis- 
sion for  entrance  and  jDarticipation  to   others  who  have  no  right. 
.     .     .     .     Thus,  with    manifest   propriety,    the   gate  becomes  the 
symbol  and  illustration  of  the  divine  government  and  providence; 
asserting,  both  in  the  exclusion  and  the  invitation,  the  absolute  sov- 
ereignty  and   authority    of  God.      Whatever    of  advantage    or  of 
hope  may  lie  beyond  the  fence  of  restriction   is  to  be  reached  only 
through  the  gate  which  He  opens;  and  upon  the  terms  of  time,  of 
persons,  and  of  qualifications  which  He  prescribes.     The  fence  of 
exclusion  announces   to  man  that   He  has  no  rights.      The  gate  of 
possible  entrance  proclaims   to   him  the  terms  which  the  infinite 
wisdom  of  the  divine  possessor  has  established,  on  which  he  may 
enter  to  enjoy  the  benefits  which  lie   beyond.     An  instance  and  il- 
lustration of  this  whole  operation,  is  in  the  gospel  of  the  Son  of 
God 

"  Thus  the  text  presents  a  privilege  and  its  restrictions.  A  pros- 
pect of  peace,  and  the  terms  on  which  it  may  be  securely  obtained. 
And  whether  you  consider  its  principles  in  reference  to  the  great 
and  final  triumphs  of  Christ  and  His  righteous,  justified  nation,  or 
the  illustration  of  some  local  and  temporary  conflict  and  victories, 
the  same  great  testimony  of  the  divine  government  is  given. 

"  This  subject,  thus  illustrated,  I  would  consider  in  reference  to 
our  own  nation,  in  its  present  sublime,  exalted  and  triumphant 
struggle. 

"  There  is  a  gate  which  opens  to  us  the  animating  prospect  of 
victory  and  peace,  one  single  way  of  divine  permission,  through 
which  we  may  pass  to  security  and  greatness  beyond.  Across 
every  other  path  a  fence  of  impossible  restriction  has  been 
stretched  by  the  hand  of  God,  and  over  that  fence  we  may  not  safely 
break,  and  through  it,  we  in  vain  shall  try  to  force  our  passage. 
The  attractive  and  the  compensating  prospect  which  lies  beyond 
that  fence,  and  through  that  gate,  is  the  restoration  of  our  Nation 
in  its  one  government,  and  integrity;  the  establishment  of  a 
people,  united,  homogeneous  and  free,  the  renewing  of  our  immense 
patrimony  with  all  the  arts  of  peace,  and  the  prosperous  achieve- 
ments of  honored  and  protected  labor,  the  inauguration  of  a 
nation  whose  love  of  liberty  and  order  has  been  tested  by  the  sac- 
rifices which  it  has  freely  made  for  their  preservation  and  defence 
and  whose  pacific  and  liberating  influence  thus  tested  and  displayed 
will  be  felt  through  all  the  earth. 


Ministry,  1861  to  186^,  349 

"  Beyond  that  gate  there  dwells  a  generation  in  coming  time, 
whose  glory  will  not  be  in  violent  rebellion  against  just  authority, 
and   whose   delight  will  not  be   in  war.     To  whom  oppression  ot 
the  poor  will  not  be  in    the  joy    of  the  heart,  nor  unholy   gain, 
though  great,  the  boast  of  their  attainment.      The  peaceful  and 
prosperous  arts  of   human  civilization  are  there  :    the  cultivation  of 
a  continent  at  rest  is  there;  the    gathering  of  a  vast,  industrious, 
and  thriving  people  is  there.     Education,  social  position,  true  re- 
ligion, human  happiness  are  there.     Such  a  social  public  state  as 
earth   saw  never,    and  heaven   stoops   down   to  see.     There   man 
will  be  honored  for  himself,  and  all  the   gains  of  righteous  toil  for 
man  be  laid  open  in  the  path  of  all.     And  neither  caste  nor  color, 
neither  national  derivation  nor  low  extraction,  neither  poverty  in 
birth  nor  ignorance  in  a  forced  and  laboring  youth,  shall  stretch 
its  fence  across   the  path  to  respectability,   acknowledgment  and 
honor  of  any  citizen  of  the  favored  land.     That  rail  splitters  and 
tailors  rise  to  eminence,  that  poor  and  wandering  boys  soar  from 
an  orphan  house  up  to  high  office,  usefulness  and  renown,  that  the 
children  of  men  unknown  honor  and  occupy  the  rich  places  of  the 
earth,  shall  there  awaken  no  surprise,  shall  startle  no  human  pride, 
as  a  monstrous  anomaly,  nor  arouse  the  derision  and  scorn  of  the 
degraded  and  envious,  as  a  dishonor  to  the  people,  whose  history 
these  marks  distinguish. 

*'  There  the  hateful  oppressions  and  oligarchies  of  an  old  world 
will  have  died  out;  buried  in  a  bloody  grave,  and  the  whole  land,  like 
the  post-diluvian  virgin  earth,  will  emerge  from  its  apparent  and 
assured  destruction;  only  in  a  sweeter  beauty,  for  a  more  hopeful 
youth,  and  a  grander  destiny,  than  it  had  ever  before  imagined  or 
than  any  nation  has  seen  on  earth  beside.  This,  to  me,  is  no  dream 
of  fancy,  but  the  language  of  predictive  fact. 

"  Thus  I  see  the   vine  extending  and   established  bevond  that 
gate  at  which  we  stand,  worth  every  thing  it  has  cost,  hiding  in  its 
accumulating  blessings  the  remembrance  of  its  price;  but  as  the 
call  for  gratitude  pouring  a  radiance  around  the  men,  who  in  the 
various  portions  of  the  transforming  administration,  whicli  kas  car- 
ried the  nation  through  the  storm  to  its  peaceful  result,  have  pa- 
tiently fulfilled  their  noble  work,  and  heaped  everlasting  disgrace 
upon  the  memory  of  those  who  have   opposed,  reviled,  distrusted, 
undermined,  and   tried  in  every  way   to  defeat   and    destroy  the 
chosen,  faithful,  unrelaxing,  servants  of  God.     The  money  cost  of 
all  this  gain,  in  a  few  years  of  peaceful  labor  will  become  an  in- 
vestment of  an   incalculable  wealth  thereafter.     Its  cost  in  Ufo  will 


2,5o  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D. 

be  a  memorial  and  honor,  a  record  of  renown,  whieli  will  fill  the 
land  with  applauding  monuments,  the  Nation's  heart  with  abiding 
thankfulness,  and  the  page  of  history,  with  an  undying  record  of 
greatness  and  glory.     .     .     . 

*'  Glorious  has  been  the  exhibition  of  the  Nation,  in  the  elevation 
of  the  general  publicsentiment;  in  the  outpouring  of  means  of  de- 
fence, in  the  calm  and  lenient  wisdom  of  the  Executive,  in  the  in- 
vincible tenacity  of  the  armies  and  navy,  both  in  the  persons  of 
leaders  of  the  highest  honor  and  skill,  and  in  the  intelligent  deter- 
mination of  a  soldiery,  whom  traitors  at  home,  and  foreign  agents 
of  oppression  have  vainly  affected  to  despise.  Upon  these  past 
three  j^ears,  I  look  with  daily  wonder  at  what  has  been  achieved. 
And  whatever  treason  may  start  forth,  whatever  faction  may  arise, 
and  under  what  names  of  parties  or  persons,  hostility  and  abuse 
may  come  abroad;  no  man  shall  silence  me  from  declaring  that  my 
highest  confidence  has  been  and  is  still  given  to  the  faithful  ad- 
ministration, under  which  our  nation  is  moving  on  to  its  hour  of 
victory,  and  to  whom,  to  my  mind,  its  highest  welfare  and  honor 
have  been  most  safely  and  satisfactorily  entrusted. 

"  It  shall  never  be  a  part  of  my  consciousness,  nor  of  the 
record  against  me,  that  I  have  ever  united,  consorted  with, 
countenanced,  encouraged,  palliated  or  excused,  the  agents,  instru- 
ments and  heralds  of  hostility  or  vituperaton  against  the  govern- 
ment of  any  country,  carrying  such  a  load,  enduring  such  a  respon- 
sibility, and  so  honestly  and  effectually  maintaining  the  honor,  and 
protecting  the  life  of  the  Nation,  in  this  severest  trial  through 
which  any  living  people  were  ever  called  to  pass.  From  my  soul,  I 
honor  and  trust  the  exalted  man,  who,  in  the  divine  providence 
stands  at  the  head  of  our  administration  as  pre-eminently  wise, 
disinterested,  honest  and  faithful,  and  no  man,  nor  papers,  nor 
parties  shall  delude  me  into  the  feeling  of  distrust,  or  provoke  me 
to  one  act  of  desertion,  or  draw  from  me,  or  persuade  me  to  listen 
to,  the  language  of  reproach  and  detraction. 

"  But  still  the  fence  stands  stretched  across  our  path,  and  the 
gate  of  divine  providence  and  permission  which  shall  open  for  us 
to  peace  and  victory  stands  securely  closed.  The  interval  of  ex- 
perience it  is  vain  to  predict.  Perhaps  darker,  heavier  trials  than 
we  have  yet  seen  may  be  gathering  in  our  way.  More  oppression 
and  complicated  difficulties  than  all  the  present  may  be  standing 
in  array  before  us.  The  altar  of  the  Nation's  life  may  call  for 
holocausts  of  sacrifice  far  more  numerous;  the  offering  of  human 
wealth  may  be  demanded,  far  more  abounding  and  more  oppress- 


MUiistry,  1861  to  1865,  35 1 

ive  to  bear.  Families  may  sigh  in  anguish,  and  industry  and 
thrift  may  groan  beneath  the  burden  of  expenditure;  selfish  hostil- 
ity and  ambition  may  seize  the  occasion  for  new  and  more  violent 
political  aggression.  A  suddenly  excited  and  deceived  people  m&y 
be  induced,  in  the  paroxsym  of  the  turmoil  and  distress,  to  overturn 
the  whole  administration  of  government,  and  exalt  some  untried 
military  adventurer  or  some  plausible  and  promising  scheming 
civilian,  to  the  chariot  of  supreme  authority.  New  clouds  may 
gather,  and  new  tempests,  may  rise.  All  this  may  be  before  that 
gate  shall  open,  and  men's  hearts  may  fail  from  fear,  and  in  look- 
ing for  the  things  which  seem  to  be  coming  on  the  earth. 

"  It  may  be  so  ;  but  the  gate  is  there,  and  there  is  no  other  gate 
to  the  glory  which  shines  beyond.  At  that  gate  how  many  stand  in 
the  attitude  of  earnest,  intense  desire,  uniting  in  the  unceasing  cry  : 
*  Open  ye  the  gates! '  Who  does  not  unite  in  this  earnest  cry  for 
peace  on  earth,  for  victory  to  a  Nation's  arms,  for  substantial  se- 
curity, security  for  the  Nation's  authority  and  life  ?  From  myriads 
of  churches,  families,  and  closets,  the  prayer  daily  ascends  to  God  : 
'  O  Lord,  open  thou  the  gate.'  *  Scatter  the  people  who  deUght 
in  war.'  *  Give  peace  in  our  time,  O  Lord.'  And  the  language  of 
our  text  becomes  the  utterance  of  a  Nation's  prayer,  and  the  one 
subject  of  a  Nation's  hope  and  desire.  To  lead  to  this,  is  doubtless 
one  great  purpose  of  the  ruling  providence  of  God.  That  gate  will 
open  when  a  people  learn  and  feel  that  God  ruleth  in  the  earth, 
when  they  remember  that  the  warfare  is  His,  and  the  limiting 
and  ending  it  is  in  His  hands  alone,  when  they  feel  and  acknowl- 
edge that  the  Most  High  ruleth  in  the  kingdoms  of  men  and 
putteth  down  one,  and  setteth  up  another,  according  to  His  will. 

"  And  this  may  bring  us  to  the  view  which  we  would  take  of  the 
divine  restrictions  and  permission,  as  uttered  in  the  text :  *  Open 
ye  the  gates,  that  the  righteous  nation  which  keepeth  the  truth  may 
enter  in.' 

"  It  is  a  righteous  nation  which  is  to  enter  there.  A  righteous 
nation  is  a  justified  and  accepted  nation  ;  a  nation  upon  whose 
cause,  and  stand,  and  course  of  principle  and  action  God  is 
pleased  to  look  with  favor  and  approbation.  It  takes  a  right 
stand,  it  adopts  a  right  principle,  it  adheres  to  a  right  theory,  and 
it  follows  out  this  principle  and  theory  with  unshrinking  tenacity. 
The  ground  on  which  it  stands  is  truth,  anct  its  unchanging  course 
of  action  is  to  keep  that  truth. 

"  Doubtless  this  view  of  character  and  conduct,  as  applied  to 
national  characteristics,  must  include  the  elements  and  cultivation 


352  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng^  D.D, 

of  private  virtue  in  individuals.  It  can  liardly  be  a  righteous 
nation  whose  component  individuals  are  vicious  and  depraved. 
But  the  view  which  I  would  now  take  is  of  national  character 
peculiarly,  the  facts  which  constitute  a  nation  righteous  before  God 
as  a  nation. 

"  Two  great  principles  manifestly  constitute  the  responsibility 
of  our  National  character,  and  the  neglect  of  these  two  great  prin- 
ciples has  been  our  National  crime.  There  can  never  be  perma- 
nent peace  or  prosperity  to  this  Nation,  but  in  their  faithful  main- 
tenance. They  constitute  our  mission  on  the  earth.  To  keep  them 
is  our  resjionsibility.     To  sacrifice  them  is  our  crime. 

"The  first  of  these  great  principles  is  the  divine  character  of 
human  government^  and  the  excessive  crime  of  man's  rebellion  against  it. 
It  is  the  first  nation  on  earth,  in  the  great  array  of  modern  civiliza- 
tion, in  which  a  government  maintained  by  a  nation,  subject  only 
to  the  will  of  God,  has  been  established.  Everywhere  beside 
men  are  rulers  by  the  arbitrary  claim  of  divine  right  in  some 
family  inheritance,  and  all  other  men  are  subjects  to  this  one  self- 
exalted  line.  The  theory  may  be  more  or  less  limited  by  constitu- 
tional concessions  from  the  governing  power,  or  made  more  or  less 
individually  effective  by  the  imperial  assumption  of  the  particular 
ruler.  But  it  is  the  same  false  theor}\  The  asserted  claim  of  a 
conquering  few  to  the  right  to  rule  the  residue  of  men  as  sub- 
jects to  their  will.  Rebellion  against  such  assumption  of  authority, 
may  be  often  duty,  indispensable  to  a  nation's  life.  But  govern- 
ment with  us  is  the  government  of  the  Nation,  from  which  there 
can  be  no  appeal.  God  alone  is  conceded  to  be  superior  in  author- 
ity ;  and  He  the  only  acknowledged  fountain  of  public  power. 

"  This  great  principle  of  divine  government  is  a  great  truth  com- 
mitted to  our  charge,  for  the  defence  and  maintenance  of  which  we 
are  responsible  to  God  and  man.  If  rebellion  against  such  a 
government  be  not  wrong,  nothing  is  wrong  !  there  is  no  crime  on 
earth.  And  whether  it  comes  in  the  figment  of  State  rights,  or 
provincial  claims,  or  sectional  assumptions,  or  individual  complaints, 
all  rebellion  against  the  authority  of  such  a  government,  and  all 
force  arrayed  against  its  authority,  is  rebellion  against  God,  and 
treason  to  the  highest  rights  and  obligations  of  men.  I  care  not 
whether  it  is  by  States  or  persons,  by  majorities  or  minorities  in 
States.  If  it  be  a  majority  of  the  Nation,  it  is  rebellion  no  more, 
however  false  in  principle,  or  treacherous  to  the  will  of  God,  and 
the  future  welfare  of  men,  in  operation.  The  majority  must  rule, 
though  they  wrongly  exist,  and  the  minority  may  discuss,  protest, 


Ministry,  1861  to  186^,  353 

influence  and  teach,  in  hope  of  future  enlargement  of  power  to  do 
more,  but  cannot,  must  not  forcibly  rebel. 

"  God  has  entrusted  this  Nation  with  the  great  final  principle  of 
self-government  for  man,  under  His  authority  alone.  He  has  called 
this  generation  to  keep  this  great  and  all  pervading  truth.  They 
will  be  a  righteous  nation  only  in  maintaining  it.  They  will  be  an 
unrighteous  nation  before  God,  in  sacrificing  it,  and  whatever  its 
maintenance  may  cost  of  life  or  wealth,  its  sa.crifice  will  cost  far 
more,  and  we  can  never  come  out  of  this  contest  in  safety  or  enter 
the  gate  of  permanent  peace  and  victory,  unless  we  are  determined, 
that  no  future  rebellion  against  our  government  shall  be  counte- 
nanced or  encouraged  by  the  success  of  this. 

"  The  other  of  these  great  principles  is  the  equality  and  brotJwr- 
hood  of  men.  '  Honor  all  men,'  is  the  formula  of  its  divine  declara- 
tion. We  are  the  first  nation  in  the  array  of  modern  civilization 
to-day  that  has  universal  freedom  and  equality  of  man  at  the  basis 
of  our  whole  system  of  social  being. 

"  The  first  to  throw  open  the  w^liole  area  of  human  attainment, 
of  wealth,  of  rank,  of  learning,  of  authority,  fidelity  and  skill.  We 
called  all  men  brethren,  we  who  were  first  upon  the  soil;  invited  all 
others,  from  every  land,  to  follow  us  upon  the  same  broad  plane 
of  acknowledgment,  and  to  unite  with  us  in  the  determination  that 
there  should  be  one  land  of  earth,  where  man,  as  man,  might  say  he 
had  a  home.  We  inaugurated  what  the  great  Hungarian  so  beau- 
tifully called,  *  the  solidarity  of  nations,'  neither  Saxon  nor  Celt, 
nor  Teuton  nor  Scandinavian,  nor  Asiatic  nor  American,  should  be 
allowed  to  say  :  It  is  a  land  free  for  all  but  one.  We  have  faith- 
fully kept  that  compact,  and  the  descendants  of  all  races  are  filling 
at  their  will  all  the  places  of  our  highest  civilization  and  attain- 
ment. It  is  a  noble  exhibition,  and  in  its  perfection  would  be  what 
it  was  designed  to  be,  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth.  But  a  single 
leak  in  the  vessel  disregarded  and  neglected,  is  as  surely  fatal  as 
an  hundred.  One  exception  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth, 
wo  fatally  made.  And  that  one  exception  to  our  profi'ered  brother- 
hood to  man,  has  remained  our  curse  and  our  crime.  The  de- 
scendants of  Germans  and  Irish,  of  Huguenots  and  Papists, — nay, 
of  China  and  Japan — may  fill,  and  some  of  them  do  fill,  our  highest 
])laces  of  rank  and  renown.  But  the  utter,  bitter,  degrading  ex- 
clusion of  the  African,  from  all  the  rights,  acknowledgments,  pro- 
tections, advantages  of  liberty  has  been  the  growing  jiurpose  and 
operation  of  American  civilization  down  to  the  very  outbreak  of 
this  rebellion. 


354  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

"  Can  there  be  peace  in  compromising  this  great  principle  ? 
'  If  slavery  be  not  wrong,'  said  one  of  the  wisest  of  our  Nation, 
'  then  nothing  is  wrong.'  I  should  think  every  honest  heart  on 
earth  would  say  so.  I  would  never  acknowledge  anything  a 
Christianity  which  did  not  say  so.  God  has  given  us  this  great 
principle  to  hold,  to  keep.  It  is  '  the  truth,'  which  we  are  to  keep, 
which  we  have  bought  with  a  heavy  cost,  and  which  we  can  never 
sell  at  any  price. 

"It  is  basely  and   delusively  said.  Are  not  white  men  worth  as 
much  as  black  men  ?    Will  you  sacrifice  the  peace   and  welfare   of 
thirty  million  of  white  men  for  the  comfort  of  four  million  of  black 
men  ?     It  is  a  fair  commercial  question  and  calculation  in  its  terms. 
But  it  is  not  the  question  which  I  have  to  meet.     Can  thirty  million 
white  men  afford  to  maintain  their  wealth  by   the  cruel  oppres- 
sion of  the  four  miUion  of  black  men  ?    I  have  no  particular  interest 
•in  the  question  of  color ;  but  I  have  an  intense  interest  in  the  ques- 
tion of  National  righteousness.    That  black  men  should  be  slaves  or 
free,  has  no  personal  influence  for  me ;  I  have  nothing  at  stake  that 
others  have  not,  but  no  man  is  so  rich  or  so  exalted  as  to  be  able 
to  afford  to  be  fraudulent  or  unjust.     And   no  nation  is  so  exalted, 
as  to  be  able  safely   to    defend  and  maintain  a   National  injustice. 
Final  peace    in  the  Nation,  must  open  the   rights  of  equal  citizen- 
ship, advancement,  acknowledgment,  and   responsibility  to  all  the 
citizens  thereof.     All  the  people  must  be  free,  and  all  must  have  an 
equal  right  to  the  attainment  and  possession  of  all  the  advantages 
and  rights  which   freedom  brings.    If   the  Nation  keep  this  com- 
manding truth  with  fidelity,  it   will  be    a  righteous  Nation   before 
God.     And  He  will  open  the  gates  which  lead  to  victory  and  peace. 
For  these  great  truths  we  have   contended,    or   else    every  dollar 
and  every  life  expended  has  been  thrown  away. 

"  At  these  gates  we  stand.  When  the  Nation's  conscience  faith- 
fully responds  to  the  will  of  God;  when  it  keeps  and  values,  above 
material  cost,  the  great  truth  which  He  has  given  it  to  keep,  as  a 
people  and  a  pattern  on  the  earth;  when  its  prayers  for  freedom, 
and  justice  and  happiness  for  all  its  people,  cease  to  be  the  fumes 
of  hypocrisy  before  His  throne;  when  its  constitutions  are  purged 
from  the  protection  of  crime,  its  social  walks  cease  to  bristle  with 
the  thorns  of  oppression  to  the  jDOor  and  outcast,  its  churches  cease 
to  defend  the  exclusion  of  believing  men  for  their  color's  sake  from 
all  the  privileges  of  their  communion,  or  to  make  the  outward  skin 
the  token  of  their  Christian  fellowship;  when  its  men  of  wealth 
and  influence  become  thoroughly  loyal  to  National  authority,  and 


Ministry,  1861  to  1865,  355 

give  no  more  their  countenance  to  rebels,  and  the  defenders  of  re- 
bellion and  refuse  to  acknowledge  treason  in  whomsoever  found, 
in  any  social  rank  or  place  of  honor  ;  when  the  Nation  has  at  last 
suffered  enough  for  truth  to  make  it  dear,  and  seen  enough  of  the 
evils  of  treason  and  oppression  to  make  them  hateful,  and  no  longer 
your  streets  abound  with  revilers  of  your  government,  and  de- 
spisers  of  all  that  is  good  and  hopeful  in  your  National  life ;  when 
you  cease  to  encourage  rebellious  and  disloyal  papers  to  tamper 
with  men's  treason,  as  if  it  were  a  light  thing,  and  feel  and  believe 
that  there  is  something  on  earth  perhaps  better  than  money,  and 
more  valuable  than  life ;  when  you  willingly  give  your  means,  and 
time  and  strength,  and  influence,  to  maintain  the  life  and  being  of 
your  Nation  ;  when  you  have  sacrificed  a  tenth  as  much  to  defend 
your  country,  and  perpetuate  its  influence  to  bless  the  world,  as 
rebels  have  given  to  destroy  it ;  when  you  had  rather  be  justly  poor 
than  unrighteously  rich,  and  in  your  solemn  determination  maintain 
your  country  at  any  cost,  cease  to  murmur  at  the  cost  it  brings ;  you 
may  lift  up  your  ej^es  with  hope.  Then  will  the  gates  fly  open,  and 
God  proclaim  from  heaven  :  *  Behold,  I  have  set  before  thee  an 
open  door,  and  no  man  hath  power  to  shut  it.' " 

The  triumphant  re-election  of  President  Lincoln  w^as  an  em- 
phatic declaration  in  favor  of  the  most  determined  prosecution  of 
the  war,  a  death  blow  to  all  hope  for  any  peace  to  be  obtained  by  a 
concession  of  vital  principles  at  issue.  It  was  a  sufficient  cause  in 
itself  for  the  outpouring  of  grateful  hearts  on  the  annual  Thanks- 
giving Day  which  so  soon  succeeded,  and  is  thus  referred  to  by  Dr. 
Tyng  in  his  sermon  on  that  day  : 

"  The  late  remarkable  settlement  of  our  National  administration 
has  been  a  distinct  answer  to  the  Nation's  prayer.  Perhaps  never 
was  there  more  united,  general,  cordial  prayer  offered  by  any 
people, — in  reference  to  their  public  condition  and  prospect. 
Prayer  thus  spreading  out  like  an  atmosphere,  preparing  the  minds 
of  all  for  tranquil  submission,  and  educating  all  in  its  very  offer- 
ing, for  a  perfect  contentment  with  the  will  of  God,  however  it 
should  be  manifested  and  displayed.  Such  prayers,  so  various, 
and  so  comy)ining,  have  ascended,  instantly  night  and  day, 
through  all  this  contest,  increasing  in  their  volume,  and  number, 
and  earnestness,  as  the  struggle  has  proceeded,  and  the  river  of 
events  swelled  in  its  approach  to  its  final  mingling  in  the  ocean  of 
the  past.  Such  prayer  could  not  fail  in  being  lioard,  because  the 
promises  of  God  are  unfailing.  The  answers  to  prayer,  are  in  the 
providence  which  displays  the  divine  will,  and  with  gifts  which  flow 


-^56  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D,D, 


o 


from  divine  bounty.  These  prayers  have  found  their  answer,  and 
have  received  the  confirmation  of  their  trust  in  the  great  event, 
which  has  settled  the  question  of  the  Nation,  and  arrayed  its  mil- 
hons  of  people  in  the  quietness  of  submission,  and  the  patience 
of  hope.  And  we  can  receive  this  National  election  in  the  circum- 
stances which  have  distinguished  it,  in  no  other  way,  than  as  an 
answer  to  a  Nation's  prayer. 

"  The  millions  of  our  citizens  have  been  arrayed  for  months,  as 
special  umpires  to  adjudicate  the  great  question  spread  out  before 
them.     In    pleas   and    counterpleas,  in    bills   and  accusations,  in 
complaints  and  replies,  in  every   variety  of  shape,  and  with  every 
possible  detail  of  specification,  has  this  great  National  issue  been 
joined  before  them.     Advocates  of  every  degree  of  rank,  attainment 
and  learning,  have  pleaded  on  either  side,    with  consummate  skill, 
with   unrestricted   liberty,   and   with   unrivalled  earnestness    and 
power.     And  never  was  there  a  verdict  given  with  a  clearer  knowl- 
edge of  the  facts,  and  principles,  and  purposes  to  be  chosen  and 
adopted.     Never   was  there    a  National   question  more  separated 
from   the  men    who  were  its   temporary   representatives,  and  de- 
cided more  abstractly  upon  its   own  principles  and  elements  in- 
volved.    And  the  Nation  by  a  vote  of  almost  unprecedented  major- 
ity,   has  decided  the  whole  issue  at  stake,    endorsed  its   conviction 
of  the  integrity  and   capacity   of    the  administration    impeached, 
proclaimed   its   approbation   of  the    policy    and  purposes  avowed 
by  it,  and  commissioned  it,  as  completely  acquitted  and  approved, 
for  a  new  career  of  patriotic  effort,  to  close  the  strife  in  which  the 
Nation  is  involved,   to  root  up  the  elements  of    evil   which   have 
originated  and  sustained  the  warfare,  and  to  restore  the  empire  of 
the  Nation's  government  over  an  undivided  territory,  and  with  a 
united  population.     The  decision  has  been  too  absolute  and  entire, 
and  tne  action  too  open  and  free,  to  permit  the  charge  of  victory 
obtained  by  any  means  but  the   deliberate  and  thoroughly  formed 
conviction  of  the  people,  to  whom  the  appeal  was  made, — and  the 
Nation  is  resting  this  day,  with  an  unanimous  and  tranquil  satisfac- 
tion   that   the  people    have    fairly    spoken,    and    the    providence 
which  made  them  the  umpire  has  sealed  the  propriety  of  their  de- 
cision.    The  voice  of  the  people,  in  such  a  case,  can  be  none  other 
than  the  voice  of  God. 

"  This  event  has  been  the  most  triumphant  demonstration    of 
the  adequacy  of  republican  government. 

"  Our  Nation  has  for   near   a  century  been  employed  in  this 
great  experiment,   on  the  theatre  of  a  world's  observation.     There 


Ministry,  1861  to  186  j,  357 

were  tilings,  it  was  repeatedly  declared,  which  a  reiDuhlic  could  not 
do.  It  could  not  endure,  it  was  said,  a  foreign  war.  It  could  not 
carry  a  National  debt;  it  could  not  control  its  own  mohs;  it  could 
not  array  a  strong  government.  It  could  not  command  the  dissen- 
sions of  its  own  people.  It  could  not  sustain  the  crisis  of  civil 
war,  it  could  not  raise  an  army  or  a  navy  adequate;  it  must  cer- 
tainly go  down  when  it  came,  in  the  midst  of  such  a  war,  to  the  ad- 
ditional strain  and  violence  of  a  National  contested  election.  Some 
Cromwell  or  Napoleon  would  be  thrown  up,  who  would  be  made  to 
seize  the  power,  and  the  republic  would  expire  in  a  despotism  of 
military  tyranny.  But  this  great  republic  has  gone  through  all 
these  experiments,  in  their  heaviest  pressure.  And  never  was  it  so 
strong  as  it  is  this  day.  What  a  demonstration  of  the  truth  and 
adequacy  of  its  principles,  has  this  election  been, — a  large  minority 
is  defeated,  in  a  crisis  in  which  the  utmost  tension  of  human  feel- 
ing was  engaged.  And  yet  with  the  dignity,  and  quietness,  and 
honor  of  true  republicans,  they  yield,  without  the  semblance  of 
violence — almost  without  an  exj^ression  of  anger  or  hostility, 
combining  in  the  very  evening  of  the  defeat  to  'say,  '  We  must 
now  unite  to  sustain  the  administration,  which  the  people  have  so 
triumphantly  upheld  and  approved.'  A  large  majority  is  in  peace- 
ful control  of  public  authority  after  a  contest  waged  and  exercised 
with  the  most  determined  earnestness,  against  an  opposition  which 
was  so  powerful,  as  by  no  means  to  allow  a  prediction  of  victorious 
success.  And  yet  you  will  listen  and  look  in  vain  for  the  extrava- 
gant assumption  of  low  partisan  delight — or  for  any  utterance  of 
vindictive  triumph  over  a  fallen  foe, — or  for  the  projection  of  any 
conceivable  motive  or  scheme,  but  the  desire  to  preserve  the  Nation, 
and  to  deserve  the  approbation  of  its  people.  Its  wise  and  justly 
exalted  leader  spoke  the  very  sentiment  of  the  Nation  which  had 
sustained  him,  and  vindicated  him  so  grandly  when  he  said,  on  the 
very  night  of  the  election,  that  it  was  no  delight  to  him  merely  to 
triumph  over  any  one.  This  exhibition  is  nothing  less  than  sub- 
lime. And  as  I  have  meditated  upon  these  characterizing  facts 
since  this  great  election,  I  cannot  say  whether  I  more  honor  and 
delight  in  the  moderation  of  the  majority,  or  the  dignity  and  self- 
respect  of  the  minority  engaged. 

"  The  true  friends  of  republicanism  throughout  tlio  world  will 
be  inspired  with  new   confidence,  new  gratitude  and  now  delight, 
when  tliey  read  the  story  of  this  new  experiment.     It  will  give  new 
vigor  to  every   struggling   j^eople,   new  strength  to  every   patriotic 
heart,  new   encouragement  to    every  failing  hope  of  freedom,   and 


358  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng^  D,D, 

new  joy  to  those  faithful  men  in  Europe  "who  nave  never  faltered 
in  their  love  of  liberty,  or  in  their  generous  confidence  that  this 
Nation  was  truly,  effectually,  triumphantly  working  it  out.  It  has 
been  in  all  its  aspects  a  triumph  of  principles  for  civilized  and  hope- 
ful men.  And  the  whole  body  of  such  will  feel  the  pulsation  of 
its  example.  The  value  of  this  result  is  a  new  cause  for  our 
Thanksgiving, — we  cannot  feel  it  or  confess  it  less  than  the  hand 
and  power  of  the  King  of  Kings." 

Dr.  Tyng's  sermon  on  this  day  is  notable,  however,  in  its  other 
points,  for  its  discussion  of  the  terms  of  peace,  which  were  then  the 
subject  of  so  much  consideration,  and  in  the  following  extracts,  as 
bringing  out  the  moderation  of  his  views  in  that  whole  connection. 
His  text  was  : 

"  And  Abner  called  to  Joab  and  said  :  Shall  the  sword  devour 
forever  ?  Knowest  thou  not  that  it  will  be  bitterness  in  the  latter 
end  ?  How  long  shall  it  be  ere  thou  bid  the  people  return  from 
following  their  brethren  ?"     II  Samuel  ii.  26. 

"  These,"  he  said,  "  are  most  significant  questions.  The  spirit  of 
them  must  commend  itself  to  every  good  man.  No  religious  benevo- 
lent heart  can  desire  to  give  any  other  than  a  single  answer  to  them : 
'  Let  the  sword  be  sheathed  at  once, — and  the  warfare  be  ended. 
Let  all  who  delight  in  war  be  scattered.'  No  benevolent  heart  could 
desire  to  give  any  other  reply.  The  horrors  of  this  judgment  of 
war,  no  human  tongue  or  pen  can  adequately  describe,  and  no 
reasonable  mind  can  ask  to  have  them  prolonged  for  a  single  un- 
necessary hour.  But  the  actual  reply  to  be  given  to  such  an  ap- 
peal is  not  the  simple  dictate  of  private,  benevolent  or  personal 
sympathy.  It  is  attended  by  a  complication  of  questions,  not 
merely  of  human  interest,  but  of  human  duty  and  obligation. 
And  however  much  human  benevolence,  and  the  apparent  material 
interests  of  men  plead  for  instant  j)eace,  it  is  not  within  the  power 
of  nations  to  say  unhesitatingly  when  war  shall  cease,  or  when 
the  devouring  career  of  the  sword  shall  be  arrested. 

"  But  as  a  people,  we  are  now  at  a  crisis  in  our  condition  when 
this  question  must  be  wisely  considered,  and  a  reasonable  and 
just  reply  must  be  given  to  the  Nation  and  to  God, — indicating  the 
course  we  will  pursue,  and  the  result  at  which  we  will  direct  our 
aim. 

"  There  is  a  very  striking  analogy,  in  the  appeal  of  our  text, 
in  the  connection  with  its  history,  to  our  present  and  prospective 
National  condition.  The  great  principles  involved  in  our  contest 
and  its  settlement,  remain  unchanged.     But  their  relations  to  pres- 


Ministry,  1861  to  186^,  369 

ent  facts  have  materially  changed  in  progress,  since  I  was  last  per- 
mitted to  speak  to  you  on  this  subject,  on  the  National  Fast,  in 
August.  We  now  stand  environed  with  defence  where  we  may 
survey  the  future  with  calmness,  contemplate  the  rearrangement  of 
our  Nation  when  the  warfare  i.3  ended, — and  return  a  clear  and  just 
answer  to  the  appeal  of  the  text  before  us.  I  have  before  spoken 
to  you  on  the  terms  of  final  peace, — and  I  have  declared  my  con- 
viction, that  there  can  be  no  secure  or  final  peace  to  this  Nation 
but  in  the  complete  vindication  of  '  the  right  of  government,'  and 
of  'the  equality  and  brotherhood  of  man.'  From  those  great  prin- 
ciples, neither  conscious  duty,  nor  conviction  of  interest, — neither 
sense  of  obligation,  nor  perception  of  material  warfare,  would  allow 
me  to  depart.  They  are  the  two  great  principles  which  constitute 
our  mission  upon  the  earth,  as  a  Nation  raised  up  by  the  provi- 
dence of  God  to  exalted  power,  and  we  cannot  abandon  or  compro- 
mise them,  but  to  our  ruin.  But  the  questions  are  very  different, — 
upon  what  terms  of  final  j)olicy  shall  we  construct  and  array  our 
lasting  empire,  and  upon  what  terms  of  present  restoration  shall 
we  receive  returning  States,  purged  from  their  rebellion?  The 
former  question  I  have  before  discussed.  The  latter  is  the  one 
before  me  now. 

"  To  this  appeal  for  present  peace,  *  Shall  the  sword  devour 
forever  ?'  I  should  answer :  It  was  not  we  who  drew  the  sword. 
We  shrunk  from  it  with  intense  concern.  We  would  willingly 
have  avoided  it,  by  any  concession, — short  of  our  Nation's  very  life, 
and  the  yielding  of  every  principle  of  honorable  obligation  and 
duty.  We  have  had  no  delight  in  this  warfare,  from  its  beginning 
until  now.  We  entered  upon  it  only  when  driven  and  forced  by 
an  inexcusable  and  completed  rebellion,  which  was  armed  for  the 
destruction  of  all  we  held  dear  on  earth, — we  were  wholly  unpre- 
pared for  its  assaults.  And  it  has  been  the  very  charge  against 
our  government  that  we  have  pursued  it  with  a  hesitation,  a  len- 
iency, a  generous  forbearance, — which  have  all  the  way  confessed, 
in  the  very  face  of  the  taunts  of  our  enemies,  how  unwilhng  we 
were  to  contend  at  all.  And  I  answer  to  the  request  for  peace, — 
there  has  never  been  a  day  when  this  whole  Kation  would  not  liave 
shouted  in  universal  delight,  over  the  intelligence,  that  the  war- 
fare had  been  stopped,  in  the  yielding  of  the  rebellion, — or  when 
the  application  of  alienated  States  for  restoration  would  not  have 
met  the  most  generous  and  magnanimous  reply  :  It  was  not  we 
who  drew  the  sword, — it  cannot  be  we  who  must  sheathe  it  first. 

"  I  should  answer  :  wo  war  solely  ^vith  rebellion,  and  we  ask 


360  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Ty7tg,  D,D. 

nothing  for  peace,  but  tlie  cessation  of  this  rebellion.  "We  have  no 
grudges  to  repay, — we  have  no  vengeance  to  execute, — we  have  no 
angry  bitterness  which  desires  to  revile.  The  aggression  ceasing, 
the  defence  is  cheerfully  and  at  once  withdrawn.  And  a  peace- 
seeking  South  would  draw  from  this  truly  and  constantly  generous 
North,  a  liberality  of  settlement,  and  a  bounty  of  provision,  which 
would  sacrifice  all  its  pride,  and  much  of  its  property,  in  healing 
the  breach  which  it  had  never  made.  Where  we  now  stand,  we 
have  but  the  one  condition  to  make,  and  one  message  to  proclaim  : 
'  Lay  down  your  arms,  and  peace  is  yours.  Sheathe  the  sword  of 
rebellion,  and  the  sword  of  government  and  defence  ceases  in  a 
moment  to  devour.'  We  say  this  to  all,  and  we  say  it  to  each.  The 
day  on  which  you  yield  your  wicked,  destructive  contest,  provided 
you  do  it  at  once,  we  will  give  you  the  hand  of  kindness  and  help, 
we  will  forgive  and  forget  the  past,  and  living  with  us  in  peace, 
you  shall  never  hear  from  us,  the  reproach  which  recalls  the  sor- 
rows through  which  you  have  travelled,  as  your  guilt  and  your 
dishonor. 

"  I  should  answer :  In  this  contest  for  life  and  law,  we  know 
with  whom  we  are  contending  ;  we  have  no  contests  with  States, 
Southern  or  Northern  ;  we  have  taken  up  our  arms  not  to  subdue 
States,  but  to  quell  a  fearful  rebellion  in  the  very  bosom  of  States. 
And  though  this  rebellion  may  for  a  season,  in  some  cases,  control 
the  State,  and  usurp,  and  affect  to  exercise  its  power,  our  contest 
is  with  the  rebellion,  and  not  the  State.  We  do  not  acknowledge 
that  any  State  can  secede  from  our  consolidated  Nation  ;  we  do  not 
mean  that  any  one  shall ;  we  shall  never  mistake  the  disease  of  the 
body  for  the  body  itself  ;  we  still  wait,  watching  a  social  life  which 
can  never  die,  until  it  has  thrown  off  its  confluent  mass  of  suffering, 
and  starts  recuscitated  on  its  new  recovery  of  being  and  power. 
Let  States  arising  from  their  rebellion,  reasserting  in  their  loyal 
population,  their  authority  over  their  own  inhabitants,  take  their 
representative  places  in  our  Nation  and  our  Congress,  and  quietly 
unite  with  us  in  the  maintenance  of  our  common  government  and 
the  furtherance  of  our  country's  success  and  glory.  The  interval 
which  has  passed,  has  forfeited  no  rights  of  theirs,  and  has  been 
employed  by  us  in  no  injury  to  them.  Their  act  of  cheerful  return 
shall  be  all  the  fruits  of  their  repentance  which  we  would  demand, 
and  they  shall  be  received  and  honored  by  us  as  before.  We  will 
not  hold  them  responsible,  as  States,  for  the  crimes  of  one  portion 
of  their  people.  And  we  shall  rejoice  to  unite  with  them,  in  making 
up  the  losses  and  sorrows  which  they  have  suffered  in  another. 


Ministry,  1861  to  186^.  361 

"  I  should  answer  :  we  have  made  no  warfare  with  this  rebel- 
lion for  its  slavery.  And  we  shall  not  commingle  the  question  of 
slavery  with  the  settlement  of  this  rebellion.  Combined  as  they 
are  in  fact, — the  one  growing  out  of  the  other,  as  its  principle  and 
fountain,  we  still  separate  them,  in  the  distinct  adjudication  of  each. 
And  we  say  to  the  States  in  which  this  rebellion  rages  :  Return  to 
your  allegiance  and  our  Union  as  you  are.  The  question  of  your 
inhering  slavery,  we  will  settle  on  another  basis,  which  shall  con- 
cern not  you  only,  but  equally  include  us  all. 

*'  We  have  forbidden  slave-holding  in  our  territories  ;  we  have 
abolished  slavery  in  our  National  Capital,  and  in  all  the  places  of 
National  proj^erty.  So  that  our  Nation's  glorious  flag  shall  cover  no 
slave  henceforth  throughout  our  land.  We  have  repealed  the 
Fugitive  Slave  Law,  and  stopped  all  slave-hunting  on  our  Nation's 
soil  forever.  So  that  no  court  of  ours  shall  be  hereafter  dishonored 
with  unrighteous  demands  for  flying  bondmen.  These  merciful 
and  righteous  acts  we  shall  never  repeal,  and  we  ofi'er  you  a  free 
participation  of  all  their  rising  and  prospective  blessings.  Our 
Executive  has  issued  proclamations,  ofiering  freedom  to  slaves  in 
bondage,  and  pledging  all  our  power  and  purpose,  to  maintain 
that  freedom,  to  the  persons,  and  under  the  conditions,  in  con- 
nection with  which  it  was  proclaimed.  Our  whole  Nation  have 
endorsed  these  proclamations,  with  a  magnificent  ovation  of 
acknowledgment  and  support.  They  are  now  the  accredited  and 
accomplished  acts  of  people  more  sovereign  than  the  proclama- 
tions of  the  President,  more  authoritative  than  the  acts  of  the  Con- 
gress, whom  the  people  make,  and  who  derive  all  their  power  from 
the  people  who  have  committed  it  to  them.  Thus  the  dial  of  prov- 
idence has  travelled  round  mighty  circles,  since  you  left  us.  You 
would  not  ask  us  to  put  it  back  again,  to  that  dark  hour  when  we 
parted.  We  cannot  if  we  would,  we  would  not  if  wo  could.  No, 
God  forbid, — that  we  should  lose  all  these  victories  of  human  lovo 
and  mercy  for  any  consideration  in  the  universe  of  possibility  to 
our  Nation.  The  dark  past  is  past,  and  we  sliall  never  be  willing 
to  recall  it.  The  bright  future  is  now  scarcely  future,  and  wo  are 
pressing  on  to  gain  it.  We  say  to  you,  witli  all  our  hearts,  Como 
with  us  and  wo  will  do  you  good,  for  the  Lonl  halh  spoken  good 
concerning  us  ?  Wo  will  not  mingle  this  question  of  slavery  with 
our  invitation  for  your  return.  Let  your  jjeoplo  give  up  their  re- 
bellion. Let  your  armies  bo  disbanded  in  the  field.  Let  your 
treasonable  leaders  fly  or  bo  banished.  Cease  your  warfare,  and 
.et  the  sword  devour  no  more. 


362  Rev,  Stephen  Higginsoii    Tyng,  D.D, 

"  We  have  but  this  one  condition  to  propose,  we  shall  enter 
upon  no  detailed  treaties,  or  schemes  of  protracted  negotiation. 
Our  whole  demand  is  in  one  single  fact.  Our  offer  and  our  prom- 
ise is  in  every  thing  that  we  can  do  to  advance  your  prosperity, 
to  heal  your  sorrows,  to  promote  your  welfare  and  comfort,  to 
show  you  the  more  exalted  way,  and  to  make  you  know  and  feel 
how  much  you  were  mistaken  in  supposing  us  to  be  vindictive 
tyrannical,  mean  cr  cruel. 

"  This  would  be  the  answer  which  I  should  give  to  those  who 
ask  for  peace.  It  is  an  answer  which  I  think  our  Nation  may 
wisely  give,  and  safely  give.  I  cannot  but  hope,  that  the  invita- 
tion and  offer  would  soon  be  accepted  by  a  portion  at  least  of  the 
professedly  seceding  States.  I  have  seen  with  delight,  since  all 
these  thoughts  were  prepared,  a  similar  view  expressed  by  the  dis- 
tinguished General,  to  whose  presence  in  our  city  we  probably 
owe  so  much  of  the  singular  quietness  of  the  late  election.  I  have 
welcomed  intimations  in  our  papers,  that  such  views  might  engage 
our  President,  in  a  new  and  distinct  offer  to  those  in  rebellion.  I 
speak  to  you  of  them,  as  they  have  long  since  occurred  to  me,  be- 
cause I  have  the  right,  and  feel  the  duty  on  this  day  to  say  what  I 
think  on  these  great  subjects  of  common  welfare.  I  am  intensely 
desirous  of  peace  in  this  land.  It  is  the  burden  of  my  daily,  con- 
stant prayer  to  God,  in  whose  hands  are  the  hearts  of  the  children 
of  men. 

"  But  if  rebellion  will  not  agree  to  such  a  peace,  then  I  say  : 
no  consideration  of  money,  or  material  prosperity,  or  toil,  or  suffer- 
ing, or  time  would  weigh  with  me  a  moment.  And  all  plans  of 
temporizing  and  hesitation,  must  be  utterly  discarded.  The  high- 
est mercy  to  the  Nation,  the  most  binding  duty  to  mankind,  would 
be  the  extremest  warfare  in  power,  purpose,  and  method,  with  this 
perverse  and  unrighteous  rebellion.  The  Nation  must  be  united 
in  the  purpose.  Agents  and  instruments  of  treason  must  be  for- 
bidden a  dwelling  in  our  midst.  Pirates  upon  the  ocean,  carrying 
destruction  to  our  peaceful  commerce,  must  be  dealt  with  as 
pirates  when  captured  by  our  navy.  The  government  must  arise 
with  new  vigor  and  new  determination,  whoever  may  call  it  vio- 
lence or  tyranny,  to  maintain  the  law,  to  protect  the  Nation,  and  to 
bring  us  peace  upon  the  only  terms  which  there  remain  for  peace  : 
the  absolute  extinction  and  blotting  out  of  the  rebelHon  and  its 
agents  by  force  of  arms.  If  we  cannot  do  this,  we  must  sink  be- 
neath its  jDower,  we  must  yield  our  land  to  an  universal  slavery, 
bow  our  necks  to  abiding  bondage,  demonstrate  our  unfaithfulness 


Ministry,  1861  to  186^,  363 

to  the  great  trusts  and  principles  committed  to  our  keeping,  and 
go  down  in  the  record  of  history  for  other  generations,  as  the 
feeblest,  falsest,  and  most  unfaithful  people,  to  whom  the  grea  in- 
terests of  human  civilization  and  advancement  were  ever  entrusted. 

*'  That  such  is  to  be  the  destiny  of  this  land  I  cannot  believe. 
The  bitterness  of  its  latter  end  would  be  extreme  indeed.  The 
guiltiness  of  its  career  would  make  its  record  the  darkest  page  in 
the  history  of  man.  And  its  failure  would  leave  no  human  hope  of 
future  light  to  gleam  through  the  darkness  which  must  cover  the 
social  destiny  of  man. 

"  Brethren,  for  better  things  than  these  I  look,  and  on  this  day, 
which  recalls  so  many  subjects  for  thanksgiving,  I  cannot  but  gird 
m^'self  with  the  brightest,  highest,  most  exulting  hojDe.  I  trust  it  is 
not  low  ambition  or  pride,  which  leads  me  to  look  forward,  in  an- 
ticipation, resting  upon  the  past  amazing  providence  of  God,  to  a 
future  for  my  country,  which  shall  yet  make  it  the  glory  of  all 
lands,  and  open  before  it  a  career  of  usefulness  and  influence  on 
earth,  for  which  all  nations  shall  arise  and  call  her  blessed.  In 
God,  our  father's  God,  is  still  our  trust.  The  past  of  His  gracious 
providence,  is  our  assurance  for  the  future." 

The  future  brought  even  greater  results  than  those  which  had 
been  anticij^ated,  and  the  surrender  at  Appomattox,  on  the  9th  of 
April,  1865,  closed  the  struggle  w^hich  had  then  been  of  four  years* 
duration,  and  by  which  at  so  great  cost  the  unity  and  power  of  the 
Nation  had  been  firmly  established  in  universal  acknowledgment. 

The  President  hastened  to  ascribe  the  praise  to  God  for  the 
result  thus  attained,  and  appointed  the  20th  of  April  as  the  Na- 
tion's day  of  Thanksgiving.  His  lamented  death  occurred  on  the 
14th  of  April,  however,  and  joy  was  turned  into  mourning  through- 
out the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land.  The  theme  of  every 
sermon  became  a  memorial  of  the  sad  event,  a  eulogy  of  the  char- 
acter and  course  of  the  President  by  whom  the  divine  providence,, 
BO  consistently  acknowledged,  had  wrought  out  the  great  result. 

On  Easter  Sunday,  tlie  IGth  of  April,  the  pulpit  in  St.  George's 
Church  was  draped  in  mourning,  intertwined  with  the  American 
flag,  the  font  and  reading-desk  being  similarly  covered,  and  Dr. 
Tyng  announced  that  the  day  would  be  observed  in  accordance 
with  the  changed  condition  under  which  they  assembled.  Previous 
to  announcing  the  text  of  his  sermon,  he  said  : 

"  The  draperies  which  hang  around  in  front  of  mo  to-day  ar- 
ranged by  the  loving  hands  of  some  of  the  loyal  daughters  of  their 
country  in  this  beloved  flock,  tell  the  whole  story  of  the  day,  bring 


364  R^'^'  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D,D, 

the  subject  of  which  they  speak  so  prominently  before  the  minds  of 
all  who  are  gathered  here,  that  it  seems  impossible  to  step  aside 
from  it.  And  yet  it  is  impossible  for  me,  in  my  oppressed,  bur- 
dened and  weary  state  of  mind,  so  much  as  to  touch  it  this  day.  I 
hope  on  Thursday  to  be  allowed  to  speak  some  of  my  thoughts  and 
feelings  concerning  it,  but  on  this  occasion  I  shall  present  my 
Easter  thoughts  as  they  were  prepared  and  made  ready  before  this 
g^reat  event  occurred." 

On  the  day  referred  to,  Dr.  Tyng  delivered  his  commemorative 
sermon,  "  Victory  and  Reunion,"  reviewing  the  whole  period  in  its 
wonderful  providences  and  results,  and  the  instruction  they  con- 
tained. 

It  was  from  the  text  II  Kings  vi.  21:  "And  the  King  of 
Israel  said  unto  Elisha,  when  he  saw  them.  My  father,  shall  I  smite 
them  ?  shall  I  smite  them  ?  And  he  answered.  Thou  shalt  not 
smite  them.  Wouldsu  thou  smite  those  whom  thou  hast  taken 
captive  with  thy  sword  and  with  thy  bow?  Set  bread  and 
water  before  them,  that  thay  may  eat  and  drink,  and  go  to  their 
master.' 

"  The  point  of  this  story/*  he  said, ''  is  very  manifest.  The  prin- 
ciple which  it  establishes  is  also  very  clear.  The  simple  question 
proposed  to  the  prophet  and  answered  by  him  was  :  What  shall 
be  our  treatment  of  an  enemy  subdued  ?  One  class  of  sentiment 
demands,  in  the  very  language  of  man's  nature  :  *  Shall  I  smite 
them  f  Another  replies  in  the  spirit  of  the  divine  teaching  :  *  Set 
bread  and  water  before  them,  and  let  them  go.  The  combination 
of  both  would  be  in  the  analogy  of  the  divine  administration. 
*  Behold  the  goodness  and  the  severity  of  God.' 

"  Jn  the  story  which  lies  before  us  now,  four  separate  facts  are 
very  remarkable,  and  to  our  purpose  extremely  appropriate. 

"  I,  The  warfare  was  really  against  the  God  of  Israel.  II.  The 
power  which  prevailed  was  the  providence  of  God.  III.  The  victory 
attained  was  the  gift  of  God.  IV.  The  resulting  treatment  of  the 
captives  was  the  example  of  God. 

"  These  are  very  important  propositions  in  an  earthly  crisis. 
The  field  of  their  illustration  was  very  limited  in  the  history  of 
Israel.  The  extent  of  the  field,  however,  will  not  affect  the  propri- 
ety of  their  application.  I  deem  them  remarkably  applicable  to 
our  own  National  condition. 

"  I.  The  warfare  which  this  Southern  rebellion  has  made  on 
our  government  and  Nation,  has  been  really  a  warfare  against  God. 
Not   Israel  was   more   truly   a   nation   divinely  collected,  divinely 


Ministry,  1861  to  186^.  3^5 

governed,  divinely  commissioned,  divinely  prospered,  than  have 
been  the  United  States  of  America.  It  is  no  boastful  nationalism 
to  say  that  this  Nation,  in  its  establishment  and  prosperity,  was 
the  last  hope  in  a  weary  world  that  man  could  ever  on  earth  enjoy 
a  peaceful  and  protected  liberty.  This  broad,  unoccupied  conti- 
nent, which  God  had  reserved  for  its  possession,  was  the  last  open 
field  of  earth  remaining  on  which  to  try  the  grand  experiment  of  a 
moral,  social,  intellectual  advancement  of  the  peaceful  poor  of  the 
human  family, 

"  The  actual  circumstances  combining  to  make  up  the  history  of 
the  settlement  of  this  Nation,  were  so  pecuHarly  and  remarkably  an 
ordering  and  arrangement  in  divine  providence,  that  I  will  not 
waste  your  time,  or  trifle  with  your  inteUigence,  by  demonstrating 
in  detail  the  fact,  that  God  had  chosen  this  place  and  this  people 
for  a  special  exhibition  of  His  own  wisdom  and  goodness  in  the 
government  of  man,  and  for  the  accomplishment  of  great  results  in 
human  happiness,  which  had  been  nowhere  else  attained.  I 
should  be  ready  to  affirm  that  whoever  warred  with  the  integrity, 
prosperity,  and  onward  growth  of  this  Nation,  warred  with  the 
plans  and  purposes  of  God. 

*'  But  the  warfare  through  which  we  have  now  passed  was  or- 
ganized expressly  to  overthrov/  the  government  and  integrity  of 
the  American  Nation,  for  the  establishment  of  local  sectional  sover- 
eignties. It  was  to  establish  a  perpetual  degradation  of  honorable 
labor  and  of  the  hard-toiling,  laboring  classes,  by  making  the  capi- 
tal of  wealth  the  owner  of  the  labor  of  poverty. 

'- 1  cannot  conceive  of  z  warfare,  in  its  inauguration  and  pur- 
pose more  completely  against  the  purposes  and  the  commands  of 
the  Most  High. 

"  II.  The  power  which  has  prevailed,  was  the  providence  of 
God.  The  whole  survey  of  this  contest  past  has  been  a  review  of 
divine  providence.  The  facts  succeeding  have  been  successive 
steps  in  this  remarkable  development  of  providence.  The  divine 
concealment  of  the  real  issue  from  the  body  of  our  people  at  the 
commencement  of  the  struggle,  was  the  opening  line  of  this  prov- 
idence. How  few  were  willing  to  accept  the  thought,  that  thus 
God  would  overturn  the  giant  wrong  of  human  slavery  !  How  few 
could  look  upon  the  apparently  mad  attempt  of  John  Brown,  in  the 
feeling  that  he  was,  after  all,  Hie  Wickhflc  of  the  coming  day— the 
morning  star  oi  a  new  rerormation  I  We  did  not  justify  him  ;  we 
do  not, — we  need  not  justify  him  now.  But  we  see  him  now  as  we 
dared  not  believe  hira  then,  opening  a  battle  in  a  single  duel,  which 


366  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D. 

should   have  no   other  end  than  the  universal   destruction  of  the 
slavery  of  man. 

*'  We  were  then  combining  to  contend  for  a  Constitution  as  it 
was.  We  asked  no  change.  How  few  imagined  we  were  to  fight 
out  this  glorious  amendment  on  the  side  of  l.berty,  untiJ  the  signa- 
ture of  every  State  to  its  adoption  should  be  written  in  the  blood 
of  its  noblest  citizens  and  youth !  We  then  pressed  a  compensation, 
and  were  ready  to  pay  it,  at  any  conceivable  price.  How  few  could 
imagine  that  the  States  involved  would  madly  refuse  the  offer,  un- 
til God's  pecuhar  plan  should  be  wrought  out,  to  let  His  captives 
go,  but  not  by  price  or  reward ! 

"  Most  slowly  did  even  that  wisest  man  among  us,  who  has  been 
the  last  great  sacrifice  upon  the  altar  of  liberty,  reach  even  a  meas- 
ure of  wilHngness  that  the  issue  of  liberty  should  be  in  the  war  at 
all.  And  yet  how  persistently  did  this  great  issue  rise,  as  much  by 
reproachful  objections  against  it,  as  by  growing  clearness  of  per- 
ception concerning  it,  till  at  last  South  and  North  combined  to  see 
that  the  one  grand  question  for  white  and  black,  for  bond  and  free, 
was  that  which  they  called  '  the  everlasting  negro. 

"  How  completely  hidden  from  our  possible  view  was  the  extent 
of  time  and  suffering  to  which  the  war  should  reach  !  Could  all  its 
demands  have  been  calculated  and  surveyed,  how  few  would  have 
been  willing  to  embark  upon  a  sea  so  troubled  and  apparently  so 
hopeless  !  We  thought  of  thousands  of  precious  lives.  Who  would 
have  dared  to  confront  the  certainty  of  a  million  ?" 

"Men's  hearts  failed  them  when  they  looked  at  the  things 
which  were  coming  ;  and  yet  all  that  they  saw  or  imagined  was 
but  a  mere  toying  with  the  great  issue,  when  compared  with  the 
approaching  reality,  which  they  did  not  see. 

"  How  wonderfully  and  unexpectedly  was  the  union  of  the 
North  created,  by  the  very  assault  on  Sumter  which  was  to  fire  the 
Southern  heart!  How  few  would  have  believed  that  all  the  South- 
ern calculations  upon  a  divided  North,  all  the.  fears  of  mutual  con- 
tests in  our  own  streets,  were  to  be  put  to  rest  forever  in  the  mere 
process  of  the  controversy  I  What  a  providence  for  us  was  that 
sudden  seizing  of  all  forts  and  arsenals  and  public  property,  in  the 
incredible  violence  of  mad  earnestness,  when  a  calm  and  preten- 
tious scheme  of  counsel  would  probably  have  betrayed  our  giant 
power  in  its  sleep  ! 

"  How  graciously  God  has  all  the  time  stimulated  purpose,  and 
elevated  faith,  and  new-created  hope,  by  the  mere  mortification  of 
defeats !  How  mercifully  He  has  trained  us  up  to  the  National  idea, 


Ministry  y  1861  to  186^.  367 

that  we  are  a  people,  that  we  are  one  people,  by  scattering  the 
blood  of  New  England  and  the  West,  of  the  Middle  and  the  South, 
of  the  hill-tops  and  the  shore,  in  one  common  sprinkling,  through 
the  whole  field  of  warfare  ;  burying  the  dead  of  the  whole  land 
side  by  side,  in  far  distant  but  fraternal  and  equal  cemeteries;  giv- 
ing a  little  to  every  State,  in  every  soil,  in  this  precious  planting  of 
their  strength  and  glory  ;  until  at  length  we  have  come  to  rejoice 
in  being  one  people,  under  one  ruler, — and  in  the  one  title  Ameri- 
can, we  know  no  North,  no  South,  no  East,  no  West. 

"  How  remarkable  is  that  providence  which  has  given  us  a  new 
currency,  negotiable  throughout  the  continent,  founded  upon  the 
aggregate  of  thr  property  of  the  Nation,  and  cherished  and  made 
certain  by  the  very  pride  of  the  people  ;  making  that  which  is  pro- 
verbially, in  social  econom}^  the  weakness  of  a  nation  the  very 
strength  of  ours.  What  a  jDrovidence  was  that  which  settled  the 
question  of  our  iron-clads  on  the  sea.     .     .     . 

"  All  these  are  lines  of  providence, — exalted,  hidden,  beyond 
our  conception  or  arrangement.  We  might  multiply  them  almost 
indefinitely,  for  they  cover  the  whole  field  of  observation. 

Perhaps  the  last  act  of  x^rovidence  is  the  most  remarkable  of  all. 
They  had  combined  for  the  murder  of  the  President  and  his  Cab- 
inet, in  the  hope  of  creating  an  unexpected  anarchy  of  a  Nation 
without  a  ruler,  and  of  involving  the  Nation,  in  the  suddenness  of 
its  despair,  in  an  inextricable  and  hopeless  revolution.  But  how 
God  has  confounded  the  counsel  of  Ahithophel !  Satan  was  not 
more  deceived  when  he  plunged  the  Jewish  mob  into  the  murder  of 
their  Lord,  that  when,  on  this  very  commemoration  day  of  His  cruc- 
ifixion, he  aimed  a  traitor's  bullet  against  the  exalted  ruler  of 
this  people.  It  is  a  costly  sacrifice,  indeed,  to  us,  but  the  blessings 
which  it  will  purchase  may  well  be  worth  the  price.  It  has  ce- 
mented forever  the  National  union  and  spirit  of  this  people,  by 
making  the  man  whom  they  most  loved  and  honored  the  last  great 
sacrifice  for  the  liberty  and  order  of  the  people. 

"  If  there  be  this  day  a  single  fact  which  especially  strengthens 
the  royal  house  and  government  of  England,  it  is  the  unrighteous 
murder  of  the  first  Charles.  The  severed  head  of  a  Stuart  is  the 
foundation-stone  beneath  the  throne  of  Britain  and  Victoria.  And 
if  there  bo  one  fact  of  providence  which  hereafter  will  especially 
con.secrate  the  right  of  National  authority,  and  overwhelm  the  first 
suggestion  of  secession  or  treason,  it  will  be  this  murder  of  the 
man  whom  all  history  will  acknowledge  the  wisest,  purest,  greatest, 
best  of  American  rulers  ;  if  not  the  Father  of  his  country,  at  leat?t 


368  Rev,   Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D. 

the  loved  brother  of  all  his  people,  and  the  friend  and  defender  of 
the  poorest  and  lowest  of  all  its  generations.  Thus  has  providence 
triumphed  over  our  enemies  and  given  us  the  victory. 

"  III.  The  victory  is  the  gift  of  God.  This  is  so  clear  in  fact, 
and  so  clearly  a  consequence  of  the  series  of  facts  which  we  have 
already  considered,  that  I  need  not  illustrate  it  in  minute  detail. 
The  time  is  too  recent  for  our  forgetfulness  of  any  of  the  great  dis- 
tinguishing facts  which  have  marked  this  warfare,  or  to  permit  us 
to  arrogate  the  honor  to  our  own  skill  and  power  alone.  It  is  im- 
possible to  forget  the  gloomy  aspect  of  the  first  years  of  struggle. 
It  is  impossible  to  forget  the  sadness  of  defeat  after  defeat.  It  is 
impossible  to  forget  the  devout  humbleness  of  spirit  with  which 
our  beloved  and  exalted  President  called  the  thoughts  and  depend- 
ence of  the  people,  like  some  ancient  ruler  in  the  Theocracy, 
back  to  God.  It  was  impossible  not  to  discern  the  hand  of  God, 
giving  victory  from  the  very  hour  that  the  war  was  acknowledged  to 
be  a  war  for  liberty,  as  well  as  order,  and  for  the  deliverance  of  the 
oppressed,  as  truly  as  for  the  conserving  of  the  prosperous  and 
peaceful. 

"  Accordingly,  again  and  again  did  our  exalted  and  believing 
President  issue  his  proclamation  of  thanksgiving,  sounding  the  ap- 
peal in  the  ears  of  the  whole  Nation, — *  Oh  give  thanks  unto  the 
Lord,  who  maketh  us  to  triumph  over  our  enemies.'  But  later  vic- 
tories are  even  more  remarkable.  All  these  displays,  though  grand 
in  themselves,  are  but  a  part  of  the  wonderful  divine  scheme.  All 
talent,  calculation,  courage,  and  force  opposed  to  them,  seem  to 
have  been  paralyzed  and  made  useless.  And  as  I  survey 
the  whole  scene,  thus  rapidly  noted,  I  should  hold  myself  an 
infidel  in  spirit,  not  to  say,  *It  is  God  alone  who  giveth  us  the 
victory.' 

"  But  I  deem  all  these  displays  inferior  and  secondary.  The 
moral  greatness  of  the  President ;  his  meekness,  his  faith,  his 
gentleness,  his  patience,  his  self-possession,  his  love  of  the  people, 
his  confidence  in  the  people,  his  higher  confidence  in  God,  his  gen- 
erous temper  never  provoked,  his  love  fearing  no  evil,  provoking 
no  evil,  are  such  an  elevation  of  human  character,  such  an  appro- 
priate supply  for  our  very  want,  that  I  cannot  but  adore  the  power 
of  that  God,  whose  inspiration  giveth  man  wisdom,  as  the  one  author 
of  this  gift, — ^bringing  an  unknown,  a  reproached,  a  despised  man, 
to  reveal  a  greatness  of  ability,  and  a  dignity  of  appropriation, 
which  surrounding  men  had  not  suspected,  which  shone  too  purely 
and  too  beautifully  to  be  envied  or  hated  by  any,  and  which  have 


Ministry,  1861  to  186^,  369 

at  last  commanded  universal  confidence  and  homage  from  those 
who  had  never  united  to  sustain  him. 

"  Yet  the  divine  interposition  does  not  leave  the  field  even  here. 

« 

The  creation  of  the  wonderful  spirit  and  reach  of  human  benefi- 
cence and  ministration,  which  we  have  seen  in  the  midst  of  this 
war,  and  by  this  war,  and  for  this  war,  throughout  our  country,  is 
even  a  higher  demonstration  of  the  divine  presence  and  power. 
The  calling  forth  of  the  Sanitary  and  Christian  Commissions,  like 
the  father  and  mother  of  the  household,  in  their  separate  relation- 
ships and  responsibility — the  one  striving  for  material  provision, 
the  other  ministering  the  words  and  acts  of  kindness  and  love  to 
those  made  the  objects  of  their  protection  ;  the  creating  of  the 
Freedmen's  Commission,  to  search  and  care  for  the  poor  outcasts, 
for  whom  nothing  was  provided, — the  prompting  of  the  Union 
Commission,  to  minister  to  the  wants  of  those  Avhom  rebellion  had 
stripped,  and  rendered  homeless  and  destitute,  for  whom  no  other 
protection  seemed  prepared, — the  starting  forth  of  homes  for  dis- 
abled soldiers,  and  the  orphans  of  soldiers,  and  the  millions  of 
dollars  given  by  a  people  heavily  taxed  and  burdened  by  all  the 
cost  of  defending  their  liberty  and  their  Nation,  for  the  grand  and 
glorious  purpose  of  ministering  increased  comfort  to  their  varied 
objects  of  spontaneous  consideration  and  sympathy, — displaying  a 
love,  and  tenderness,  and  purpose,  which  have  grown  brighter  in 
the  midst  of  the  very  sorrows  which  have  filled  every  house  and 
heart, — have  been  such  a  divine  display  of  God's  interposition,  as 
nothing  on  earth  besides  has  equalled. 

"  IV.  The  resulting  treatment  of  the  captives  in  the  Lord's 
example  :  '  My  father,  shall  I  smite  them  ?  Shall  I  smite  them  ?' 
'  Thou  shalt  not  smite  them.  Wouidst  thou  smite  those  whom  thou 
hast  taken  captive  with  thy  sword,  and  with  thy  bow  ?  Set  bread 
and  water  before  them,  that  they  may  eat  and  drink,  and  let  them 
go.'  The  carrying  out  of  this  resuscitating  plan  seemed  emi- 
nently adapted  to  the  mind  and  heart  of  President  Lincoln.  But 
too  great  personal  honor  and  influence  it  is  not  the  will  of  God  to 
entrust  to  individual  men.  When  Moses  came  to  the  entrance  of 
the  land  of  promise,  he  was  permitted,  by  faith  enlightened,  to  see 
something  of  its  glory.  But  ho  was  not  personally  to  minister  to 
its  settlement  or  distribution.  He  beheld  the  glowing  future 
t?pread  before  his  people,  and  laid  down  in  the  land  of  Moab  to 
die. 

"  So  our  beloved  leader  has  been  allowed  to  live  until,  as  from 
Pisgali's  height,  he  could  contemplate  the  fast  approaching  future 


370  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

for  his  Nation.  He  saw  tlie  enemy  subdued,  their  strongholds 
taken,  their  armies  scattered  every  man  to  his  home,  and  the  sure 
prospect  of  union,  liberty  and  peace  before  the  Nation.  The  one 
remaining  question  was,  What  shall  be  done  with  those  whom  God 
has  thus  subdued  ?  The  generosity  of  his  spirit  and  wish,  his 
readiness  to  give  the  utmost  possible  latitude  to  mercy  in  the  ar- 
rangement of  their  return  to  national  duty  and  patient  loyalty, 
were  perfectly  understood  and  known.  All  this  future  he  was 
calmly,  kindly  considering,  when  his  life  was  taken  from  him  by 
the  hand  of  violence. 

**  But  he  has  gone  before  the  settlement,  and  without  the  set- 
tlement of  this  great  problem  of  the  coming  influence  and  relations 
of  his  administration.  That  his  death  will  change  in  some  degree 
the  character  and  measure  of  that  influence  can-not  be  doubted. 
That  a  restriction  shall  come  as  a  consequence  of  his  death  upon 
the  freeness  of  the  action  of  mercy  to  the  conquered  is  most  nat- 
ural and  just. 

"  Still,  let  not  a  spirit  of  individual  vengeance  be  allowed  to 
rear  the  monument  to  our  fallen  head.  Let  not  passion  seize  the 
reins  of  guidance  in  an  hour  so  momentous.  Let  the  widest  possi- 
ble door  be  opened  for  the  exercise  of  kindness  and  the  utterance 
of  welcome  to  those  who  honestly  desire  to  return  to  their  loyalty 
and  duty  to  the  Nation  which  they  have  outraged,  and  the  govern- 
ment which  they  have  insulted  and  despised.  Let  the  world  see 
one  instance  of  a  government  that  is  great  enough  to  ask  no  re- 
venge, and  self-confident  and  self-sustaining  enough  to  need  no 
retributive  violence  to  maintain  the  majesty  of  its  authority.  Let 
the  Lord's'  own  example  be  to  the  utmost  extent  of  personal  rela- 
tions our  rule  and  purpose,  determined,  in  the  spirit  of  union  and 
kindness,  to  edify  and  restore,  in  the  widest  possible  application 
of  the  spirit,  consistent  with  the  Nation's  safety  and  the  honor  of 
the  laws,  the  multitudes  which  have  been  swept  down  the  current 
of  rebellion,  by  the  dominant  influence  and  example  of  those  whom 
they  have  been  taught  to  regard  as  their  leaders  in  the  path  of 
public  duty. 

"  There  may  be  great  difficulties  in  the  details  of  the  resuscita- 
tion of  our  afflicted  land.  But  there  can  be  none  which  such  a 
spirit  and  purpose  as  were  displayed  in  President  Lincoln  would 
not  soon  overcome  and  remove.  And  upon  nothing  will  memory 
more  delight  to  dwell  than  upon  that  high,  forgiving  temper  which 
lifts  up  a  fallen  foe,  restores  a  wandering  brother,  and  repays  the 
cruelty  of  hatred  by  an  overcoming  benignity  and  love.     Let  that 


Ministry,  1861  to  186^.  371 

spirit  now  prevail.  Open  the  arms  of  fraternal  concord.  Spread 
through  all  the  land  the  priceless  blessings  of  liberty  and  educa- 
tion to  all  the  people.  Give  the  full  rights  of  respected  and  ac- 
knowledged citizenship  to  all.  Blot  out,  cover  up  the  last  remnant 
of  that  slavery  which  has  been  the  parent  and  the  child  of  every 
species  of  oppression — the  one  line  of  division  between  a  free  North 
and  a  beggared  South — and  plant  around  the  grave  that  holds  the 
monument  and  the  memory  of  our  beloved  President  r.  mingled 
grove  of  the  pine-tree  and  the  palm,  the  orange  and  the  apple,  to 
flourish  in  immortal  union,  and  to  rival  each  other  only  in  the 
beauty  of  their  growth,  the  abundance  of  their  fruit,  and  the  per- 
ennial verdure  of  their  living  foliage,  that  God  may  be  glorified  in 
all  and  by  aU  forever." 

This  was  an  appropriate  conclusion  of  a  series  of  sermons,  of 
which  little  more  than  the  line  of  thought  is  indicated  in  the  ex- 
tremely abbreviated  form  in  which  they  have  been  here  presented. 
In  their  delivery  and  the  subsequent  publication  of  many,  Dr.  Tyng's 
words  were  carried  to  the  minds  of  thousands,  with  all  the  power 
of  his  conviction,  and  it  would  be  vain  to  approximate  the  influence 
which  he  thus  exerted.  Few  men  of  his  day  and  calling  rendered 
equal  service  in  the  cause  of  the  Nation's  life  and  liberty. 


CHAPTER  VIIL 

LECTURES     ON     PREACHING,  1861  to   1865. 

The  several  series  of  lectures  whicli  Dr.  Tyng  delivered  to  the- 
ological students  and  others  must  be  deemed  among  the  most  val- 
uable of  his  works  in  life,  and  form  an  important  part  of  its  his- 
torjc  Occupying  no  small  portion  of  his  time  during  the  years  of 
the  Civil  War,  they  added  largely  to  his  labors  in  public  service 
and  private  ministry  during  that  period.  In  their  acknowledged 
influence  and  usefulness,  however,  he  found  ample  reward  for  all 
the  effort  which  was  involved,  and  in  their  clear  reflection  of  the 
system  and  spirit  of  his  ministry,  and  of  the  elements  of  its  power, 
a  review  of  them  is  of  much  value  to  a  correct  understanding  of 
his  character  and  views. 

Long  as  Dr.  Tyng  had  been  a  counsellor  to  his  brethren  in  per- 
plexing questions,  and  frequently  as  he  had  been  appealed  to  by 
them  in  cases  which  his  long  ministry  so  peculiarly  qualified  him  to 
decide,  he  had  never  undertaken  more  than  the  guidance  thus 
individually  sought.  In  the  autumn  of  1861,  however,  a  number 
of  young  clergymen  urged  him  to  give  them  some  of  the  lessons 
of  his  life,  in  a  form  capable  of  general  application,  suggesting  a 
course  of  lectures  as  a  means  of  helpfulness  to  them  in  thei'  work. 

He  gladly  acceded  to  this  request,  and  thus  began  a  work  which 
was  continued  through  each  of  the  four  succeeding  years,  and  to 
the  value  of  which  the  most  grateful  testimonies  were  given. 

Seventeen  lectures  were  at  first  prepared  on  the  general  topic 
"  Preaching,"  considering  it  in — its  subject,  its  object,  its  agents, 
and  its  practical  exercise  embracing  the  whole  field  of  pastoral 
duty.  These  lectures  were  delivered  in  the  chapel  of  St.  George's 
Church,  during  the  fall  and  winter  of  1861-2,  to  a  class  of  some 
twenty-five  young  men,  already  in  orders,  for  whose  benefit  they  had 
been  especially  designed  and  they  became  the  frame  of  all  the  subse- 
quent lectures,  which,  however,  varied  in  the  fulness  with  which  the 
subject  was  treated  in  its  presentation  to  different  hearers. 
372 


Lectures  on  Preaching,  373 

Tills  first  course  had  scarcely  been  concluded,  when  a  number 
of  the  students  in  the  General  Theological  Seminary  asked  Dr. 
Tyng  to  repeat  the  lectures  to  them.  Some  re-arrangement  was, 
however,  necessary  to  adapt  them  to  this  special  class  of  hearers, 
and  they  were  consequently  condensed  into  a  course  of  ten,  cover- 
ing the  same  general  division  of  the  subject  as  those  which  had 
preceded. 

These  were  delivered  in  the  same  place  as  before,  during  the 
month  of  May,  1862,  and  regularly  attended  by  about  thirty-five  of 
the  students  of  the  Seminary. 

The  Alumni  Association  and  students  of  the  Theological  Semi- 
nary of  Ohio  then  urged  that  they  too  should  have  the  privilege  of 
hearing  him  upon  a  subject  of  so  great  importance  and  interest  to 
them  and  of  which  they  recognized  Dr.  Tyng's  superior  ability  to 

speak. 

A  journey  was  therefore  made  to  Gambler  for  the  purpose,  in 
June,  1862,  and  the  same  lectures  were  delivered  to  a  large  assem- 
bly of  the  alumni  and  students  of  that  institution  who  were  gath- 
ered there  on  the  occasion  of  its  annual  commencement. 

In  this  manner  the  lectures  were  heard  in  the  first  year  by  a 
very  large  number  of  those  whom  they  were  especially  designed 
to  instruct  and  were  made  a  means  of  great  benefit  to  many,  the 
gratitude  and  ai^preciation  of  his  hearers  on  each  occasion  being 
expressed  in  the  most  gratifying  terms;  as  a  special  testimony  of  their 
estimate  of  his  services,  the  alumni  of  the  Gambier  Seminary  estab- 
lished a  scholarship  in  Dr.  Tyng's  name,  and  by  a  special  contribu- 
tion provided  for  its  maintenance  for  three  years,  in  the  hope  that 
it  would  thereafter  be  perpetuated.  All  these  evidences  of  the 
acceptance  of  his  effort  induced  him  readily  to  consent  to  con- 
tinue it  in  the  following  years. 

The  Alexandria  Seminary  having  been  closed  by  reason  of  the 
war  and  the  occupancy  of  its  buildings  for  military  uses,  the  need 
of  a  theological  school  which  would  in  some  measure  take  its 
place,  gave  rise  to  the  establishment  of  the  Pennsylvania  Divinity 
School,  located  at  Philadelphia. 

In  close  connection  also  with  this  movement  was  the  organ- 
ization, in  18G2,  of  the  Evangelical  Education  Society,  the  third  and 
last  of  the  Evangelical  Societies  which  now  covered  the  broad  fields 
of  Publication,  Missionary  labor  and  Theological  education  in  the 
dissemination  of  Evangelical  truth.  As  a  part  of  the  course  of 
instruction  of  the  new  seminary,  Dr.  Tyng  was  invited  by  the  Bishop 
of  the   Diocese   of  Pennsylvania  to   deUvcr   a   course  of  lectures 


374  ^^^'  ^i^pJ^^^^  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D. 

similar  to   those   he   had    delivered   elsewhere,   in    the    previous 

year. 

When  this  action  of  the  Bishop  became  known,  a  large  number 
of  the  clergy  of  Philadelphia  united  in  urging  Dr.  Tyng's  accept- 
ance of  the  invitation,  expressing  their  desire  that  they  also  might 
have  the  privilege  of  hearing  him.  As  the  opportunity  was  offered 
for  its  discussion  in  greater  detail,  the  theme  of  these  lectures  was 
somewhat  enlarged,  and  thus  under  the  title,  "  The  Office  and  Work 
of  the  Ministry,"  the  seventeen  lectures  originally  prepared  be- 
came forty-two  in  their  final  order  in  three  distinct  series. 

Fourteen  lectures  comprised  in  the  first  course  were  delivered 
in  St.  Andrew's  Church,  Philadelphia,  during  the  month  of  April, 
1863,  and  on  their  conclusion,  the  clergy  united  in  addressing  to 
Dr.  Tyng  a  letter  expressing  the  interest  and  pleasure  with  which 
they  had  heard  the  instruction  thus  received. 

"We  are  your  debtors,"  they  wrote,  "for  an  extraordinary 
meag^re  of  instruction  in  your  happy  mode  of  distinguishing  what 
the  gospel  is  and  what  it  is  to  preach  it,  and  of  illustrating  your 
topics  from  varied  and  large  experience  and  observation.  Not  only 
have  the  candidates  and  the  young  in  the  ministry  found  in  your 
words  needful  and  fit  instruction  and  counsel,  but  the  elder  class 
of  your  hearers  have  received  light  and  strength  and  spirit  for 
their  work,  which  they  thank  God  for  making  you  the  instrument 
of  imparting. 

"  Gladly  would  we  here  recount  the  grand  matters  of  instruc- 
tion made  distinct  and  prominent  in  your  lectures,  but  while  it  de- 
lights us  to  recall  them,  the  impression  of  them  on  our  minds  is  too 
deep  and  fresh  to  need  outer  associations  as  a  help  for  retaining  it. 
Our  only  regret  is  that  the  lectures  are  ended,  though  it  is  only  for 
the  present.  Our  hope  is  that  at  a  future  day  you  may  have  health 
and  grace  to  resume  the  course,  and  thus  to  add  to  the  favor  already 

done." 

In  the  following  year  the  subject  was  continued  in  an  addi- 
itional  series  of  fourteen  lectures,  delivered  in  the  same  place. 

All  these  lectures  were  largely  extemporaneous  and  the  mea- 
gre notes  which  Dr.  Tyng  prepared  give  Httle  indication  of  the 
interesting  manner  in  which  the  subject  was  amplified,  and  illus- 
trated by  anecdote  and  incident  drawn  from  his  long  and  varied 
experience.  A  full  stenographic  report  of  the  series  of  1864  has, 
however,  been  preserved,  and  the  following  extracts  from  it  may 
perhaps  sufficiently  illustrate  such  points  as  the  present  record  re- 
quires. 


Lectures  on  -Preac/ung,  375 

"  I  would  have  it  most  simply  and  thoroughly  understood,"  he 
remarked,  "  that  I  am  never  engaged  in  a  work  like  this  upon  any 
monition  of  my  own.  *  The  Office  and  Work  of  the  Ministry'  was 
the  definition  of  the  subject  which  was  furnished  to  me  by  others, 
not  selected  by  myself,  and  the  general  theme  was  laid  out  as  the 
great  subject  upon  which  our  thoughts  were  to  be  directed. 

"  I  would  have  you  feel  that  I  come  to  you  at  no  time  with  any 
theories  of  scholastic  theology.  I  come  a  plain  spiritual  mechanic, 
a  man  who  has  been  hammered  upon  by  others  for  a  good  many 
years,  and  who  has  hammered  a  good  many  people  in  the  various  rela- 
tions and  experiences  of  the  ministry,  both  in  itself  and  in  its  trials. 
I  come  to  give  some  of  the  results  of  my  personal  experience,  some 
of  the  fruits  which  have  been  gathered  from  my  observation  of 
others,  some  of  the  products  of  personal  independent  thought  and 
experience  running  now  through  nearly  five  and  forty  years  oi 
work  and  observation,  spread  over  a  very  considerable  field  of  labor 
and  influence, — thought  honestly  adopted,  independently  main- 
tained, made  my  own,  and  never  given  up  until  convinced  right- 
eously and  thoroughly  that  I  was  wrong. 

"  I  started  last  year  with  the  principle — the  great  and  main 
principle — that  the  one  office  and  work  of  the  ministry  was  to 
preach  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  For  this  one  purpose  alone 
are  we  sent  into  the  world.  Starting  with  this  great  principle  ; 
my  view  is  that  every  part  and  every  portion  of  our  duty  is  to  be 
jm  unceasing  preaching  of  the  Saviour's  gospel.  Whether  it  be 
public  or  private,  whether  it  be  with  many  or  with  few,  whether  it 
be  in  the  audience  of  multitudes  or  sitting  alone  by  a  solitary  suf- 
ferer, you  and  I  have  but  one  thing  to  do  in  this  world, — it  is  to 
make  known  •  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ'  to  our  fellow- 
men.  The  moment  we  step  aside  from  that  to  attempt  anything 
else,  we  are  leaving  the  rock  of  our  salvation  for  mere  experiment 
in  a  fathomless  and  ungovernable  sea.  Everything  beside  is  an 
impertinent  thing  to  our  great  business.  I  proposed  the  whole  sub- 
ject under  these  heads — 

"  Preaching  in  itself — the  thing  to  be  done. 

"Preachers  in  their  qualifications — the  persons  to  do  it. 

"  Preaching  in  its  actual  exercise — the   proper  way  of  doing  it. 

•'  These  are  three  very  distinctly  defined  heads  of  thought 

"  1.  This  glorious  message  of  salvation.  2.  The  agents  by 
whom  this  message  in  to  be  carried  out,  defined,  described,  delin- 
eated, and  then,  3.  The  practical  carrying  of  it  out  in  all  its 
varied   relations  and  circumstances  of  application  to  our  follow- 


/» 


^6  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 


men.  You  will  perceive  that  the  first  is  manifestly  fundamental. 
The  great  message  which  is  committed  to  us  is  original.  All  the 
agencies  are  manifestly  secondary  and  consequent.  They  may  vary 
exceedingly  in  their  character ;  they  may  be  commanding,  as  of  au- 
thority; they  may  be  voluntary,  as  of  individual  action  or  influence ; 
they  may  be  formal,  in  the  direct  labors  of  the  ministry  as  consti- 
tuted ;  they  may  be  incidental,  in  the  dropping  even  of  a  word  of 
exhortation  and  kindness  from  the  mouth  to  the  ear  upon  the  way- 
side as  we  go  ;  they  may  be  vocal,  in  the  utterance  and  employ- 
ment of  the  human  voice  to  the  utmost  extent  of  its  application  ; 
they  may  be  exemplary,  as  they  shine  in  the  influence  and  aspects 
of  the  human  example  ;  they  may  be  living,  as  men  are  employed 
personally  to  proclaim  the  truth  ;  they  may  be  mechanical,  as  books 
are  jDrepared,  sent   forth  and  sanctified  for  the  very  same  purpose. 

"  These  are  all  agencies  of  this  ministry  ;  but  all  these  agen- 
cies and  instruments,  more  or  less  appropriate,  are  an  arrangement 
to  do  this  one  prescribed  thing  which  has  been  already  prepared, 
and  which  lies  before  us  as  the  great  subject  of  our  consideration. 
The  formal  ministry  of  the  gospel  in  its  highest  aspects  and  aspira- 
tions, is  nothing  as  you  separate  it  from  this  one  great  message 
of  truth.  And  therefore  we  speak  of  this  message  as  being  always 
supremely,  absolutely  fundamental  in  this  whole  work.  We  are 
preachers  of  the  Saviour's  gospel  ;  we  are  nothing  without  it,  and 
our  whole  scheme  of  duty  and  circle  of  responsibility  lie  within 
that  area,  and  travel  unceasingly  around  that  one  appointed  cen- 
tre. 0  when  shall  you  and  I  wake  up  to  the  greatness  and  sim- 
pHcity  of  that  thought !  When  shall  we  be  fully  willing  to  go  out 
in  the  single  exercise  of  faith  in  the  divine  promise  and  the  divine 
power,  and  be  willing  to  be  counted  as  the  filth  and  offscouring 
of  the  world,  if  men  will  think  us  so,  that  we  rday  tell  dying  men 
of  a  glorious  living  Saviour. 

"  I  can  assure  you  that  simple  as  seems  this  testimony,  you  will 
labor  on  for  forty  years,  to  come  at  their  end,  if  you  live  that  time, 
and  feel,  '  Oh  that  some  one  would  tell  me  how  to  preach  the  sim- 
ple sacred  message,  so  that  it  shall  reach  in  the  demonstration  of 
the  Spirit,  and  with  divine  power,  the  souls  to  whom  I  am  sent.' 
I  tell  you  that  no  single  feeling  will  so  impress  your  minds  and 
hearts,  your  conscience  and  convictions,  in  the  later  period  of  your 
life,  as  the  feeling  of  deep  and  painful  disappointment  while  mem- 
ory surveys  the  multitudes  you  have  met  in  your  ministry,  and 
consciousness  declares  the  simplicity  of  your  heart's  desire  in  teach- 
ing them,  and  yet  the  sorrowful  procession  passes  before  you  of 


Lectures  on  Preaching.  377 

unconverted  souls,  hundreds  and  thousands  perhaps,  going  with 
you  to  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ,  to  be  there,  (oh,  my  soul  trem- 
bles sometimes  when  I  think  of  it !)  to  be  there  living  witnesses, 
perhaps  of  my  total  want  of  faithfulness  in  this  formal,  incidental, 
vocal,  exemplary,  living,  mechanical  ministry  %  as  Paul  says  :  '  by 
all  means  striving  to  save  some.' 

"  In  looking  at  the  commencement  of  the  subject  we  have 
specially  before  us,  I  cannot  think  of  a  clearer  introduction  to 
the  thoughts  which  I  wish  to  present  to  you,  than  in  a  Hght  recapi- 
tulation of  the  points  of  the  course  through  which  I  went  last 
spring.  I  then  took  up  preaching  in  itself,  the  great  subject  com- 
mitted to  me,— for  what  am  I  sent  into  this  wprld  ?  We  divided 
preaching  into  two  general  aspects,  subjective  and  objective;  that  is, 
what  it  is  in  itself,  and  for  the  attainment  of  which  it  is  designed, 
so  that  the  simple  general  statement  would  be  :  Preaching  what? 
and  preaching  for  what  ?  In  preaching,  what  have  I  to  say  ?  In 
preaching  what  do  I  wish  to  do  ? 

"  Taking  these  two  divisions,  first  subjectively,  we  considered 
the  great  message  in  itself.  I  defined  it  first  of  all  as  the  delivery  of 
a  divine  message  from  God  to  man.  I  would  fain  take  the  stand 
that  every  minister  of  the  gospel  is  as  really  inspired  to  teach  his 
message  as  any  one  who  has  ever  gone  before  him,  and  that  as  the 
Spirit  of  God  takes  the  written  record  from  the  Word  and  transfers 
itm  living  characters  to  the  tablets  of  the  heart,  and  thus  makes 
the  man  a  living  minister  and  a  living  messenger,  the  man  receives 
the  gospel,  '  not  of  man,'  as  Paul  says  to  the  Galatians,  *  neither  by 
man,'  but  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  is  divinely  taught  by  divine  ap- 
pointment to  be  a  teacher  of  others.  We  do  not  go  to  arguo  with 
our  fellow-men.  We  have  no  subjects  of  discussion.  We  go  as 
messengers  to  tell  them  the  great  message  of  authority  from  the 
word  of  the  living  God.  The  m^issage  is  a  message  of  facts  divinely 
accomplished,  not  of  things  which  are  to  be  done  — nof  of  things 
which  we  desire  to  have  done, —  not  of  things  which  we  wish  men 
to  do.  As  a  minister  of  Christ  I  have  something  to  tell  that  you 
do  not  know,  a  message  of  facts,  great,  important, — of  facts  ac- 
complished that  you  are  to  hear  as  coming  directly  from  God 
through  me  to  you. 

•*  These  facts  are  all  component  parts  of  one  great  scheme  of 
divine  redemption,  accomplished  in  the  manifestation  of  God  in 
the  flesh,  in  the  perfect  atonement  which  His  death  accompHshed, 
in  the  complete  acceptance  which  His  rightcouness  attains,  in  the 
glorious  triumph  which  His  resurrection  and  ascension  andreign  in 


37^  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

glory  establish  and  assure.  Upon  these  facts  thus  accomplished, 
glorious  offers  are  made  to  men,  wonderful  provisions  are  attained 
by  them,  and  we  are  sent  to  make  these  offers  of  all  these  wonder- 
ful provisions  of  grace,  resting  upon  these  facts,  to  man's  accept- 
ance and  man's  enjoyment.  Upon  these  facts  are  based  gracious 
invitations  to  men  to  become  partakers  of  these  wonderful  gifts, 
heirs  and  possessors  of  these  glorious  benefits  thus  proposed.  Of 
these  invitations  an  instant  accei^tance  becomes  a  personal  obliga- 
tion, an  individual  duty,  and  we  are  sent  to  urge  this  obligation 
and  press  this  duty. 

"  As  the  alternative  of  this  acceptance,  the  result  of  the  refusal 
thereof,  we  are  to  proclaim  the  divine  condemnation  which  comes 
from  *  loving  darkness  rather  than  light.'  And  yet,  this  message, 
these  facts,  these  offers,  these  provisions,  these  invitations,  this  ac- 
ceptance, this  condemnation  upon  its  refusal,  all  are  to  come  from 
us  as  solemn,  authoritative  proclamations.  We  go  through  the 
world  like  men  crying  '  Fire  !  Fire  !  FIEE !'  all  the  time,  whether 
men  will  hear  or  whether  they  will  forbear.  We  pursue  our  course 
with  fidelity  and  earnestness,  and  have  no  responsibility  with 
results;  'though  Israel  be  not  gathered,  he  shall  yet  be  glorious  in 
the  eyes  of  the  Lord.'  It  is  God's  will  to  give  us  a  blessing  in  the 
salvation  of  many. 

"  My  dear  friends,  you  will  groan  in  many  an  hour,  before  you 
learn  to  acknowledge  that  it  is  God's  will  to  give  you  sorrow  and 
distress,  and  Himself  glory  in  the  hardening  and  destruction  of 
many.  And  that  great  mysterious  part  of  the  work  which  Arch- 
bishop Leighton  calls,  'being  sent  to  make  men  sermon  proof,' 
while  it  is  that  which  crushes  our  hearts  beyond  every  thing  in  our 
personal  experience,  is  that  which  teaches  us  more  than  any  other 
one  thing  the  sovereignty  of  the  authority  by  which  we  are  com- 
missioned, and  the  importance  of  the  message  which  is  committed 
to  our  care. 

"  Now  these  are  facts  which  go  to  make  up  our  preaching  sub- 
jectivel3^  I  have  nothing  else  to  te'll  but  this  one  great  message. 
For  me,  all  that  is  wanted  is  fidelity  in  this  one  work,  unceasing 
earnestness  of  thought  and  feeling,  and  concentration  of  purpose 
and  effort  upon  this  one  great  and  glorious  undertaking.  And  the 
more  simple  I  am,  the  more  I  come  within  the  reach  of  the  plainest 
and  the  poorest  and  the  youngest,  the  more  effective  and  the  more 
authoritative  I  am  in  the  eyes  and  minds  and  view  of  all  whose 
judgments  are  worthy  of  any  consideration.  This  is  preaching  in 
itself  subjectively. 


Lechives  on  Preachuig,  379 

"  And  when  I  ask  the  second  question  :  *  For  what  is  this 
preaching,  objectively;  what  do  I  mean  to  attain  by  it?"  I  answer, 
first  of  all,  by  considering  it  in  a  twofold  division.  In  reference 
to  the  authority  by  which  we  are  sent,  and  the  persons  to  whom 
we  are  sent;  the  purposes  to  be  projected  and  attained  under  each 
division  differing  entirely.  My  first  object  in  preaching  the  gospel 
is  in  reference  to  the  authority  by  which  I  am  commissioned.  And 
this  is  twofold.  My  first  great  purpose  in  ministering  this  message 
has  reference  to  the  Great  Being  by  whom  I  am  sent.  And  this 
relates  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  commissions  me,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost,  who  works  with  me.  I  am  the  voice  of  Jesus;  I  am 
the  fingers  of  the  Spirit.  Jesus  talks  by  me ;  the  Holy  Ghost  works 
with  me.  The  Saviour  utters  His  message  through  my  lips;  the 
Spirit  employs  my  work  to  accomplish  His  designs. 

"  In  preaching  to  which  I  am  sometimes  required  to  listen,  I 
find  so  little  of  Christ  at  all,  and  so  little  of  any  Holy  Ghost,  that 
I  am  ready  to  ask  whether  men  have  ever  heard,  *  whether  there 
be  so  much  as  the  Holy  Ghost/  or  whether  they  know  anything 
whatever  of  a  Divine  Saviour.  And  yet,  the  first  of  these  consti- 
tutes our  great  purpose  in  the  ministry.  The  grand  purpose  for 
which  I  came  into  the  world  is  to  glorify  that  Saviour,  to  make 
Him  known,  to  proclaim  the  riches  of  His  grace,  to  make  men 
understand  who  He  is,  what  He  is,  what  He  has  done;  to  glorify 
the  Father  in  Him  by  gathering  His  chosen  to  partake  of  the 
things  which  are  freely  given  to  them  of  God  in  Christ,  to  establish 
His  kingdom  upon  the  earth,  and  bring  home  the  multitude  of 
His  redeemed  to  partake  personally  and  forever  of  His  everlasting 
love. 

"  My  second  objective  relation  in  reference  to  this  authority  by 
which  I  come,  is  my  relation  to  the  preaching  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
who  qualifies  and  uj^holds  me.  I'  am  to  illustrate  His  power,  to  ac- 
complish His  work.  He  works  by  me,  with  me,  in  me,  through  me, 
for  me.  Do  I  speak  to  the  multitude  ?  It  is  the  Holy  Spirit  speak- 
ing through  me.  Do  I  speak  to  a  single  solitary  hearer?  It  is 
the  finger  of  the  Holy  Ghost  touching  that  single  solitary  mind. 
I  have  a  message  to  deliver  from  Christ;  I  have  a  message  to  de- 
liver by  the  Holy  Ghost  and  through  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

"  Now  we  never  can  forget  this.  I  never  kneel  down  in  mv 
pulpit  before  the  utterance  of  my  discourse,  to  proclaim  this  mes- 
sage, but  these  two  thoughts  come  into  my  mind  :  *  I  am  there 
thy  minister,  O  Jesus  1  I  am  there  thy  agent,  O  Holy  Spirit !  I 
am  to  speak  thy  words,  Divine  Saviour.      I    am  to  speak  by    thy 


380  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D. 

power,  Divine  Spirit'  And  only  so  far  as  it  is  Jesus  who  speaks, 
and  the  Spirit  who  enables  me  to  speak  for  Jesus,  can  I  be  any 
such  agent  or  instrument  of  the  divine  blessing  or  benefit  to 
those  to  whom  I  am  sent  ? 

"  The  second  objective  relation  of  this  ministry  is  to  the  persons 
to  w^iom  we  are  sent.  Here,  again,  important  distinctions  are  to 
be  regarded. 

"  As  I  look  upon  the  men  before  me  as  they  come  under  my 
ministry;  I  see  them  at  once  under  a  twofold  aspect.  There  is  a 
class  unconverted^  there  is  a  class  converted,  — a  class  in  their  native 
condition  of  sin  and  guilt  whom  I  am  to  rescue  and  bring  to  Jesus; 
a  class  in  the  divinely  conferred  condition  of  pardon  and  accept- 
ance, whom  I  am  to  guide  and  train  for  Jesus.  My  ministry  of 
the  one  message  becomes  entirely  different  as  I  minister  to  these 
two  classes  of  persons.  And  the  one  great  testimony  with  which  I 
am  charged  has  an  immediately  distinct  appHcation,  as  I  bring  it 
there,  to  rebuke  the  unbeliever,  to  comfort  the  feeble-minded,  to 
support  the  weak,  to  recall  the  erring,  so  that  it  requires  the  ut- 
most discrimination  of  thought  and  purpose  on  my  part  to  carry 
out  in  an  adequate  application  this  glorious  message  in  its  distinct 
and  personal  design  and  operation  ujDon  the  different  classes  and 
individuals  of  men. 

"  As  I  take  up  before  me,  first  of  all,  the  first  of  these  classes, 
the  unconverted  ;  they  are  by  no  means  one  unmingled  mass.  I  find 
them  again  entirely  dissimilar,  distributed  in  their  condition. 
First,  in  reference  to  their  relations  to  God  and  their  state  of  mind, 
I  see  them  doomed  for  sin,  and  they  must  be  forgiven.  I  see  them 
alienated,  hostile  in  spirit,  and  they  must  be  reconciled  and 
brought  back.  My  message  of  divine  forgiveness  is  the  glorious 
work  of  Jesus,  which  they  must  believe.  My  message  of  human 
reconciliation  is  a  message  of  this  glorious  love  of  Jesus  which 
they  are  to  feel.  I  see  them  again  under  another  twofold  division: 
as  regarded  in  their  own  present  condition,  what  they  are  by 
nature;  and  as  regarded  in  the  glorious  provisions  of  grace,  what 
they  may  be  by  the  divine  gift,  what  philosophers  would  call  the 
TjSsc  and  the  Vosse  of  their  condition.  That  man  now  condemned 
and  an  outcast,  may  he  not  be  a  child  of  God,  an  heir  of  glory,  a 
recipient  of  boundless  mere}- !  And  may  I  not  to-morrow  take 
him  by  the  hand  and  call  him  my  dear  brother,  though  to-day  he 
may  be  a  blasphemer,  a  persecutor  and  injurious !  I  am  to  deal 
with  him  then  in  reference  to  his  present  necessities  and  his  future 
possibilities.     Now  should  I  go  no  further  in  this  objective  relation 


Lectures  on  Preaching,  381 

as  men  are  concerned,  when  you  have  tried  the  experiment  of  the 
ministry  long  you  will  find  an  angel's  wisdom  does  not  meet  the 
case.  Over  and  over  again  will  your  spirit  sink,  and  your  heart  bo 
ready  to  break,  in  its  depression,  in  the  impossibility  of  your  work, 
the  total  want  to  your  mind  of  apparent  sufficiency  and  efficiency 
in  the  ministry  of  this  great  message  to  unconverted  men. 

**  And  yet,  this  is  but  one  half  of  our  work  in  reference  to  men. 
For  immediately  there  comes  before  us  a  second  division  of  men  as 
we   see  them,  namely  :   Converted  men,   and  it  requires  a  different 
ministry  to  meet  them.     Though  it  is  one  and  the  same  grand  mes- 
sage of  salvation,  it  has,  I  may  say,  endless  varieties  in  the  method 
of  its  application.     Often  is  it  the  case  that  men  imagine  conversion 
to  be  the  one  grand  and  special   object.     Some  ministers  I  have 
heard,  who  supposed    this  was  to  be  the  whole  business  of  their 
life.     I  remember  during  a  great  revival  of  religion,  which  we  had 
in  Philadelphia,  being   with  a  minister  who  said  to  me:     'I  would 
rather  convert  ten  men,  than  try  to  keep  one  straight  after  he  wae 
converted.'      Naturally  enough,  in  the  style  of  preaching  tie  im- 
agined o'ught  to  be  done,  for  when  I  heard  him  preach,  there  was 
not  a  word  of  the  Saviour's  gospel,  not  a  word  of  what  Christ  had 
done,  not  a  single  message  of  divine  salvation  completed.     He  was 
unceasingly  thumping  the  exhortation  upon  men,  what  they  were 
to  do,  what  they  were  to    be,  what  they  were  to  become.     It  was 
like  beating  a  bale  of  cotton  with  a  rattan,  it  accomplished  literally 
nothing,  producing  no  sort  of  influence.     I  remember  an  old  Meth- 
odist minister,  who  in  such  circumstances  listening  to  such  brethren 
proclaiming  the  truth  as  they  supposed  very  earnestly, — it  was  in 
the  town  of  Bristol,  when  I  was  there  as  a  candidate  for  the  min- 
istry,—this  simple-hearted  Methodist  brotner  sat  by  my  side  and 
said  to  me  :    '  Well,  my  dear  friend,  it  would  take  as  many  such 
sermons  as  that  to  convert  a  man,  as  it  would  quarts  of  skimmed 
milk  to  make  him  drunk.'     There  was  not  a  word  in  it  about  sal- 
vation,   about   the    Saviour,   about   a  divine     deliverance,   but    a 
mere  earnest  thumping,  thumping,  thumping  at  the  i^eople  in  the 
shape  of  exhortation. 

"  Now  allow  mo  to  say,  brethren,  you  will  never  accomplish 
anvthing  by  this.  Your  grand  instrument  of  power,  is  the  sim- 
plicity of  the  message  of  truth.  Go  tell  what  Jesus  has  done  and 
suflfered.  Tell  what  Jesus  has  felt  and  said,  and  promised.  Pro- 
claim the  fulness  of  His  divine  deliverance.  Testify  of  the  glory 
of  His  complete  righteousness.  Open  simply  and  distinctly  to 
view  the  fountain  of  His  atoning,  all-cleansing  blood.     Waste  not 


382  Rev.   Stephen  Higginson    Tytig^  D,D. 

your  time  in  earnest  and  unceasing  exhortation,  but  simply,  plainly, 
faithfully,  proclaim  the  truth  as  He  thus  puts  it  into  your  hands, 
and  look  up  to  that  blessed  Spirit,  who  thus  qualifies  you  to  teach 
it,  to  make  it  impressive  and  effective  to  the  minds  of  those  who 
hear. 

"  But  when  we  come  to  this  second  class  of  men  as  converted, 
I  see  them  as  the  spiritual  temple  to  be  edified  ;  as  the  children  of 
God  in  His  family  to  be  watched  over  ;  as  plants  of  heavenly,  of 
Divine  planting  to  be  nurtured;  and  whether  I  consider  them  as  a 
temple,  or  as  children  or  as  plants,  I  see  a  twofold  character  in 
them  that  I  am  constantly  to  look  after  and  try  to  sustain  and  en- 
large ;  an  inward  life  that  is  to  be  fed  and  nourished  by  a  divine 
power,  and  an  outward  life  that  is  to  be  made  fruitful  and  effective 
by  the  same  divine  power.  An  inward  life  that  is  to  grow  for  their 
own  comfort,  advantage  and  welfare,  and  an  outward  life  that  is  to 
grow  for  the  comfort,  advantage  and  welfare  of  others  around 
them. 

"  I  can  never  fail  to  realize  the  importance  of  this  distinction. 
They  are  to  grow  in  grace  within,  in  personal  conformity  to  Jesus, 
in  living  faith  in  Jesus,  in  a  resting  of  the  soul  upon  His  promises, 
and  in  the  delight  of  the  heart  in  His  fulness,  for  their  own  increase 
in  hope  and  joy,  and  triumphant  prospect  and  life  of  usefulness. 
They  are  to  grow  in  the  external  fruits  for  others.  Their  example, 
influence,  labors,  efforts,  are  fruits  which  others  are  to  gather,  and 
of  which  others  are  to  reap  the  advantage,  and  not  they  themselves. 
It  is  immensely  important  to  maintain  this  twofold  line  of  thought. 
And  while  in  both,  it  is  for  the  glory  of  Christ,  whether  they  are  in- 
wardly spiritually  edified  or  whether  they  are  outwardly  relatively 
useful;  yet  the  motive,  the  purpose,  the  plan,  the  relation  of  the  two 
are  entirely  distinct.  But  all  this  work  comes  under  our  teaching, 
under  the  direct  line  of  our  ministry  of  this  one  message.  And 
when  we  see  these  men  in  their  hours  of  darkness,  in  the  midst  of 
difiiculty,  disconsolate  and  almost  in  despair,  feeling  after  a  hope 
which  they  have  not,  walking  in  the  midst  of  gloom  and  sorrow 
and  burdensome  distress,  my  dear  young  brethren,  I  can  only  say 
that  these  things  will  make  you  to  ask  over  and  over  again  with 
sterner  emotion:  'Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things?'  and  the 
further  you  go,  the  more  oppressive  will  this  burden  seem,  and  the 
longer  you  minister,  the  more  incompetent  will  you  find  it  to  be 
useful  and  effective  ministers  at  all. 

"Now  this  is  the  '  Office  and  Work  of  the  Ministry,'  in  itself  con- 
sidered.    I  propose  now  to  consider  with  you,  the  agency  which  is  to 


Lectures  07t  Preaching,  ;;83 

he  employed,  the  instruments  appointed  and  prepared  by  wliom  the 
Lord  is  pleased  to  do  this  thing.  And  our  subject,  as  it  will  go  on, 
will  be,  '  Preachers  personally  considered  in  their  office  and  their  quaiifi- 
caiio7is.' 

"  That  I  shall  be  able  to  be  useful  to  you  is  my  hope,  but  it  must 
dej^end  upon  other  powers  than  mine.  I  come  to  you  after  a  winter 
of  intense  labor  and  much  sickness  and  weakness  and  weariness, 
perhaps  never  feeling  so  little  qualified  to  teach  anybody.  And 
yet,  it  may  be,  that  the  Lord  has  thus  wrung  out  the  cloth  and 
hung  it  up  to  dry  that  I  may  feel  my  own  weakness  in  preparation 
for  further  usefulness  to  others.  I  long  to  say  something  to  you 
by  the  power  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  I  have  no  other  wish,  I  am  sure. 
If  I  can  counsel  one  young  brother  and  lead  him  gently  by  the 
hand  into  the  path  of  truth  and  usefulness,  encourage,  comfort, 
cheer  and  advise  him  in  this  great  work,  under  the  power  and 
teaching  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  whose  constant  presence  I  most  ear- 
nestly implore,  I  shall  feel  that  the  labor  and  toil  are  nothing.  I 
am  perfectly  willing  to  enter  upon  the  work  so  that  God  shaU  be 
graciously  present  to  give  us  His  blessing." 

Passing  to  the  second  general  division  of  the  subject — Preach- 
ers in  their  qualifications  :  the  persons  to  do  it — it  was  presented 
first  in  the  question,  "  Preachers  what  are  they  ?  "  The  first  an- 
swer to  this  question,  "  Men,"  led  to  a  long  consideration  of  the 
humanity  of  the  ministry  as  a  most  important  fact  in  the  divine 
appointment  and  purpose,  and  a  most  impressive  and  encouraging 
thought  in  the  adaptation  and  advantages  of  the  divine  arrange- 
ment and  plan. 

"  We  find  in  ourselves,"  he  says,  "in  the  survey  of  our  humanity, 
precisely  the  powers,  then,  which  are  adapted  to  operate  on  others 
and  become  thus  qualified  to  be  ministers,  agents  of  God's  great 
blessings.  We  are  to  open  unto  them  the  divine  proffers,  to 
proclaim  the  message  which  has  been  put  into  our  hands,  a  divine, 
complete  salvation  for  guilty  man.  This  is  a  salvation  that  is  not  to 
be  ministered  by  sacraments.  If  it  were,  there  would  be  no  diffi- 
culty. If  you  and  I  were  sent  out  on  that  miserable,  popish  scheme 
which  some  men  argue  in  our  Church,  there  would  be  no  difficulty 
in  our  work.  It  requires  no  thought,  no  feeling.  For  if  the 
plan  suggested  in  my  hearing  the  other  day  by  a  gentleman, 
— whom  I  will  not  mention,  for  the  fact  is  too  degrading — if  the 
plan,  suggested  by  him,  be  the  true  one,  that  the  inward  operation 
of  the  ministry  is  ])y  sacraments,  and  that  they  are  to  be  ap})lied 
more  and  more  upon  the  principle  of  ointment  rubbed  in,  and  that 


384  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng, 

as  these  are  rubbed  in  one  after  another,  by  and  by  they  will  reach 
the  heart  and  sanctify  the  spirit — if  this  is  the  fact,  there  is  no  diffi- 
culty whatever.  It  is  perfectly  easy  to  rub  down  the  bodies  of  men 
with  ointment,  and  perfectly  easy  to  administer  outward  sacra- 
ments. But  do  not  forget  the  truth  we  have  already  laid  down, 
that  outward  ordinances  are  never  for  ourselves  ;  they  are  hut 
fruit  for  others.  No  man  receives  the  sacrament  for  his  own  "ben- 
efit. No  man  can  minister  the  sacraments  to  others  and  confer 
benefits  upon  them.  And  if  one  says,  as  they  often  do,  "  Why  shall 
I  go  to  the  Lord's  table  if  I  find  no  benefit  there  ?  '  say  to  him,  '  Why, 
you  never  will,  if  you  go  for  the  purpose  of  personal  benefit.  '  It  is 
not  for  that  purpose.  The  Lord  has  an  inward  way  of  the  divine 
edification  of  the  spirit  fall  the  edification  is  within  ;  all  the  fruit 
bearing  is  without.  That  which  is  within  belongs  to  the  salvation 
of  the  person,  improving  and  enjoying  it.  That  which  is  without  is 
gathered  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  are  abroad. 

*'The  system  committed  to  us  is  a  system  of  spiritual,  moral, 
personal  relative  influence.  We  are  charged  with  a  message  which 
is  to  be  accepted  by  man's  voluntary  choice;  which  is  to  be  received 
in  the  line  of  man's  emotion,  feelings  and  experience.  There  is 
nothing  mysterious  whatever  in  the  ministry  with  which  we  are 
clothed.  Love  speaking  in  us,  love  speaking  in  Christ  Jesus,  love 
to  sinners  as  the  Saviour  proclaims  it,  is  to  operate  precisely  in  our 
ministry  as  our  love  to  one  another,  in  the  same  degree,  the  same 
in  kind,  the  same  in  method  of  operation,  and  a  different  object 
only.  These  affections  are  to  be  quickened,  moved  by  adopting 
suitable  influences  and  instruments,  and  this  is  our  work,  and  all  the 
skill  and  wisdom  and  sincerity  of  heart  and  purpose  that  man  can 
have  is  to  be  brought  into  operation  to  accomplish  this  great  work. 

"Let  me  illustrate  here.  I  had  been  attending  for  nearly  two 
years  an  intelligent  physician,  who  lately  died,  and  who  was  made  a 
child  of  God  in  the  course  of  these  two  years.  He  came  from  the 
country.  *  The  family  resided  at  a  boarding-house.  Their  acquaint- 
ance was  not  at  first  with  me,  and  they  sent  for  a  very  distinguished 
gentleman  who  holds  a  rectory  there.  When  he  came,  he  sat  down 
and  asked  a  few  questions—'  My  friend,'  he  said,  '  what  you  want  is 
to  be  confirmed,  to  take  the  Holy  Communion.  May  I  speak  to  the 
Bishop  about  a  private  Confirmation.  I  have  not  time  to  administer 
the  Communion  now,  I  will  offer  a  short  prayer  for  you  and  come 
and  see  you  again  on  the  subject.'  He  knelt  by  his  side,  took  out 
his  Prayer-book  as  a  homoeopathic  doctor  would  take  out  his  case, 
and   prayed  a  homoeopathic  prayer  and   went   away.     The   man's 


Lectures  on  Preaching,  385 

heart  was  sad,  bowed  down  ;  his  distress  was  great.  He  sent  for 
me.  1  found  him  intelligent,  anxious,  a  beautiful  vine  growing 
without  a  trellis,  throwing  its  tendrils  out,  grasping  at  something, 
it  hardly  knew  what,  to  lay  hold  on.  I  sat  down  and  preached 
Jesus  to  him  for  an  hour.  *  Oh,'  said  he,  'what  tidings  this  is 
io  a  weary  soul !'  I  kneU  by  him  and  prayed  for  him.  His  remark 
was,  that  it  seemed  very  heaven  to  him,  the  intelligence  I  was 
commissioned  to  impart.  I  attended  him,  to  see  the  fruits  of  the 
Spirit.  They  were  remarkable  during  the  twenty  months  be- 
fore his  death.  In  the  glory  of  his  departure,  which  was  near 
midnight,  he  had  seemed  to  know  no  one.  His  wife  said 
to  me,  'Stand  under  the  gaslight  and  see  if  he  will  know 
you.'  He  was  sitting  in  his  chair,  for  he  could  not  lie  down.  He 
looked  at  me,  his  eyes  beamed  with  unearthly  brightness.  '  O,'  he 
exclaimed,  '  it  is  dear  Doctor  Tyng !  '  His  wife  said  he  had  not 
spoken  to  any  of  them  that  da}^  The  fruit  in  this  man  was  the 
spirit  of  grateful  affection  for  the  intelligence  I  had  brought  to  him. 

"  The  minister  said, '  You  must  go  and  do  the  things  commanded, 
that  you  may  get  all  the  good  you  can  out  of  them,'  which  is  simply 
in  my  view  perverting  the  whole  scheme  of  the  divine  arrangement. 
We  press  them  not  as  instruments  of  gain  but  of  the  Lord's  glory. 
In  Baptism  we  stand  out  on  the  side  of  Christ  and  acknowledge 
Him  as  our  Lord  ;  in  Confirmation  we  renew  our  covenant  in  the 
presence  of  His  people  ;  we  come  to  the  Lord's  table  that  we  may 
praise  and  honor  Him  and  offer  our  sacrifice  of  thanksgiving  ;  and 
to  our  work  of  usefulness  and  beneficence  that  we  may  labor  for 
Christ,  and  in  this  way  grow  and  bring  forth  fruit.  Christians  thus 
coming,  will  grow.  They  must  be  taught  to  grow  and  be  edified  in 
growing  and  bearing  fruit.  We  are  to  insist  upon  it,  that  they 
shall  grow,  but  we  cannot  make  them  grow  by  virtue  of  these 
things.     We  cannot  make  fruit  by  tying  it  to  the  tree. 

"  As  a  fifth  consideration,  this  human  ministry  presents  to  sin- 
ful men  a  valuable  example.  Even  in  the  precious  gosj^el  of  our 
divine  Master  there  is  something  very  far  off.  We  try  to  lean  upon 
Him,  and  there  is  a  difiiculty  felt  in  His  apparent  extreme  remote- 
ness ;  and  the  blessedness  of  a  faithful,  earnest  pastor  is  especially 
found  in  this  personal  example  of  the  influence  of  reUgion.  Allow 
me  to  say  that  this  is  one  grand  blessing  of  nn  established  ministry, 
as  the  Lord  has  set  it  up  among  the  children  of  men.  One 
great  service  of  the  hnnKin  ministry  is  this  ti^tto?,  to  be  them- 
selves what  Paul  calls  a  OtcnTftov^  i\  s])ectac'le,  an  exhibition,  that 
the  Lord  may  set  up  one  faithful  man  in   the  midst  of  a  congrega- 


386  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Ty7ig,  D,D, 

tion  and  give  Lim  a  peculiar  experience,  peculiar  difficulties  some- 
times, in  order  that  lie  may  be  a  valuable  example  to  sinful  men, 
showing  a  man  like  themselves,  yet  in  the  midst  of  sorrow,  patient ; 
in  the  midst  of  persecution,  quiet ;  in  the  midst  of  difficulties  and 
troubles,  tranquil  and  humble  ;  in  distress  still  hopeful ;  and  with 
what  dehght  will  Christians  around  survey  a  pastor  who  goes  in  and 
out  among  them,  a  man  with  like  passions  with  themselves,  and 
yet  a  man  displaying  at  all  times  in  connection  with  human  infirm- 
ities— for  the  people  anticipate  and  love  to  see  them — yet  a  man 
displaying  at  all  times  the  exercise  of  a  divine  nature  as  it  over- 
comes these  infirmities  and  sanctifies  and  blesses  them.  To  en- 
hance the  importance  of  this  example  in  the  ministry  is  literally  im- 
possible. 

*'  It  is  this  influence  of  personal  example  in  our  parishes  which 
makes  our  whole  ministry  commanding  and  effective.  I  have  seen 
it  many  and  many  a  time  putting  upon  a  throne  of  influence  men  of 
extremely  moderate  talent.  I  have  seen  it  setting  up  men  in  com- 
mand who  have  very  httle  reach  of  intelligent  conception,  very 
little  intellectual  thought,  and  then  again  I  have  seen  other  men 
with  very  great  powers,  always  in  a  snarl,  who  seem  to  have  no 
commanding  influence  whatever.  You  never  will  conquer  the 
world  by  beating  out  its  brains  ;  you  are  to  go  forward  in  the  spirit 
of  human  tenderness  and  conscious  sympathy  with  the  human  ex- 
perience of  suffering  and  human  love,  and  thus  win  and  wear  as  the 
Lord  is  pleased  to  bless  your  work. 

"  But  I  come  now  to  take  another  step  and  to  ask  in  reference 
to  our  character  as  preachers  what  we  are.  And  a  view  of  our  of- 
fice,— the  office  to  which  we  are  called, — will  tend  just  as  much  to 
enlighten,  animate  and  strengthen  us  as  a  view  of  ourselves  tends 
to  humble  and  subdue  and  depress  us.  And  first  of  all,  in  answer 
to  the  question,  We  are  ministers.  This  is  an  extremely  general 
term.  It  is  the  word  constantly  used  in  the  language  of  the  New 
Testament  ;  it  is  the  word  which  is  our  inclusive  title.  No  matter 
what  we  have  to  do, — in  every  thing  we  are  ministers, — that  is,  our 
work  is  completely  to  minister, — a  derivative  and  dependent  and 
secondary  work.  We  are  not  philosophers,  we  are  not  investiga- 
tors, we  are  not  discoverers,  we  are  not  rationalists  in  any  shape  or 
way  ;  we  are  simply  recipients  of  a  great  divine  intelligence,  and 
ministers  of  this  great  divine  intelligence  to  other  persons.  We 
are  not  originally  the  springs  and  fountains  of  so  much  as  a  single 
thought.  We  are  mere  vessels  to  carry  truth  from  the  river, 
"  the  streams  whereof  make  glad  the   city  of  our  God,"  to  those 


Lectures  on  Preaching,  387 

to  whom  we  are  sent,  and  the  Lord  the  Spirit  employs  us  to  dip  up 
by  His  power  from  this  running  stream,  which  is  in  the  great  Sa- 
viour of  men,  the  refreshing  waters  by  which  wearied  humanity  is 
sustained,  and  suffering  souls   are   sanctified   and   comforted  and 

upheld. 

*'  I  recommend  to  you  to  consider  all  this  subject  in  a  derivative 
^ay,— the    titles  by  which  we  are  called  ;  etymologically.     In  this 
case    the  title  by  which  we  are  called  is  eminently  instructive.     It 
originates  in  one    of  the  most  humble  of  services  to  which  a  man 
was  appointed,  and  implies  in  itself  the  lowest  stage  of  duty.     Lit- 
erally it  is   'haste  in  the  fulfilment  of  duty,'  still  more  literally  it  it 
'makngadust,'  {diaKOvuivirovuSianovi^.^or  *  running  through 
the  dust '  and  gains  its  application  in  the   office  of  messenger,  who 
in  ancient  times  bore  intelHgence  on  foot,  and  whose  approach  and 
passage  were  seen  by  the   dust  upon  the  roads  which  marked   his 
transit.     Simply  meaning  in  its  original    '  making  a  dust,'   unfor- 
tunately it  may  be  said  to  continue  that  meaning  throughout  the 
ministry,  for  to  keep  up  a  dust  all  through  our  work  is  our  part. 
In  its  literal  and  simple  meaning  it  implies  a  most  submissive  ser- 
vice and  obedience.     It  is   in  concrete  shape  a   'famulus,'  a  house- 
servant,   *  a  man  of  all  work,'  in  English  application.     So  when  the 
word  is   adopted  into  the   consecrated  use  of  the  Holy   Scriptures 
it   is    in  this  special   application.     Paul    says :       '  Who    is     Paul, 
who    is  Apollos?'   are   they    not   mere    'dust    makers,'    'famuli,' 
servants  in   the  family,     '  ministers,'    by  whom  ye    have  believed, 
'  even  as  the  Lord  gave  to  every  man  ?  '    They  are  mere  agents  whc 
have  told  you  things.     You  have  beheved  them  because   the  Lord 
sent  them,  not  because  they  told  you.     But  when  he  goes  a  Uttle 
further,  to  the  first  verse  of  the  fourth  chapter  of  Second  Corinth' 
ians,  he  changes  the  figure  when  he  says  :    '  Let  a  man  so  account 
of  us  as  of  the  ministers  of  Christ.'     Instead  of  calling  them  now 
house-servants,  he  calls  them  vTtrjpeTa^,  'rowers;'  the  church  is 
no  longer    a  house,  but   a   boat   where   every   man  is   to  pull  his 
own  oar,  and  row   up   to  the   best  of   his  ability    his    own    side. 
So  that   we  are  not  merely  servants,  ministers,  but  literally,  in  the 
Roman  sense  of  the  term,  chained  to  the  oar  for  Hfe,  for  the   fulfil- 
ment of  the  sentence  as  galley  slaves.     Our  business  is  to  pull  that 
oar,  not  to  see  whether  the  ship  goes  on  the  rocks  or  not.     Nothing 
but  that  oar  demands  us,  and  we  must  ply  ourselves  with  all  our 
powers  as  rowers  of  the  boat,  and  as  Paul  further  says,    '  as  stew- 
ards of   the   mysteries  of  God,'    o/kovo//oz,    '  dispensers   of   the 
Word  of  God.' 


388  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

"  First,  then,  we  are  to  be  as  subject  servants,  without  any  will 
but  the  will  of  Christ. 

"  Secondly,  we  are  under  the  absolute  obligation  of  service 
for  life, — to  pull  straight  before  us,  earnestly  persevering  without 
any  desire  to  do  anything  else  but  our  own  work.  And — Thirdly, 
our  work  is  to  be  intelligent,  faithful  in  watching  over  the  family, 
in  keeping  the  law  of  the  house,  and  in  providing  for  those  whom 
the  Lord  has  committed  to  us. 

"  Our  great  business  then  is  to  make  known  to  the  children  of 
God  the  things  which  are  freely  given  to  them  of  God.  We  have 
no  powers  of  discretion.  Ours  is  a  proclamation  of  the  promises 
of  God.  This  we  are  to  proclaim  universally,  to  scatter  the  seed 
abroad  wherever  we  go,  to  utter  the  good  news,  leaving  the  Divine 
Spirit  to  carry  it  by  His  own  power  to  each  individual  heart.  There 
is  the  outward  call  we  make  to  the  multitudes  who  hear  us,  and 
there  is  an  inward  call  which  the  SjDirit  of  God  makes,  and  how  lit- 
tle we  know  who  is  to  hear  ! 

"  A  young  man  called  on  me  one  Monday  morning  ;  he  was  an 
intelligent  fellow.  Said  he,  '  Yesterday  was  the  first  day  I  had 
been  to  church  since  I  was  a  boy.  I  stood  in  the  front  of  the 
church  in  the  park  amusing  myself  in  the  afternoon.  I  saw  the  peo- 
ple going  into  the  church.  The  thought  came  to  me  :  I  will  go  in 
too.  I  went  in  ;  the  very  first  words  I  heard  you  speak  in  your 
sermon  were  :  "  I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  Father."  '  He  thought 
it  was  a  sermon,  but  it  was  the  introductory  sentence  of  the  Lit- 
urgy. '  It  so  impressed  my  mind,'  he  continued,  'that  it  seemed 
to  me  that  the  Lord  sent  you  expressly  to  speak  to  me,  and  I  now 
want  to  come  to  this  church  and  join  it.'  He  is  now  one  of  the 
most  useful  young  men  in  that  church  ;  it  was  two  years  ago  nearly 
when  the  Lord  brought  that  young  man  in.  He  bade  me  speak 
those  words  in  the  opening  of  the  Liturgy,  and  I  preached  them, 
and  the  Lord  carried  them  home  to  the  heart. 

"  Such  cases  are  constantly  occurring.  Some  years  ago  there 
was  left  at  my  house  a  little  package.  I  opened  it  ;  it  contained  a 
hymn-book  and  music-book,  sent  up  to  me  through  the  Custom 
House.  As  I  opened  the  music- book,  I  found  a  letter  from  a  young 
lady  in  Sheffield  England.  She  said  :  '  This  music-book  and 
hymn-book  were  my  brother's.  He  came  to  the  City  of  Philadel- 
phia as  he  was  travelling  in  the  United  States  as  a  mercantile 
agent.  He  attended  your  church.  God  was  pleased  to  convert 
him  under  your  ministry.  He  lived  there  but  a  few  weeks,  and  in 
the  States  but  a  few  months.     He  returned   home,  he  sank  in  a 


Lectures  on  Preaching,  3^9 

consumption,  an  one  of  the  last  words  he  said  to  me  was  :  "  My 
dear  sister,  send  this  music-book  and  hymn-book  to  Dr.  T^-ng,  in 
Philadelphia,  and  tell  him  I  owe  my  soul's  salvation  to  his  minis- 
try.' Now  I  never  saw  the  young  man.  I  did  not  know  he  was 
under  my  ministry.  I  had  known  nothing  more  of  him.  How  re- 
markably, however,  the  case  testifies  to  the  point,  in  hand !  I  pro- 
claimed the  truth  in  the  simple  testimony  of  the  word.  The  Holy 
Ghost  carried  it  to  the  individual. 

"  Now  we  look  back  upon  our  work  sometimes  in  individual 
cases  ;  it  is  most  desponding,  but  as  we  look  back  and  realize  the 
truths  I  have  spoken,  we  are  encouraged.  For  is  it  not  enough  to 
have  lived  to  save  one  soul  f  To  meet  one  at  the  throne  who  shall 
say  :  'I  owe  every  thing  to  that  man/  will  not  that  be  for  you  and 
for  me,  dear  brethren,  the  recompense  for  a  life  ?  Whatever  care, 
whatever  toil,  whatever  trial  it  requires,  my  dear  young  brother,  if 
it  shall  bring  us  there  in  the  presence  of  the  blood-washed  multi- 
tude, to  crown  us  with  joy  as  instruments  of  divine  salvation  to 
one  soul,  oh,  how  full  the  reward !  No  one  can  ever  feel  the  blessed- 
ness of  this  but  those  who  have  gone  through  it. 

"  And  now,  fourthly,  I  would  remark,  on  this  head,  that  the  title 
of  our  ministry  relates  to  the  service  also  in  which  we  are  em- 
ployed, as  well  as  to  the  persons  by  whom  and  for  whom  we  are  em-, 
ployed.  This  service  is  simply  the  work  which  Christ  Himself  has 
undertaken  to  do,  and  which  the  Holy  Ghost  has  undertaken  to 
do.  St.  Paul  does  not  hesitate  to  say  :  *  As  though  God  were  be- 
seeching you  by  me.'  Do  you  hear  my  voice  ?  Do  you  listen  to  my 
solicitation  ?  It  is  the  sohcitation  of  Christ  speaking  by  me.  I  am 
an  ambassador  {Ttpeafivovra^).  In  His  authority  we  expound  and 
utter  the  truth,  and  in  terms  we  should  never  dare  to  use,  but  for 
the  infallible  authority  which  He  commanded  us  to.  Whatever  then 
Christ  would  not  be  ashamed  to  do  we  need  not  be  ashamed  to  do. 
And  we  have  no  contest  in  reference  to  places.  It  is  a  miserable 
thought  to  take  up  in  our  minds  that  one  position  is  a  position  of  dig- 
nity and  another  of  inferiority.  There  is  no  inferiority  in  the  house 
of  God.  Whoever  the  Saviour  is  willing  to  bless  with  His  ministry 
we  may  bless  with  ours,  and  wherever  the  Holy  Ghost  is  willing  to 
go,  we    may   surely  follow  without  fear  in  our  ministry  and  for 

Christ. 

"  When  you  come  to  the  facts  of  your  pastoral  ministry  in  its  varied 
duty,  whatever  really  affects  the  souls  of  men,  whatever  touches 
their  relation  to  Christ,  whatever  influences  their  personal  salvation 
or  their  usefulness  in  the  liouse  of  God,  comes  immediately  in  our 


390  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng^  D,D. 

service.  And  you  will  have  all  sorts  of  questions  brought  before 
you.  There  is  no  question  of  property,  of  family,  of  individual  re- 
lation, or  economical  management,  of  individual  peace,  or  individ- 
ual dispute,  that  does  not  come  before  a  pastor  whose  ministry  is 
confided  in,  and  in  whose  sincerity  the  people  trust.  It  would  be 
a  curiosity  if  I  could  have  a  stenographer  to  take  down  the  things 
said  and  done  in  one  year  in  my  study, — the  record  of  the  kind  of 
things  brought  before  me  for  my  advice  ;  mothers  to  see  about 
their  children  ;  husbands  coming  sometimes  to  complain  of  their 
wives,  and  wives  of  their  husbands — nay,  more,  servants  and  mis- 
tresses come  to  talk  about  each  other.  Am  I  to  reject  it  ?  No  ;  I 
say,  when  the  Lord  Jesus  is  willing  to  hear  them  and  the  Divine  Spirit 
is  willing  to  hear  them.  "Whithersoever  the  Saviour  sends,  whith- 
ersoever the  Spirit  leads,  it  is  my  privilege  and  duty  to  go.  Dr. 
Payson  says  :  'The  man  that  wants  me,  is  the  man  that  I  want.' 
It  would  be  cruel  in  a  pastor  to  shut  out  from  his  most  precious 
and  important  hours  these  communications  and  calls  of  his  people. 
I  know  things  about  the  families  in  my  church,  which  are  probably 
known  to  none  other  in  the  world.  And  we  are  obliged,  in  the 
fulfilment  of  our  Master's  work,  in  this  'diakonizing,'  as  I  call  it, 
this  raising  of  the  dust  around  us,  to  live  in  the  dust,  to  abide  in 
the  dust  all  the  time. 

"  A  minister  said  to  me  the  other  day:  'This  is  a  thing  I  cannot 
bear  ;  now  I  am  perfectly  ready  to  preach,  if  there  was,  nothing 
to  do  in  the  ministiy  but  the  Sunday's  preaching.  I  delight  to 
speak  to  the  people,  especially  to  an  intelligent  and  gratified  audi- 
ence ;  even  two  sermons  on  Sunday  is  not  severe.  But  when  it 
comes  to  the  wearing,  consuming,  degrading,  miserable  every-day 
work,  I  cannot  come  down  to  it.'  I  answered  :  '  My  dear  sir,  the 
Lord  never  called  you  to  the  work.  You  do  not  know  anything 
about  it.'  If  a  man  has  a  voice  and  plays  well  on  the  instrument, 
it  ^is  a  pleasant  and  gratifying  thing  certainly,  but  it  is  not  that 
that  tells  in  the  ministry.  It  is  this  constant  absorption  of  the  vital 
energy,  by  individual  appropriations,  this  constant  exercise  of  the 
personal  ministry,  in  cases  we  cannot  console,  in  cases  which  we 
have  to  decide,[in  cases  in  reference  to  which  our  own  light  is  feeble. 
Oh,  how  often  have  I  spread  these  cases  in  my  study  before  the 
Master  who  says  :  "  Call  upon  me."  How  often,  after  I  have  heard 
the  whole  story,  must  I  cry,  '  Lord,  thou  hast  heard  it,  tell  me  what 
I  shall  say.'  And  I  cannot  but  say  that  I  have  never  gone  to  Him 
in  vain.  When  we  carry  the  case  to  Him,  He  invariably  settles  it  * 
when  we  bring  it  before  Him,  He  opens  a  way  for  us   by  which  we 


Lectures  on  Preaching,  391 

may  exercise  a  ministry  of  wisdom  and  faithfully  fulfil  the  ministry 
He  appoints. 

"  And  this  commingling  in  the  ministry  of  tenderness  with  bold- 
ness, this  valor  for  the  truth  and  fearlessness  of  the  face  of  either 
men  or  devils,  while  proclaiming  the  Saviour's  word,  this  taking  up 
the  downcast  and  opening  the  door  and  extending  aid  and  sympa- 
thy to  the  neglected  and  hidden  ones — this  is  the  grand  union  of 
qualifications  which  makes  the  minister  of  Christ  the  effective  in- 
strument for  glorifying  His  name  and  fulfilling  His  work. 

"  Our  Ordination  service  gives  us  three  titles  as  specific  and  dis- 
criminating under  the  one  great  head  of  that  ministry  of  which  we 
have  spoken  so  much  in  detail.  And  to  these  three  specific  desig- 
nations, as  I  conceive,  nothing  can  possibly  be  added.  They  in- 
clude the  three  great  departments  of  ministerial  work  and  duty, 
divided  in  so  clear  and  manifest  a  designation,  both  in  reference  to 
their  obligations  and  to  their  employments,  that  in  a  consideration 
of  them  we  exhaust  and  absorb  the  w4iole  subject  of  which  they 
make  up  the  outhne. 

"  These  three  terms  in  our  Ordination  Office  are  *  messen- 
gers,' 'watchmen,'  'stewards,'  of  the  Lord,  or,  in  the  more 
frequent  expressions  of  Scripture,  *  ambassadors,'  *  watchmen/ 
and  'pastors.'  Everything  that  comes  up  for  us  to  do  in  the  min- 
istry, comes  up  either  in  the  aspect  of  our  work  as  a  message,  or  as 
a  watching,  or  as  a  feeding  in  the  household,  the  household  of  a 
gracious  Saviour. 

"  We  are  declared  to  be  the  messengers  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts. 
I  wish  we  could  consider  this  always  in  a  distinct  personal  relation. 
I  am  sent  specifically,  personally  from  Christ.  He  has  awakened 
iny  ear.  He  has  spoken  to  me  in  words  of  truth,  and  left  a  living 
record  on  my  heart,  given  me  a  divine  commission  that  no  other 
living  being  can  possibly  supjDlement  or  supply,  and  I  come  as 
really  as  Gabriel  came  to  Zacharias  and  the  Virgin  Mary.  I  come 
directly  from  Christ,  in  the  conscious  employment  of  my  powers  and 
time  and  efforts,  and  tell  to  my  fellow-men  that  which  they  never  can 
know  unless  I  tell  them.  There  are  those  to  whom  I  am  sent,  to 
whom  no  other  is  sent.  I  am  not  sent  to  those  who  are  scattered 
abroad,  to  any  one  who  may  come.  For  in  the  great  scheme  of 
the  divine  appointment  of  me  as  a  messenger  the  Head  of  the 
Clnirch  has  raised  up  the  objective  relations  wliich  I  am  to  fill, 
and  which  if  I  do  not  fill,  no  one  will  fill,  so  that  the  whole  scheme, 
in  my  view,  is  arranged  in  most  distinct  and  personal  relations. 
Not  more  really  was  Moses  raised  up  as  a  leader  of  the  Israelites 


392  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

from  bondage,  or  John  to  receive  the  revelation  of  the  truth  in 
Patmos,  than  I  really  feel  myself,  and  must  so  feel  myself,  called 
especially  to  proclaim  the  Lord's  message  to  those  to  whom  it  shall 
be  His  will  to  send  me,  or  who  are  to  hear  words  from  my  mouth 
by  which  they  are  to  be  saved.  And  it  is  a  most  blessed  thought 
that  there  are  waiting  all  the  time  in  the  world,  some  whom  you 
and  I  are  called  to  call  out  of  the  world  of  guilt  to  a  knowledge  of 
the  things  given  to  them  of  God.  It  will  awaken  all  our  interests, 
excite  all  our  efforts,  command  all  our  powers,  it  should  dismiss 
our  levity,  compel  us  to  feel  that  we  have  entered  upon  a  most  holy, 
earnest,  absorbing  subject  and  undertaking.  And  as  we  survey 
it  in  this  aspect  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  magnify  tlie  importance  of 
the  trust  committed  to  us.  As  messengers,  the  thing  intrusted  to 
us  is  that  which  is  specifically  called  the  Truth.  The  great  ob- 
ject of  the  Lord's  incarnation  was  Revelation.  For  that  was  He 
born.  *  For  this  cause  came  I  into  the  world,'  He  says,  '  that  I 
might  witness  to  the  tx'uth*'  And  this  truth  is  committed  to  us. 
And  this  glorious  message  committed  to  us  then  is  the  intelligence 
of  a  complete  and  finished  and  accomplished  salvation.  Nothing 
can  be  added  to  it.  It  displays  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ 
in  the  work  which  it  declares,  in  the  wisdom  and  the  power  and  the 
love  which  it  displays,  in  the  persons  for  whom  all  this  has  been 
accomplished  and  provided,  and  the  scheme  of  unlimited  and  un- 
searchable grace  from  a  pardoning  God  to  elected  man, — from  the 
God  and  Father  of  all  mercies  to  the  vessels  of  His  electing  love, 
whom  He  hath  redeemed  and  made  partakers  of  the  heavenly  call- 
ing. This  intelligence,  this  scheme  of  salvation  is  that  which  is 
called  the  Truth, — the  only  Truth  upon  this  subject.  No  other 
communication  to  man  was  made,  there  can  be  none  other  than 
this,  for  this  is  the  revelation  of  the  one  way,  the  only  way,  the  one 
name,  '  the  only  name  under  Heaven  given  among  men  whereby 
they  must  be  saved.  Neither  is  there  salvation  in  any  other.'  I 
wish  I  could  impress  upon  my  heart  all  the  time  the  solemnity  and 
importance  of  this  view  of  the  divine  message. 

"  For  a  man  who  has  really  looked  at  the  condition  of  men 
without  a  Saviour,  who  has  felt  the  bitterness  of  condemnation, 
who  has  tasted  the  love  of  complete  forgiveness,  who  is  alive  to 
God  in  Christ,  and  realizes  the  blessedness  of  that  life,  that  man 
can  never  trifle;  he  has  no  hours  for  amusement,  he  has  no  powers 
to  be  wasted,  he  has  no  thoughts  that  can  be  given  to  vain  and 
little  things.  The  whole  business  of  his  life  is  an  unceasing  press- 
ure, and  there  is  that  within  him  which  continually   says,  '  Go  On- 


Lectures  on  Preaching,  393 

ward !  Onward !  Onward !  in  the  accomplishment  of  the  great 
work  to  which  you  are  sent.'  Now  of  this  all-important  and  saving 
truth  in  the  house  of  God  we  are  messengers;  we  are  ambassadors. 
We  bear  the  glad  tidings  as  a  fact  frmi  God;  and  we  bear  the 
glad  tidings  as  a  fact  to  man; from  God,  as  messengers;  to  men  as  am- 
bassadors. We  are  to  go  forth  in  the  same  earnest  devotion  of  our- 
selves to  the  work,  proclaiming  it  boldly,  without  shrinking,  as  an  in- 
fallible, certain  and  infinitely  important  intelligence  of  remedy  and 
deliverance. 

"Now  the  application  of  this  message  in  its  result  is  entirely  be- 
yond our  reach.  Our  responsibility  is  a  simple  effort  to  compre- 
hend the  message  thoroughly,  to  live  in  the  enjoyment  of  its  power, 
and  then  in  the  most  simple  terms,  without  the  wisdom  of  man, 
without  the  efforts  of  genius  or  talent  or  any  of  the  cords  or  tinsel 
of  men's  invention,  in  the  most  simple  possible  terms,  in  the  plain- 
est possible  way,  to  announce  it  to  those  to  whom  we  are  sent. 

"  The  attributes  of  a  messenger  are  very  manifest.  '  That  he  be 
found  faithful,'  is  the  apostle's  demand.  His  skill,  his  wisdom,  his 
infirmities  will  all  be  calculated  for  and  taken  into  the  account 
They  may  promote  or  obstruct  his  work,  but  all  these  are  over- 
ruled. His  fidelity  to  his  Master  who  sent  him,  to  the  message 
which  he  bears,  to  the  persons  to  whom  he  goes;  to  the  object  for 
which  he  is  sent,  this  is  the  indispensable  qualification.  His  simple 
work  is  in  fidelity  of  spirit  to  go  and  tell  that  simple  Truth  over 
and  over  and  over  again,  unceasingly,  unchangeably,  the  thing  that 
God  has  done,  the  thing  that  God  has  revealed  in  him.  We  can 
never  forget  whose  we  are  and  by  whom  we  are  sent.  We  are  in 
life  not  for  our  own  plans  or  work,  but  for  His,  and  the  more  simple, 
believing,  sincere,  submissive  is  the  spirit  of  the  messenger,  hab- 
itually, wUl  be  the  more  certain  and  abounding  the  blessing  of  the 
message.  This  is  a  little  outline  of  our  duty  as  messengers.  Well, 
such  a  messenger,  as  we  have  described  it  in  a  previous  lecture, 
his  feet  coming  through  the  dust,  will  always  be  in  the  midst  of  a 
cloud.  He  will  gain  attention,  will  arouse  thought,  will  be  a 
divine  agent  of  salvation,  and  we  shall  hear  of  him. 

"  Wo  now  pass  to  the  consideration  of  the  second  term  in  the 
title  of  the  ministry.  As  messengers,  we  proclaim  the  truth,  as 
watchmen  we  apply  it.  We  apply  it  i)articularly,  personally.  The 
special  purpose  of  the  watchman  is  the  application^of  the  appro- 
riato  truth  to  each  case.  There  is  a  difficulty  around  every  house. 
He  is  set  to  guard  the  special  circumstances  of  danger  around  every 
person  for  whom  he  watches.  As  he  goes  his  rounds  the  grand  object 


394  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

which  is  lo  occupy  him  is  the  constant  looking  out  for  dangers 
which  others  meet,  and  the  premonishing  or  forewarning  of  them 
of  the  difficulties  in  their  way.  Nothing  can  be  added  to  the  thirty- 
third  chapter  of  Ezekiel  on  this  subject  of  watching,  in  its  descrip- 
tion of  it. 

"  Now  then,  when  we  pass  from  the  character  of  our  work  as 
message  bearers  to  the  character  described  as  watchmen,  we  pass 
from  a  mere  awakening,  guiding,  directing  message  to  an  immedi- 
ate application  for  a  personal  warning  of  individual  difficulties. 
Our  duty  as  watchmen  has  reference  to  persons,  we  watch  over 
souls  in  the  family  of  Christ  as  those  who  must  give  an  account. 
As  messengers,  we  invite  them,  we  teach  them,  we  show  them  the 
way.  As  watchmen  we  guard  them,  we  keep  them,  we  keep  guard 
around  their  path,  and  in  each  of  these  several  works  we  are 
equally  the  agents  of  Christ  and  the  instruments^of  the  Holy  G-host. 
As  messengers  we  need  to  understand  the  special  mind  and  will  of 
God.  As  watchmen  we  need  to  understand  the  personal  conditions 
of  men.  As  messengers  we  wish  to  comprehend  the  thing  that  is 
committed  to  us  and  told  us  from  God.  As  watchmen  we  turn  our 
thoughts  and  attention  directly  and  entirely  to  the  human  condi- 
tion, and  wish  to  comprehend  the  dangers  and  peculiar  circum- 
stances of  trial  and  difficulty.  And  it  requires  deeper  and  deeper 
experience  and  wider  and  wider  array  of  details  in  experience  every 
day  to  be  able  to  fulfil  this  work.  It  is  this  work  which  constitutes 
a  great  portion  of  the  difficulty  of  our  ministry.  As  I  have  said  to 
you  in  a  previous  lecture,  it  is  perfectly  easy  to  harangue,  to  de- 
liver orations,  to  read  our  message  out  as  a  proclamation,  and  even 
to  make  expositions  of  Scripture  in  public  or  ^to  a  few;  all  this  is 
easy;  but  to  go  and  live  in  the  conditions  of  other  people  :  to  mark 
their  errors  and  study  their  infirmities,  to  see  what  are  called  their 
idiosyncrasies,  and  to  comprehend  their  special  necessities  and 
apply  ourselves  constantly,  earnestly,  effectually  to  them  as  if  we 
were  really  living  in  each  of  them,  this  is  a  work  which  completely 
absorbs  and  exhausts  the  power  and  spirit  of  the  ministry.  And 
yet  it  is  the  very  work  for  which  we  are  sent;  and  it  is  the  very 
work  which  alone  makes  our  ministry  to  be  effective  and  power- 
ful  to  individual  cases. 

*•  Now  the  qualifications  of  a  watchman  are  a  knowledge  of  his 
duty,  of  the  time  in  which  he  lives.  A  watchman  is  worthless  unless 
he  keeps  abreast  of  the  time  in  which  he  lives.  The  early  dangers 
are  one  thing,  the  later  dangers  another  ;  dangers  in  one  class  of 
Christians  are  one  thing,  dangers  in  another  class  of  Christians  en- 


Lectures  on  Preaching,  "^^^ 

tirely  another.  It  requires  infinite  skill  in  unmasking  and  detect- 
ing secret  enemies  ;  accurate  intelligence  of  the  whole  field  over 
which  he  is  set ;  quick-sightedness  of  comprehension  ;  great  tact 
in  management,  earnestness  and  fidelity,  and  a  heart  and  spirit  that 
are  '  not  ignorant,'  as  Paul  says, '  of  the  devices  of  Satan'  ;  deep  in- 
terest in  his  work  ;  a  constant  sense  of  his  responsibility  ;  an  un- 
ceasinnf  lookinof  forward  to  his  account. 

"  The  third  specific  title  by  which  our  ministry  is  described  is 
that  of  stewards  or  pastors.  While  the  messenger  bears  the  truth 
and  deals  with  the  truth,  and  the  watchman  deals  with  specially 
applicable  truth  to  individual  cases,  the  pastor  deals  with  edifying 
truth,  truth  that  is  adapted  to  nourish  and  sustain  and  uphold. 
To  gather  men  is  one  work  ;  to  watch  over  them  when  gathered  is 
another  ;  but  to  feed  them,  to  nourish  them,  to  hold  them  up,  to 
provide  for  them  ;  all  this  is  a  totally  different  class  of  work. 
Living  fruitfulness  is  the  object. 

"  The  instrument  of  this  pastoral  labor  is  still  the  truth,  and  yet 
not  merely  applicable  truth,  for  there  is  much  applicable  truth  that 
does  not  nourish,  and  warning  is  not  nourishment.  I  remember 
hearing  a  clergyman  speaking  of  his  own  ministry,  who  said,  that 
it  was  '  his  great  delight  to  speak  the  gospel  of  his  Saviour  pun- 
gently.'  I  said,  *My  dear  brother,  how  much  pepper  do  you  put  in 
it  ?  Do  you  Toini^Xer  pungent  honey  and  fill  the  bread  with  pepper  ? 
I  don't  comprehend  it;  to  minister  the  gospel  is  to  speak  of  divine 
salvation,  to  speak  of  the  Saviour's  work,  of  that  which  is  called 
*  honey '  in  the  language  of  Scripture. 

*'  The  edifying,  nourishing  truth  is  always  and  only  the  finished, 
glorious  work  of  Christ,  the  great  and  full  and  complete  work  of  a 
Saviour's  incarnation.  Let  us  never  forget  that  a  soul  cannot  feed 
on  its  own  duties  ;  the  spirit  cannot  be  sustained  by  its  own 
labors  ;  by  its  own  works,  by  its  own  fruits.  Let  us  never  forget 
that  the  Bread  of  Life,  the  everlasting  meat,  is  only  in  the  work  of 
Christ,  the  thing  which  He  has  done. 

*'  This  work  of  feeding  has  reference  entirely  to  persons.  It  is 
individual,  wholly  individual.  However  in  public  there  may  be 
numbers,  yet  the  work  of  feeding  is  always  a  personal  application 
by  the  Spirit  of  the  truth  we  preach,  to  the  individual  condition. 
This  pastoral  duty  requires  clear  views  of  truth,  a  distinct  under- 
standing of  the  gospel,  a  knowledge  of  the  worth  and  the  applica- 
tion of  the  food  required.  It  demands  great  fidelity,  tenderness, 
love,  patient  eflbrt,  unwearied  long  suffering  and  endurance.  It  is 
this  which  attaches  and  binds  the  peoj^le  of  God  ;  this  which  edifies 


39^  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng^  D.D, 

the  pastor's  own  soul,  and  makes  him  happy  in  the  Saviour  whom  he 
presents  to  others. 

''  We  do  not  meet  with  a  single  soul  on  earth  that  is  not  either  to 
be  gathered  in  experience  to  Christ,  or  to  be  guarded  in  a  walk 
with  Christ,  or  to  be  fed,  sustained  and  upheld  in  the  temptations 
and  conflicts  of  an  obedience  for  Christ.  Accordingly,  there  is  not 
a  single  office  committed  to  us,  and  not  a  single  detail  of  an  office 
entrusted  to  us,  which  will  not  come  under  one  of  the  three  heads 
thus  distinctly  used  in  the  language  of  car  ordination  vows. 

"I  come  now  to  take  up  this  subject  in  its  next  aspect:  the 
qualifications.  To  be  a  messenger,  and  watchman  and  pastor  is  to 
be  in  a  position  of  extreme  responsibility  and  importance.  To 
magnify  the  importance  of  this  office  is,  in  my  judgment,  impossi- 
ble. In  the  scheme  of  the  New  Testament,  it  is  the  habitual,  ap- 
pointed instrument  of  man's  salvation.  Man's  pretentious  claims  to 
personal  reverence  may  assume  upon  this  office.  This  is  but 
magnifjdng  himself  in  the  office,  to  its  disparagement. 

"  Nothing  is  more  absurd  than  to  see  one  assuming  personal 
consequence  because  of  his  office,  like  a  militia  officer  who  dons  his 
first  uniform  and  thinks  himself  grand  simply  because  he  holds  an 
office.  I  have  been  so  disgusted  and  wearied  with  this  class  of 
persons  that  I  confess  my  soul  holds  them  in  absolute  rejection, 
in  utter  detestation.  You  and  I  may  well  take  so  deep  a  view  of 
its  responsibility  and  so  clear  a  sense  of  its  real  and  appointed 
work,  that  instead  of  magnifying  ourselves  as  being  chosen  to 
occupy  it,  we  might  willingly  shrink  into  the  dust  of  seclusion. 
And  when  we  look  at  the  history  of  our  life  in  its  fulfilment,  and  at 
our  delinquencies,  we  may  well  stop  to  think  whether  when  the 
wrath  of  God  is  visited  upon  man's  infidelity,  that  wrath  will  not 
come  to  the  uttermost  upon  us. 

"  The  qualifications  for  the  personal  fulfilment  of  this  work  are 
an  important  subject.  I  speak  of  such  only  as  are  personal.  The 
subject  of  ecclesiastical  qualification,  the  outward  imparted  au- 
thority, though  an  important  part  of  the  office  of  the  ministry, 
does  not  come  before  me.  I  shall  divide  these  qualifications  into 
the  three-fold  arrangement,  '  Spiritual,  Intellectual  and  Providen- 
tial.    These  three  will  embrace  the  whole  field  I  wish  to  occupy. 

"  The  individual  is  first  of  all  to  be  a  converted  man.  Now  it  is 
vain  to  ignore  it.  It  is  vain  in  the  flippancy  of  sciolism  or  the 
claims  of  mere  sectarian  assumption  to  set  this  aside.  To  speak 
of  this  as  an  official  thing  or  as  a  matter  of  discipline  or  training, 
so  that  any  unconverted  man  can  become  by  any  sort  of  authority 


Lectures  on  Preaching,  397 

or  appointment  or  training  a  real  minister  of  Christ,  is  to  suppose 
that  the  skin  of  the  sheep  converts  the  wolf  into  one  of  the  flock. 
We  will  not  touch  the  question  that  is  raised  in  our  XXVIth  Article 
about  the  effect  of  an  unfaithful  ministry  upon  the  sacraments. 
Let  us  realize  that  the  minister  has  no  effect  upon  the  sacraments, 
that  the  efficacy  of  the  sacraments  does  not  depend  upon  the  minis- 
ter at  any  time.  A  sacrament  is  a  simple  token  between  a  spiritual 
mind  and  the  God  of  its  salvation,  and  these  two  living  points  con- 
stitute its  efficiency  and  its  power.  The  very  first  thing  that  you 
and  I  have  always  to  look  at  is  the  real  living  power  of  the  gospel  in 
our  own  hearts.  The  first  great  spiritual  qualification  is  real  con- 
scious conversion  of  the  lieart.  I  saw  the  other  day  a  funeral  sermon 
of  a  minister  of  our  Church,  in  which  the  minister  did  not  hesitate 
to  say,  at  a  certain  period  in  his  life  he  was  converted,  the  record 
of  it  being  in  the  baptismal  register  a  certain  day  in  such  a  month. 

"  The  experience  of  a  convert  is  essential  to  every  minister.  I 
grant  that  many  a  man  has  been  converted  after  he  has  entered 
the  ministry.  Some  of  the  brightest  instances  in  the  Episcopal 
ministry  of  this  country  were  of  such  men  who  were  converted  long 
after  they  entered  the  ministry.  But  no  man  can  be  really  compe- 
tent to  take  up  the  first  interview  with  a  sincere  seeking  soul  until 
he  himself  has  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious  and  feels  the  power 
of  the  gospel  ;  and  the  attempt  to  preach  without  this  is  but  a 
shocking  absurdity. 

*'  The  minister  of  the  gospel  requires  the  sympathy  of  the  con- 
verted man.  Next  to  the  truth  that  it  carries,  the  great  power  of 
the  ministry  is  in  its  personal  sympathy.  The  whole  work  of  the 
pastoral  office  is  there.  You  go  into  the  house  of  sorrow,  you  go  in- 
to the  chamber  of  sickness,  you  go  in  seasons  of  trial,  in  specially 
sad  times — sad  times  of  the  soul— and  vou  can  do  nothinfr  but  in 
the  tenderness  and  fellowship  of  a  heart  that  is  really  alive  to 
God. 

A  minister  of  our  Church  many  years  ago — he  has  long  since 
gone  to  his  account — was  called  by  an  old  lady  to  visit  a  poor,  sick, 
suffering  man.  He  went  to  see  him,  and  while  there  attempted  a 
little  conversation,  but  it  was  all  conmion-placc.  He  got  up  to  go 
away.  *  Well,'  said  the  old  lady,  '  don't  you  mean  to  pray  witli  the 
man?'  •  Well,  really,  I  have  forgotten  my  book,'  he  replied.  '  Well, 
you  may  go,'  said  the  good  old  lady,  *  but  we  will  pray  first,'  and 
that  dear  old  lady,  an  angel  let  down  by  the  bedside,  made  that 
stout  minister  kneel  down  with  her  and  pray.  There  was  prayer, 
but  oh  !  was  there  a  pastor,   was  there   a  pastor — a  man  alive  to 


39^  Rev,  Stephe7i  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

God  ?  That  same  man,  and  he  was  not  a  man  destitute  of  character, 
but  was  in  every  respect  a  highly  influential  and  respectable  man, 
though  cold-hearted — I  knew  him  once  to  be  called  to  a  lady  in  her 
sickness.  He  went  to  the  house,  up  to  the  door  of  her  chamber, 
and  there  he  stood,  saying,  *  Madam,  will  you  have  a  Visitation  only, 
or  will  you  have  the  Communion  ?'  Said  she,  *  I  will  have  only  a 
Visitation,'  and  he  pulled  out  his  book  and  began  to  read  at  the 
door,  put  back  the  book  in  his  pocket,  and  then  walked  off.  What  a 
miserable  perfunctory  work  it  was!  This  kmd  of  thing  I  am  com- 
pelled to  meet  with  all  the  time — a  thing  that  I  hate;  from  the  very 
fountain  of  my  soul,  I  hate  it ! 

"  The  ministry   requires  the   motive  of  a  converted  man.     Its 
trials  are  very  peculiar.     The  wailing  of  the  infant  minister  is  re- 
echoed from  the  dej^arting  one.     The  trials  of  the  ministry  change 
as  we  go  on,  but  the   difficulties  never  cease.     And  all  shams,  all 
j)retences,  all  solemn  aspects  and  all  formal  operation  will  burn  up 
like  chaff  in  the  furnace.     Nothing  but  real  love  for  Christ  can  ever 
sustain  us,  or  keep  up  our  heart  for  the  work,  or  keep  us  in  it,  from 
the  temptation  to  wander  from  it  to  other  employment.     Some  such 
there  are,  and  they  had  better  go.     A  young  man  was  teaching  in 
Providence,  when  Bishop  Griswold    sent  him  down  to  Maine  to 
preach  the  gospel.     He  wanted  him  to  give  up  a  good  school  worth 
one  thousand  dollars  a  3"ear,  and  they  would  give  him  but  five-hun- 
dred.   When  he  objected,  the  Bishop,  said  to  him  with  great  stern- 
ness, 'Neither  has  Jesus  Christ  called  you  to  keep  school  nor  have 
I   ordained  you  to  keep  school.     You  are  to  go  and   preach  the 
gospel.'     Unconverted    men    fail    absolutely  in    earnestness.     To 
minister  ordinances  is  a  very  simple  thing.     Bishop  Whittingham, 
I  remember,  said  in  one  of  his  services,  '  If  this  were  aU  bishops 
were  made  for,  then  cast-iron  bishops  would  do  as  well  as  any  ; 
they  could  be  wound  up   and  made  to  run.'     It  is  a  personal  ser- 
vice and  requires  a  heart.     It  ^is  all  easy  enough  to  go  through  du- 
ties perfunctorily.     But  just  here  unconverted  men   force  them- 
selves into  a  mere  dead  mechanism,  have  nothing  to  say  or  to  do, 
are  useless  and  worse  than  useless. 

"Again,  unconverted  men  are  great  stumbling-blocks  in  the 
ministry.  They  are  so  in  their  ignorance.  Nothing  is  more  pit- 
iable than  the  manifestation  of  this  which  we  constantly  see.  The 
poorest  real  Christian  discerns  and  exposes  this  ignorance  at  once. 
They  are  great  stumbling-blocks  in  the  hostility  which  is  pro- 
duced in  their  minds  against  real  religion.  I  remember  once  being 
very  much  struck  with  a  comparison.    Two  persons,  both  of  them 


Lectures  07i  PreacJiing.  399 

prominent,  lived  in  a  place  where  there  was  a  great  revival  of  reli- 
gion and  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  There  were  two  Episco- 
pal churches  in  the  town,  of  different  character.  One  of  these  per- 
sons went  to  one  of  the  bishops  to  know  what  he  should  do,  the 
other  to  another  bishop.  The  answer  of  the  first  was  very  much 
as  if  a  shower  should  be  seen  coming  from  the  west  and  a  careful 
housewife  should  go  and  shut  up  windows  and  shutters  for  fear  of 
it.  The  other  was  like  a  gentle  cultivator,  and  like  the  wife  who 
throws  everything  open  and  saj'S  *  Let  us  get  some  of  it  if  we  can." 
"  The  hour  is  coming  when  you  and  I  are  to  stand  in  account,  not 
for  what  we  pretended  to  be,  nor  for  what  we  professed  to  do,  but 
for  what  the  Lord  Himself  has  done  with  us.  And  it  is  in  anticipa- 
tion of  that  hour  that  we  shall  feel  the  deepest  sense,  shall  I  say  of 
anxiety,  of  depression,  of  remorse,  of  dreadful  self-abhorrence  and 
repugnance,  if  we  wake  up  then  to  find  our  whole  life  passed  in  a  mere 
perfunctory,  careless,  irrehgious  way.  It  may  all  be  respectable. 
Respectable  irreligion  is  the  most  corrupt  of  all  irreligion,  and  in 
the  ministry  that  which  is  the  most  hopeless.  I  therefore  entreat 
you  to  consider  with  me,  first  of  all,  this  great  fundamental  fact,  to 
be  a  minister,  a  dia^ovol^  a  messenger,  a  watchman,  a  pastor,  *  I 
MUST  BE  BORN  AGAIN,  /  musl  be  a  living  soul  in  Christ' 

^'Tlie  ministry  of  the  gospel  demands  adislinct,  individual,  personal  call. 
Our  Church  is  extremely  positive  and  precise  upon  this  subject. 
She  says,  "  Young  man,  are  you  inwardly  moved  by  the  Holy 
Ghost?"  That  is  what  we  want  to  know.  The  Scripture  says 
'  No  man  can  take  this  office  upon  himself  but  he  that  is  called  of 
God.'  The  Holy  Ghost  saj's,  '  Separate  me  these  two  men  for  the 
work  to  which  /have  called  them.'  Thus  we  have  the  language  of 
the  Church  and  of  the  Scriptures  in  general  definition,  and  the  Ian*' 
guage  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  special  interpretation  and  designation, 
bringing  to  our  minds  the  reality  and  the  certainty  of  this  call. 

**  I  confess  it  is  not  in  my  mind  ever  a  trifling  subject.  Long, 
long,  long  have  I  thought  and  felt— I  may  say,  without  arrogance, 
have  I  prayed  and  wept  and  doubted  upon  this  subject.  Deeply 
have  I  attempted  to  search  myself,  whether  or  no  I  was  ever  called 
to  preach  the  gospel.  Sometimes  when  disappointment  in  the  min- 
istry came  upon  me,  and  there  seemed  to  be  no  blessing  upon  my 
labors,  sometimes  when  the  heart  grew  sick  in  weariness  and 
troubles  and  difficulties  that  have  gathered  around  me  like 
clouds  and  I  seemed  to  be  barren,  hopeless,  helpless,  I  rashly  would 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  I  never  was  called  and  that  my  minis- 
try has  been   all   the  time  a  matter  of   forth-putting  on    my  own 


400  Rev.  Stephe7i  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

part,  instead  of  a  matter  of  forth-thrusting  on  the  part  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Again  and  again  has  it  been  an  anxious  subject ; 
again  and  again  has  it  been  a  depressing  one  with  me,  so  that  up 
to  this  time  of  my  hfe  I  look  back  and  deej^ly  exercise  myself  with 
the  question,  Was  I  ever  called  to  the  work  ? 

"  I  well  remember  when  a  young  minister,  when  in  the  levity  of 
my  spirit — I  was  always  characterized  by  this  levity — an  excellent 
brother,  a  good  sober  man  in  Maryland,  said  to  me,  '\Vell,Tyng,  when 
I  see  you  in  the  pulpit,  I  wish  you  would  never  get  out  of  it;  and 
sometimes  when  I  see  you  out  of  it,  I  wish  you  would  never  go  into 
it.'  I  felt  the  truth  of  the  criticism.  With  many  a  manifestation 
of  character,  out  of  the  pulpit,  perfectly  inconsistent  in  it,  anything 
like  the  exercise  of  the  ministry  in  the  pulpit,  was  from  another 
gift  entirely  than  any  power  of  mine,  and  only  calculated  the  more 
to  humble  and  depress  and  distress  me  as  I  surveyed  the  subject. 
Heading  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  is  to  me  but  as  looking  at  a  cab- 
inet of  specimens,  an  illustration  of  identities,  setting  up  a  scheme 
or  system,  which  is  to  be  perpetuated  and  perfected  to  the  end 
of  the  world.  I  see  everywhere  the  normal  shapes  of  that  which 
I  am  to  find  in  succeeding  times.  These  Acts,  to  my  mind,  in  this 
relation,  bring  the  inquiry,  What  is  this  call?  I  answer  to  my. 
self  :  This  cannot  be  anything  less  than  a  deep  and  solemn  convic- 
tion of  individual  obligation.  The  ministry  can  never  be  looked 
upon  by  a  godly  man  as  a  human  profession,  the  entrance  to  which 
is  spontaneous  and  arbitrary  in  the  individual.  It  can  never  be 
selected  by  any  man  for  the  imagined  advantages  which  are  sup- 
posed to  be  pertaining  to  it.  My  wish  to  preach  the  gospel  for  the 
sake  of  being  myself  a  more  humble  and  good  and  affectionate  man, 
is  no  less  selfish  than  preaching  the  gospel  for  the  wish  of  being  a 
well  doing  and  well  being  man  in  earthly  things,  and  I  cannot  be 
permitted  to  bring  into  connection  with  my  call  and  sense  of  ob- 
ligation any  sense  of  personal  advantages  to  be  gained  by  me, 
whether  they  be  intellectual,  religious,  social  advantages  or  per- 
sonal, spiritual,  inward  advantages  to  myself. 

"  St.  Paul  says  in  the  most  distinct  manner  that  the  fundamental 
fact  is  a  conviction  of  imperative  duty.  He  says  :  '  There  is  upon 
me  an  '  oiKOvojxiav,'  a  law  of  the  house,  a  compulsory  obliga- 
tion, an  absolute  command,  to  preach  the  gospel.  It  becomes  an 
obligation,  and  preach  I  must,  and  go  I  must,  and  it  is  impossible 
that  I  should  withhold.  It  is  an  indispensable  necessity  on  me  in 
my  own  conviction,  obligation  and  prospect. 

"I  should  take  then  another  stand, — that  this  call  must  rise  above 


Lectures  o?i  Preacliing,  401 

the  mere  conviction  of  duty,  with  the  specific,  cognate  motive  of  the 
gospel.  Now  the  grand  motive  of  the  gospel,  is  love  for  Christ. 
As  the  earlier  service  of  conversion  gains  its  motive  in  this  love,  so 
this  higher  and  peculiar  step  must  move  in  the  same  line.  And 
here  again  St.  Paul  describes  it  manifestfy  and  most  beautifully. 
He  says  :  *  The  love  of  Christ  constraineth  me,'  gvvex^  *  squeezes 
me,'  '  compresses  me"  just  as  though  I  was  hemmed  in.  It  is  im» 
possible  that  I  should  hold  my  tongue;  it  is  an  impelling  motive.  I 
feel  His  love  to  me.  I  feel  an  intensely  reciprocal,  responsive  love 
to  Him.  I  long  to  preach  that  love  to  others.  My  life  will  speak  of 
Jesus,  tell  about  Him,  proclaim  Him,  describe  Him,  present  Him  in 
all  His  glorious  attributes,  to  show  His  fulness.  His  power,  His  trium- 
phant grace.  It  is  like  manna  to  the  soul  ;  it  is  like  fragrant  oint- 
ment poured  forth  ;  it  is  like  honey  to  the  lips.  *  Thus  the  Son 
of  God  is  revealed  in  us,  the  apostle  says,  *  that  we  may  preach 
Him.'  '  To  us  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints  is  this  grace  given, 
that  we  may  preach  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.'  They  seem 
to  be  unsearchable  riches  to  us,  we  know  no  end  thereof.  Every 
day  they  grow  dearer,  more  precious,  more  indispensable  ;  what- 
ever may  be  the  skepticism  of  men,  whatever  their  unbelief,  there 
is  pressing  upon  us — our  minds,  our  hearts,  above  the  obligation  of 
conscience — such  a  sense  of  the  greatness  and  the  fulness  and  the 
glorious  excellence  of  a  Divine  Saviour,  that  we  long  to  tell  of  it ; 
we  long  to  be  permitted  to  proclaim  it  ;  and  to  sit  down  with 
some  poor  sinner  and  teU  him  of  Jesus  is  an  unspeakable  joy  to 
our  hearts. 

"Accordingly,  with  this  motive  rising  up,  there  is  a  pleasure  in 
conversations  about  a  Saviour's  love.  *  My  heart,'  says  David,  in 
the  Forty-fifth  Psalm,  '  is  inditing,'  bubbling  up,  *  a  good  matter.' 
We  speak  of  things  about  the  Kingdom  just  as  the  pen  of  a  ready 
writer,  currente  calamo,  runs  on  every  step  with  delight.  It  is  not  a 
mere  fulfilment  of  what  we  ought  to  do,  but  a  springing  up  in  our 
heart  of  what  we  deliffht  to  do.  When  I  heard  Jennv  Lind  sinj?- 
ing  in  Castle  Garden,  New  York,  that  beautiful  Bird  Song  of  hers, 
*  O.  I  must  be  singing !  I  must  be  singing !'  the  words  fell  right 
back  upon  the  heart — well,  so  spontaneously  it  is  for  me  to  preach 
then.  I  must  be  preaching.  I  must  be  preaching.  The  delight  of 
preaching  the  gospel  with  this  state  of  mind  is  intense.  Dr. 
Pavson  said  to  a  jrentloman  who  verv  kindlv  came  to  him  one 
Sunday  morning  saying,  '  I  came,  my  dear  brother,  from  my  ser- 
vice to  help  you  to-day.*  '  Did  you  indeed  ?'  said  he.  '  I  should  aa 
Boon  have  thought  of  your  coming  here  to  help  mc  cat  my  dinner.* 


402  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

And  so  would  anybody  who  thus  loved  it.  No  old  sermons  preached 
again,  no  exchanging  to  preach  them  ;  other  people  coming  to 
help  us  in  the  labor.  Our  .^ull  heart  is  aU  the  time  like  a  full  honey- 
comb ;  we  are  ready  to  burst  like  new  wine.  We  long,  we  delight 
to  speak.  I  hope  I  may  say,  in  my  small  measure  and  degree, 
that  I  can  understand  it.  It  is  intense  dehght  to  me  to  preach 
Christ,  to  proclaim  the  Saviour's  fulness. 

"  Not  a  great  while  since,  a  meeting  of  clergymen  was  held  in 
the  State  of  New  Jersey,  and  one  after  another  gave  in  some  little 
matters  of  testimony.  One  said:  he  had  been  at  St.  George's. 
'Well,'  said  the  others,  '  what  was  Tyng  about?'  'Oh,  well  he  is 
everlastingly  talking  about  Jesus,  exalting  Christ;  that's  what  he  is 
always  doing,  always  doing.'  Another  said  :  'Did  any  man  ever 
give  of  his  brother  so  valuable  testimony  as  that  ?'  A  brother  told 
me  the  story.  I  said  in  my  heart  :  '  Yes,  I  wiU  exalt  thee,  thou 
loving,  dying  Friend,  with  every  power  of  my  mind;  yea,  with  every 
hour  of  my  life  ;  for  I  was  a  poor  lost  one  when  He  called  me,  I  was 
a  poor  wretched  wanderer  when  He  brought  me  back.  All  that  I 
am.  He  has  made  me  ;  all  that  I  have  He^has  given  me  ;  and  it  is 
impossible  for  me  adequately  to  proclaim  the  fulness  of  His  grace 

and  power. 

"  This  call  will  rise  above  this  deep  obligation  on  the  conscience 
and  this  cognate  motive  of  the  heart,  to  a  higher  appreciation  and  a 
clearer  apprehension  of  the  importance  and  the  value  of  the 
gospel  we  are  sent  to  preach.  I  should  call  it  a  consciousness 
that  we  possess  intelligence  of  unspeakable  value  to  our  fellow-men, 
so  that  it  is  not  the  writing  or  the  speaking  of  a  half-hour's  sermon, 
but  it  is  the  telling  of  words  whereby  men  are  to  be  saved.  Oh,  who 
shall  be  saved  !  or  how  many  !  how  little  are  we  able  to  tell !  Over 
and  over  again  will  you  find  yourselves  amazed  at  the  fruits  God 
plucks  from  the  vineyard  of  His  own  planting,  through  your 
instrumentality. 

"  The  first  Sunday  I  preached  in  St.  Paul's  Church, — thirty-five 
years  ago,  the  first  Sunday  in  May,  1829,-1  had  been  for  a  year 
before  in  perfect  barrenness.  It  seemed  to  me  as  if  in  my  country 
ministry  there  was  nothing  to  be  done.  My  heart  was  poor,  dry, 
barren.  That  first  Sunday  I  preached  there  in  the  midct  of  hostil- 
ity and  opposition.  On  Monday  morning  I  had  scarce  gotten 
through  breakfast,  when  a  young  and  most  interesting  woman 
came  to  me,  wishing  to  confer  upon  her  salvation.  And  for  five 
years  at  St.  Paul's  that  '  first  fruits  at  Achaia,'  that  beautiful  living 


Lectures  on  Preaching,  403 

fruit,  was  a  joy  and  comfort  to  me  in  every  subsequent  week  of  my 
ministry  there. 

"  Now  this  will  seem  to  us,  in  our  view,  to  be  of  so  much  worth, 
so  indispensable,  that   our  love  to  our  fellow-men  cannot  be  with- 
held.    And  our  duty  and  our  affections  are   exalted  by   an  addi- 
tional  sense  of    responsibility  that   we  cannot  resist    and   cannot 
refuse.     I  not  only  feel  my  conscience  oppressed  ;    I  must  preach;  I 
not  only  feel  my  heart  bubbling  up,  Hong  to  preach;  but  I  feel  I 
have  something  to  tell  that  it  infinitely  behooves  my  people  to  know. 
"  This  call  will  illustrate  itself   in  a  clear  apprehension  of   the 
singleness  of  this  truth.     The  one,  simple,  gracious  message  which 
we  have  received  we  must  preach.     It  has  given  life  to  our  souls,  it 
is  the  life  by  which  we  now  live,  we  know  its  power,  we  feel  its 
truth,  we  comprehend   its  worth,  we   have   no  desire  to   proclaim 
anything  else.      Accordingly,  it  seems  to  me  that  with  this  view,  if 
all   the  men  in  New  York   were  to  say  :    '  Tyng,  you   are  a  fool,' 
it  would    have  no  effect  on  me.     I  know  I  am  right.     I  perfectly 
know  I  am  right.     That  truth  I  preach  is  the  very  truth  to  give  life, 
and  there  is  none  other.     And  I  therefore  say  to  you  there  is  such 
a  clear  perception  of  the  singleness  of  this  truth,  of  the  solitude  of 
this  one   gracious   message   committed  to  us,  that  it  is  impossible 
for  us  to  teach  anything  else,  and   our  teaching  and  preaching  is 
all  the  time  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  as  every  week   goes  by  there  is  a 
constant  Gvvexo,    a   squeezing  as  a   pressure  upon   the  spirit.     I 
must  preach,  I  must  preach,  so  long  as  God  gives  me  breath. 

"  This  call  will  illustrate  itself  in  our  view  of  the  condition  of  the 
world  without  the  gospel.  It  is  not  a  question  with  us  of  compara- 
tive modes  of  life  ;  we  do  not  look  abroad  with  the  spirit  of  calcula- 
ting the  varying  influence  of  different  religions.  The  idea  with  us 
is  not  that  Christianity  is  one  among  the  many  schemes  of  theology 
or  theophany,  if  you  choose,  all  of  which  have  more  or  less  influ- 
enca  over  different  minds,  but  that  it  is  the  gospel  of  Christ,  the  one 
letting  do  wn  from  heaven  of  the  grand  message  of  life  to  man,  and 
that  man  is  lost  without  it.  I  confess  to  you  that  the  logical 
conclusion  of  this  is  fearful.  I  cannot  help  it.  The  world  is  lost 
without  the  gospel.     The  world  is  lost  without  the  gospel. 

"Now  then,  with  this  upon  me,  I  must  go  oid  and  preach  my 
Master's  word,  aud  I  stand  before  the  Church  of  God  to  say,  '  I  do 
trust  I  am  inwardly  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost ;'  it  is  no  fruit  of 
my  growth,  no  ]>lant  of  my  planting.  I  am  inwardly  mov^d  by  the 
Holy  Ghost  to  take  this  office  and  ministry-  upon  me.  May  I, 
may  I  be  permitted  to  exercise  it  uiihin  your  hounds  f 


404  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyfzg,  D.D. 

"  I  proceed  now  to  that  which  I  should  call  a  third  spiritual 
qualification.  I  call  it  :  Special  Personal  Experience.  This  comes 
up  in  the  shape  of  the  constant  impulsion  and  repetition  of  the  call 
of  which  we  have  spoken,  so  that  I  don't  speak  of  this  call  to  the 
ministry  as  if  it  were  an  originated  and  then  completed  fact,  but 
just  as  the  first  breath  of  the  lungs  is  but  a  feature  and  type  of  our 
succeeding  moments  of  breath  through  life,  so  the  fiirst  call  of  the 
Spirit  of  God  is  but  a  type  and  pattern  of  every  day's  action  of  that 
Spirit  upon  us  for  every  day's  work,  and  as  each  morning  begins, 
as  it  were  a  new  hfe  from  the  grave,  in  the  activity  of  the  day,  so 
the  minister  of  Christ  each  day  begins  a  new  life  of  consecration  to 
the  great  Saviour,  whose  he  is,  under  the  special,  peculiar  call  that 
he  has  received.  '  No  man  that  warreth,'  the  apostle  says,  '  entan- 
gleth  himself  with  the  things  of  this  life,  that  he  may  please  Him 
that  hath  called  him  to  be  a  soldier.'  There  must  be  an  entire 
consecration,  '  an  entire  turning,'  as  our  ordination  says,  of  all  our 
cares  and  studies  in  this  one  way. 

"  It  is  not  possible  for  us  to  be  too  entirely  or  too  com- 
pletely consecrated  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  I  well  know 
that  there  is  a  scrupulous  conscience  upon  this  subject,  as  upon 
every  other  subject  which  involves  immediately  the  thought 
of  personal  obligation  and  duty.  I  have  repeatedly  thought 
in  a  retrospect  of  life  that  I  have  too  thoroughly  given  my 
mind  to  one  thing,  while  I  have  felt  unwilling  to  enter  into  any  out- 
side engagement,  while  I  have  sacrificed  literary  occupation,  while 
I  have  refused  so  constantly  relaxation  of  all  kinds  for  the  single 
purpose  of  fulfilling  the  ministry.  I  may  illustrate  by  saying  that 
it  is  now  seven  years  since  I  have  been  as  much  as  three  weeks  out 
of  the  City  of  New  York,  and  seven  years  since  I  have  been  over 
two  Sundays  together  away  from  the  church  to  which  I  minister.  I 
do  not  mean  to  say,  therefore,  that  I  consider  this  a  pattern,  but  that 
we  are  to  realize  all  the  time  that  our  whole  natural  inclination  is 
to  indolence  and  self-indulgence.  A  man  who  has  the  least  con- 
sciousness, as  I  have,  that  his  tendency  is  to  the  domination  of 
appetite  and  self-gratification,  has  need  all  the  time  to  watch  the 
outgoings  of  his  character  from  the  little  miserable  chinks  of  this 
self-indulgence.  Accordingly,  our  business  in  the  world  is  this  one 
single  thing.  '  This  one  thing  I  do,'  under  the  constant  pressure, 
and  on  the  constant  lookout  for  some  special  opening  and  oppor- 
tunity for  preaching  the  gospel.  God  has  prepared  some  special 
soul  perhaps  for  me  to  be  instrumental  in  saving,  and  upon  this 
occasion,  and  I  cannot  allow  or  invite  another  to  take  my  place  ;  I 


Lectures  on  Preachhig,  4o5 

cannot   sacrifice   the    opportunity  ;    I  cannot   allow   myself  to  be 
taken   away  from  this  special  and  important   work.     We  cannot 
afford  to  give  up  our  opportunity,  our   occasion.     I  do  not   know 
when  God  may  have  prepared  for  me  some  special  seals  of  my  min- 
istry,— therefore  to  give  up  my  place,  to  let  Tom,  Dick    and  Harry 
come  in,  or  anybody  with  a  black  coat  on  to  take  my  place  to  preach 
for  me  is  an  impossibility.     I  am  obliged,  therefore,  to  commit  what 
are  considered  offences   against  propriety  all  the  time,  by  saying 
that  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  relinquish  my  place  in  the  pulpit.     I 
must  preach  the  gospel  to  the  souls  to  whom  the  Lord  has  sent  me. 
A  man  appointed  to  preach  to  a  congregation  and  called    to    the 
work  of  the  ministry,  can  never  be  satisfied  unless  he  is  fully   en- 
gaged in  this  work.     He  may  feel  feeble,  worn-out,  and  sometimes 
his   very  bones  may  ache  with  the  labor,  still  there   is  that  within 
him  which  will  not,  till  the  very  last  moment,  retire  or  retreat  under 
the  inflacDce  of  this  individual  experience  of  a  call  from  God. 

"  Then  the  experience  of  which  I  speak  is  an  habitually  increas- 
ing experience  of  the  common  Christian  life.  The  progress  of 
the  divine  life  has  two  manifestations,  as  it  is  the  subject  of  the 
burden  of  sin,  and  an  increasing  perception  of  the  fulness  of 
the  Saviour.  The  one  is  the  parent  of  humility,  the  other  the 
mother  of  hope.  All  humility  is  the  child  of  sin.  It  is  when  one  is 
conscious  of  sin  that  one  is  humble.  It  is  not  a  low  sense  of  one's 
powers,  of  one's  attainments,  of  one's  relations,  in  the  idea  of  the 
word  frequently  employed,  which  really  is  being  very  proud.  It 
has  no  more  relation  to  that  than  diffidence  to  modesty.  Diffident 
pride  is  always  suspicious.  Humility  is  a  sense  of  one's  own  per- 
sonal unworthiness  in  its  guiltiness  before  God.  And  it  is  when 
one  perceives  inward  sin  more  and  more,  that  one  grows  in  the 
deeper  exercise  of  this  spirit  of  humility.  Hope,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  the  growth  of  faith  in  the  divine  fulness.  It  grows  con- 
tinually on  this  glorious  stock  that  flowers  up  as  one  perceives  the 
excellence  of  a  Saviour,  the  provision  that  is  made  in  Him,  the 
abounding  of  that  provision,  the  a2:)plication  of  it.  So  that  at  the 
same  time,  I  am  nothing,  I  am  every  thing;  I  am  an  outcast,  I  can 
never  bo  an  outcast.  I  say  this  is  the  common  experience  of  a 
Christian,  lower  or  higlior,  that  our  work  brings  out  in  the  obser- 
vation of  others  and  our  personal  ministry  brings  out  in  ourselves. 
Oh,  liow  often  is  the  thought:  My  very  sermons  will  condemn  me,  my 
very  prayers  will  condemn  me,  and  as  Bishop  Boveridge  says  so 
beautifully  :  *My  very  repentance  needs  to  be  repented  of;  my  tears 
need  washing,  and  the  very  waslnug   of  my  tears  requires  to  be 


4o6  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

cleansed  in  the  blood  of  Jesus  before  I  can  be  accepted.'  And  yet 
at  the  same  time  we  have  brighter,  clearer  and  happier  views,  and 
never  were  we  so  confident,  hopeful  and  triumphant  in  anticipation, 
r.s  when  we  are  thus  completel}^  cast  down,  and  wretched  and  de- 
pressed in  view  of  our  own  character. 

"  All  acceptable,  useful  preaching  in  the  carrying  out  of  the  call 
rests  entirely  on  this  experience.  The  moment  that  our  preaching 
extends  itself  beyond  our  personal  experience,  the  work  becomes 
merely  formal;  I  will  not  say  it  becomes  false,  a  mere  sham,  because 
it  may  be  perfectly  sincere  in  its  motive,  its  desire,  its  plan,  but  it 
is  a  lecture  of  second-hand  information  entirely,  and  is  no  longer  a 
preaching  of  things  which  we  feel  and  which  ive  know. 

"  A  lovely  young  brother  in  the  ministry  came  to  me  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  said,  '  Doctor,  I  have  a  case  in  my  church  that  I  don't 
know  what  to  do  with,  a  young  woman  perfectly  overwhelmed  in 
darkness  and  despair,  whose  case  I  do  not  comprehend  at  all.  I  have 
been  talking  to  her,  but  in  vain.  Will  you  come  down  to  see  her  ?' 
I  felt  on  the  spot  :  *  My  dear  brother,  you  show  a  clearer,  better 
knowledge  of  the  whole  thing  than  I  am  conscious  of.'  I  went. 
I  found  that  woman  in  just  this  state  of  the  deepest  despair  of 
personal,  conscious  guilt.  There  was  no  hope.  What  was  needed  ? 
Simply  an  unfolding  of  the  precious  fulness  of  the  Saviour,  simply 
an  exhibition  of  the  glorious  perfection  of  the  Saviour's  work; 
nothing  more.  And  when  that  ministry  was  brought  before  her,  it 
was  like  a  spark  upon  tinder,  her  soul  clasped  it  immediately. 

"  To  press  upon  such  a  mind  duties  to  be  performed,  or  to 
relate  facts  or  theories  that  you  are  convinced  of,  but  do  not  know 
in  your  own  experience,  is  worse  than  useless.  God  must  come  in 
the  living  contact  of  personal  sympathy  with  such  a  mind  or  it  is 
'impossible  to  benefit  it. 

*'  Now  I  say  we  cannot  teach  this  great  truth  but  in  the  line  of 
our  personal  experience.  Have  I  felt  the  bitterness  of  guilt  ?  I 
can  tell  it.  Have  I  felt  the  sweetness  of  pardon  ?  I  can  tell  it. 
Do  I  know  the  misery  of  being  without  Christ  and  the  blessedness 
of  being  in  Christ?  I  can  tell  it.  And  every  thing  beyond  this  is 
not  preaching  the  gospel,  but  a  mere  lecture  about  the  gospel. 

"  The  divine  blessing  connects  itself  with  the  simplicity  of  your 
message  in  its  truth  and  motive.  So  that  I  sit  down  to  tell  that 
man  the  gospel  as  I  see  it, — the  thing  that  God  has  taught  me, — in 
the  utmost  simplicity  of  language  and  motive.  And  the  deeper 
and  more  real  and  effective  becomes  our  experience  on  this  subject, 
then  the  more  effective  becomes  the  promised  divine  blessing;  the 


Lectures  07i  PreacJmig.  4^7 

more  simply  we  preach  the  word  to  the  individual,  the  more  abid- 
ingly we  attain  and  carry  out  that  simplicity  of  preaching.  How 
very  simple  the  experience  of  the  deeply  spiritual  Christian  bo 
comes !  I  was  very  much  struck  the  last  time  I  heard  old  Archi- 
bald Alexander,  of  whom,  permit  me  to  say,  that  of  all  preachers  I 
ever  did  hear,  I  hold  him  to  be  nearest  to  the  apostolic  preacher  and 
minister,  and  if  he  had  not  a  right  to  the  ministry  by  a  succession 
from  the  apostles,  it  was  because  God  called  him  to  be  an  apostle 
himself.  He  had  the  manifest  finger  of  God  laid  upon  him.  I 
heard  him  with  intense  delight,  with  an  emotion  that  amazed  me. 
It  was  just  like  the  dropping  of  sweet  pearls  of  dew  from  the  rocky 
side,  of  honey  drops  from  the  petals  of  a  flower.  So  soft,  so  gentle, 
so  loving,  so  effective,  I  seemed  to  hold  my  mouth  like  the  opening 
of  a  little  narrow  bottle,  receiving  drop  after  drop,  so  that  I  might 
lose  nothing.  It  was  intensely  delightful,  and  why  ?  Because  it 
was  so  perfectly  simple.  Not  a  single  child  in  the  throng  but  could 
look  up  and  understand  every  syllable  that  old  man  said. 

"  Then,  on  the  other  side,  our  usefulness  to  men  is  dependent  upon 
our  sympathy  with  them.  Accordingly,  the  more  a  man  is  a  man  of 
genius  away  up  on  an  eminence,  like  the  eagle  building  her  nest  on  a 
pinnacle  of  the  rock,  to  which  none  can  approach, — the  further  the 
man  is  off,  the  less  useful;  the  more  grand  and  grandiloquent,  the 
less  effective  he  is.  A  pair  of  tongs  ten  feet  long  to  pick  up  pins 
with,  is  an  almost  impossibility.  The  nearer  you  aj^proach  the 
present  condition  of  a  person  in  personal  relations  with  a  deep  ex- 
j^erience  of  the  thing  which  that  person  is  and  wants,  the  more 
effective  are  you  likely  to  become  in  human  qualification, — just  as 
when  there  is  simplicity  in  the  instrument  the  more  effective  will  be 

c 

the  divine  blessing.  When  we  speak  to  men  from  the  heart  right 
into  the  heart,  it  is  effective.  They  feel  the  power  of  our  utter- 
ance. This  in  public  ministry  is  a  truth,  and  in  our  private  ministry 
more  indispensably  a  truth.  Every  thing  in  the  ministry  depends 
upon  the  simplicity  of  this  testimony  which  brings  this  increasing 
divine  power,  and  the  habitual  growth  of  sympathy  wliich  brings 
adaptation  to  man  continually,  brings  the  power  of  God,  and  all 
the  subjective  recipiency  of  man  to  my  aid. 

"God  always  teaches  His  ministers  by  very  special  experiences, 
entirely  apart  from  the  common  Christian  walk  and  warfare  in 
which  we  partake  willi  all.  And  when  He  puts  us  in  circumstances 
of  special  responsibility,  then  does  He  try  us  with  special  experi- 
ence of  care  and  need  and  mercies  proportionate.  He  never  calls 
a  minister  into  a  position  for  which  He  does  not  qualify  him.     He 


4o8  Rev»  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

stops  up  no  bung-holes  with  brown  paper.  He  makes  direct  appli- 
cation of  the  individual  agency  to  the  condition  and  crisis  to  which 
it  is  called.  We  are  thus  qualified  for  every  peculiar  ministerial 
experience.  What  illustrations  we  have  in  Scripture  !  These  illus- 
trations we  find  frequently  in  our  own  experience.  We  find  our- 
selves suffered  to  fall  into  strange  obliquities,  strange  mistakes,  so 
that  one  of  the  great  mercies  of  our  life  is  that  God  covers  His 
hand  over  the  little  ones;  just  so,  the  Lord  covers  up  our  reputation 
and  guards  us.  Ah,  did  He  tell  my  people  all  He  knows  about  me, 
in  what  condition  should  I  stand  !  Did  He  proclaim  to  the  world 
all  the  sin  hid  in  my  ungodly  heart, — how  could  I  appear  before 
the  multitude  to  whom  I  am  sent.  Thus  we  learn  to  speak  a  word 
in  season  to  weary  souls. 

"  The  experience  of  which  I  speak,  goes  into  the  special  official 
relations  of  the  ministry,  and  our  greatest  trials  are  on  both  sides 
of  this  aspect  of  the  divine  relation.  Sometimes  He  grants  us 
great  successes  in  our  work  ;  there  is  a  fine  breeze  and  everything 
is  clear,  we  spread  our  sails,  the  masts  are  covered  with  canvas  and 
away  we  go, — and  never  is  it  more  likely  that  Satan  will  stand  at 
the  wheel.  To  a  young  man,  such  a  condition  of  things  is  most  of 
all  likely  to  be  destructive.  Those  most  useful  in  the  ministry  are 
men  who  have  begun  in  the  smallest  places,  and  who  were  in  the 
narrowest  straits. 

"  The  influence  of  the  gospel  ministry  is  not  that  of  visible  cere- 
mony, of  official  duty,  but  it  is  the  influence  of  proclaimed  truth,  it 
is  the  sanctified  influence  of  man  upon  man,  and  it  is  hurdly  to  be 
expected  that  the  recipient  mind  is  to  gain  more  than  the  imparting 
mind  possesses, — giving  us,  therefore,  the  direct  process  of  succeed- 
ing vessels  and  succeeding  agencies  and  recipients.  The  great  ques- 
tion of  the  attainments  and  qualifications — the  intellectual  qualifi- 
cations of  the  mind  in  the  preparation  for  such  a  work,  becomes 
vastly  important  to  us.  It  is  the  proclaiming,  and  in  others  the 
accepting,  of  divine  intelligence,  that  we  utter  because  we  under- 
stand it,  and  as  we  feel  it.  Its  power  and  operation  depend,  there- 
fore, upon  the  intelligent  character  of  the  ministrations.  Paul,  often 
rests  upon  this  thought,  you  know,  in  his  First  Epistle  to  the  Corin- 
thians, and  in  some  degree  in  his  Second.  He  calls  it  a  singing 
and  praying  with  the  understanding.  He  calls  it  that  prophesying 
that  speaks  to  edification  and  exaltation  and  comfort,  of  which  he 
says  he  '  would  rather  speak  five  words  with  his  understanding, 
that  so  he  might  teach  others  also,  than  ten  thousand  words  in  an 
unknown  tongue,'  simply  stating  the  grand  resolution  of  a  brother 


Lectures  07t  Preaching,  409 

minister  who  says  :  '  I  would  rather  speak  one  sentence  of  truth  from 
Jesus  in  the  simplest  and  plainest  and  most  intelligible  shape,  that 
the  poorest  person  before  me  might  hear  it  and  understand  it 
thoroughly,  than  have  the  reputation  of  the  grandest  oration  that 
man  ever  delivered.' 

"  There  is  no  fact  in  our  great  work  which  has  always  struck  my 
mind  more.  I  may  honestly  say,  no  one  thing  have  I  labored  after 
in  my  ministry  more.  Over  and  over  again  in  writing  sermons  do 
I  go  back  and  strike  out  every  Latinized  word,  and  put  a  Saxon 
word  in  its  place.  Every  word  must  be  so  plain  and  familiar  ii6 
meaning  that  all  before  me  shall  understand  it.  The  sermons  o\ 
hundreds  of  ministers  are  filled  up  with  classical  phrases.  I  havo 
heard  men  come  to  my  pulpit  and  speak  in  such  words  that  really 
for  myself  I  was  compelled  to  make  an  investigation  of  the  mean- 
ing of  the  terms.  Now,  there  is  no  greatness  in  this.  Let  it  be 
understood  that  no  great  man  is  ever  grandiloquent.  No  vessel 
that  is  full  ever  sounds  hollow  ;  no  heart  that  is  really  engaged 
and  earnest  in  its  business  ever  talks  in  a  roundabout  way.  No 
man  begins  to  tell  me  in  the  midst  of  a  fire  that  there  is  a  vast 
amount  of  combustible  material  in  great  danger  of  ignition  around 
my  habitation  ;  no,  he  cries, '  Fire !  fire  !'  And  there  is  direct  sense 
in  that.  I  look  back  on  my  early  sermons,  and  I  declare  to  you  that 
I  would  be  ashamed  to  repeat  them  before  an  assembly  of  dogs  and 
cats,  they  are  so  ridiculous.  I  have  sometimes  tried  to  rewrite 
them,  but  there  is  really  nothing  there.  It  is  a  great  deal  easier 
to  begin  with  new  material  and  make  sermons  over  entirely  fresh, 
than  to  go  back  and  rehash  these  wonderful  juvenile  productions 
and  bring  them  into  the  shape  of  a  matured  simplicity. 

"  There  must  be  original  talent  and  capability.  It  is  vain  to  la^ 
the  hands  of  Episcopal  authority  on  empty  heads.  It  is  vain  to 
give  diplomas  or  certificates  and  a  right  to  preach  to  persons  who 
have  no  sort  of  capability  for  the  work.  God  owns  and  blesses  the 
*  foolishness  of  preaching,'  but  not  foolish  preaching.  I  well  re- 
member Bishop  Griswold's  quaint  sayings  by  which  he  was  ever 
bringing  home  some  truth  to  us.  A  young  minister,  since  gone 
home,  once  suggested  to  the  Bishop  that  he  was  very  anxious  to 
have  his  ordination  hastened  ;  *  he  thought  himself  qualified,  al- 
though he  certainly  felt  that  the  Lord  had  no  particular  demand 
for  man's  wisdom.'  'Humph!'  interrupted  the  Bishop,  *  He  has  n 
a  great  deal  less  demand  for  man's  nonsense.'  There  was  nothing 
else  to  be  said.  It  is  vain  to  say  that  there  are  yet  poor  and  igno- 
rant ones  to  whom  they  can  preach.     Perhaps  so,  but  let  me  answer 


41  o  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

you  that  there  is  no  class  of  gospel  preaching  that  really  requires 
so  much  talent  as  preaching  usefully  to  the  ignorant  and  poor. 
Just  as  in  a  Sunday  school  the  teaching  of  the  infant  class  is  the 
most  difficult  to  supply,  and  we  may  sometimes  look  through  an 
hundred  teachers  before  we  find  one  that  is  in  the  least  degree  qual- 
ified to  drop  these  precious  truths  of  salvation  in  small  drops  into 
infant  minds.  Beside  all  this,  such  men  are  habitually  ambitious 
and  presuming.  Such  instances  are  everywhere  a  great  distress. 
But,  more  than  this,  our  Church  requires  very  peculiar  talent.  There 
is  in  our  whole  public  service  such  an  elevating  air  of  thought  and 
feeling  that  when  it  comes  from  the  magnificent  height  of  the  sim- 
ple Liturgy  down  to  the  mere  dull  flat  pan-cake  sermon,  with  noth- 
ing in  it,  the  contrast  is  too  terrific  to  be  tolerated  in  any  degree  and 
it  ought  not  to  be. 

"  There  must  be  general  intellectual  enlargement  and  qualifica- 
tion. It  embraces  a  very  large  class  of  thought.  We  cannot  say 
that  any  knowledge  is  extraneous  to  the  ministry  or  useless  to  the 
preacher.  Its  subjects  touch  every  class  in  society,  every  occupa- 
tion of  man  comes  under  its  influence.  The  temptations,  trials, 
dangers,  cares  of  all  conditions  of  men  are  subjects  of  its  observa- 
tion and  demand  its  notice.  And  the  more  the  man  knows,  prac- 
tically adapted  and  truly  sanctified,  the  more  efficient  the  minister 
becomes.  This  is  not  only  true  in  the  particular  details,  but  in  the 
general  influence  upon  the  mind.  These  may  seem  like  trite  ob- 
servations, and  they  are,  but  long  observation  has  very  much  im- 
pressed their  importance  on  my  mind. 

"  Another  most  important  element  of  intellectual  qualifica- 
tion is  a  thorough  literary  training.  I  have  not  a  particle 
of  faith  in  the  usefulness  of  reducing  the  standards  of  edu- 
cation. All  new  canons  to  smuggle  untaught  men  into  the 
ministry  are,  in  my  judgment,  but  calculated  to  knock  new  holes 
in  the  bottom  of  the  ship.  Few  of  us,  so  far  as  my  observation 
goes  in  our  Church,  are  sufficiently  quahfied  in  this  respect,  and 
though  our  ministry,  take  them  as  a  whole,  are  generally  well  ed- 
ucated, yet  when  we  come  to  demand  peculiar  and  important  tal- 
ent for  immediate  occupation  in  pressing  circumstances,  we  are 
everywhere  at  a  loss.  Within  the  last  two  or  three  years  there 
were  for  months  four  or  five  of  the  very  largest  churches  in  the 
land  looking  out  for  a  minister  who  could  not  be  had,  yet  at  that 
very  time  I  counted  five  and  forty  young  men  around  the  city  of 
New  York  who,  instead  of  pulling  the  cart,  were  hanging  on  the 
hubs  of  the  wheels.     So  that  I  speak  of  the  pressing  circumstances 


Lectitres  on  Preaching.  411 

of  tlie  ministi7  as  rendering  this  education  indispensable  at  the 
start.  It  is  never  jDOSsible  to  supply  it  in  after  life,  and  the  young 
man  who  says  he  will  learn  this  by  and  by,  will  not.  You  might 
as  well  undertake  to  underpin  the  spire  of  a  church  after  you  have 
raised  it,  as  to  put  on  top  of  a  training,  the  education  that  should 
be  at  the  foundation  and  acquired  at  the  beginning. 

"  Our  whole  system  now,  as  it  presses  upon  me  in  the  pastoral  re- 
lation, seems  to  be  to  abridge  our  classical  education  and  to  believe 
that  somehow  or  other,  young  men  understand  the  Scriptures  by 
inspiration  and  get  a  knowledge  of  great  facts  that  others  gain  only 
by  hard  study  by  a  sort  of  intuition  peculiar  to  them.  I  could 
bring  scores  of  young  men  into  the  ministry  from  St.  George's 
Church  within  the  next  year  by  this  summary  process  that  sailors 
call  '  creeping  through  the  lubber  holes.'  But  what  are  they  !  Why 
some  of  tnem  would  come  back  on  my  hands  in  two  or  three  years, 
without  parish,  exuded  everywhere,  and  the  final  upshot  is,  lay 
Christians  spoiled  for  usefulness  by  making  them  poorer  ministers. 

"  Original  Scripture  study  is  indispensable.  Nothing  in  our 
worl  is  of  equal  importance  to  this.  I  have  entreated  the  young 
men  who  have  gone  from  my  ministry  to  think  of  this.  The 
Lord  has  been  pleased  greatly  to  bless  that  ministry  in  bringing 
forward  young  men  in  the  past  years.  I  counted  up  a  year  or  two 
ago  forty- seven  young  men  ministering  in  our  Church  who  had  been 
brought  into  it  under  my  ministry.  I  consider  that  to  be  a  very 
important  element  and  fact  of  my  whole  past  influence,  as  the  Lord 
has  permitted  it  in  this  work.  I  have  never  failed  to  impress  up- 
on every  one,  *  Do  not  attempt  to  go  to  preach  the  gospel  without 
a  clear  apprehension  of  the  original  language  of  the  Scriptures.'  If 
men  do  not  learn  the  Hebrew  Bible  before  they  begin  to  preach, 
they  never  will  afterward  in  any  common  circumstances  of  life. 

"  This  theological  intellectual  training  requires  a  correct  system 
of  divine  doctrine.  Theology,  in  my  judgment,  is  the  back -bone  of 
our  ministry.  The  most  important  as  a  subject  we  can  insist  on. 
The  Scriptures  give  us  such  a  scheme.  It  is  a  relation  of  just  this 
scheme  which  comes  out  as  we  study  it,  perfectly  clear,  distinct  and 
thorough.  It  is  everywhere  a  scheme  illustrated  in  every  variety 
of  shape,  made  clear  in  all  the  successive  historical  prophetic  tes- 
timonies and  still  but  one  great  scheme  of  truth  manifesting  itself 
through  all.  Now  in  these  modern  days  to  speak  of  this  as  confin- 
ing and  cramping  the  mind,  and  its  investigations,  is,  in  my 
judgment,    perfectly   absurd.     The  importance    of  a    right  teach- 


412  JRev,  Stephen  Higghison    Tyng,  D.D, 

ing  of  the  system  of  theology  is  beyond  all  calculation.  It  is  the 
very  substance  and  sum  of  our  furniture  for  our  work.  Now  upon 
this  subject  it  is  most  happy  for  us  to  be  able  to  say  the  English 
theology  is  perhaps  of  all  systems  the  fullest  of  that  sort  of  in- 
struction so  important.  We  have  such  names  as  Reynolds,  Leigh- 
ton,  Hopkins,  and  in  the  Scotch  church  Ralph  Erskine  and  that  prince 
of  books,  Romaine's  '  Life,  and  Walk  and  Triumph  of  Faith,'  that 
at  least  once  every  year  or  two  I  begin  and  read  straight  through, 
because  it  seems  impossible  to  come  to  an  end  of  the  practical 
wisdom  and  sweetness  and  fulness  of  its  truth. 

"  I  should  say  to  young  men,  there  is  a  library  that  will  furnish 
you  for  a  lifetime.  Avoid  all  the  trash  of  low  rationalism  and  cold, 
dead,  moss-grown  heresies.  Nourish  yourselves  with  suitable  food 
and  your  people  with  it.  Some  say  to  you,  "^  Why,  you  must  read  all 
these  books  in  order  to  frame  necessary  replies  to  them.*  John 
Newton  received  a  present  from  Dr.  John  Taylor  of  Norwich,  of  a 
book  in  which  the  latter  said  there  was  no  such  thing  as  the  doc- 
trine of  the  atonement.  He  asked  Newton  afterwards  if  he  had  read 
the  book.  'No,  he  had  looked  at  it.'  '  Well,  is  that  all!  It  took  me 
fifteen  years  to  write  it,  and  you  do  not  read  it  to  know  what  it 
really  is ! '  *  Well,'  said  Newton,  *  if  my  servant  brings  me  meat  to 
the  table,  must  I  eat  it  all  to  tell  what  it  is  ?  Now  I  took  a  bite 
of  your  book  and  know  its  character.'  Certainly  that  was  infinite 
wisdom. 

"  We  want  a  general  system  of  reading.  Nothing  becomes  inap- 
propriate to  be  known,  that  is  itself  profitable.  Every  branch  of 
human  knowledge  imparts  its  portion  of  advantage  to  the  preacher, 
not  merely  as  information  on  various  subjects,  nor  as  enhancing 
individual  influence,  but  as  illustrating  its  own  part  of  the  great 
work  and  plan  of  divine  providence  and  government.  We  are 
to  look  upon  th.?  world  as  in  actual  subjection  to  Christ  and, 
however  apparently  confused,  as  working  together  to  accomplish 
His  plans  and  hasten  His  Kingdom. 

"Thus  these  views  as  I  have  given  them,  of  intellectual 
preparation  in  qualification  for  the  ministry,  I  have  placed 
as  low  as  they  can  be  placed  in  my  judgment  and  observa- 
tion. No  man  will  ever  know  too  much.  He  cannot  sink  too 
deeply  into  divine  truth  nor  ever  become  too  intelligent  for 
the  great  mass  of  the  people  to  whom  he  speaks.  And  the 
grand  defect  that  the  minister,  in  the  end  of  his  work  feels,  is 
that  utter  want  of  solidity  of  thought  and  comprehension  in  his 
preparation  for  those   to  whom   he   ministers.     It  is   that   which 


Lectures  on  Preaching,  413 

makes  every  pumpkin  lantern  seem  like  a  planet.  A  young  man 
comes  out  and  seems  like  a  wonderful  aerolite.  Everybody  is 
startled,  if  he  cuts  a  great  figure  of  speech,  in  majesty  of  style, 
bringing  up  marvels  in  some  chorus  of  exhibition;  everybody  is  led 
away,  and  they  look  at  the  man  as  if  he  was  some  great  wonder. 
And  why  ?  Simply  because  they  are  fed  with  emptiness,  because 
there  is  so  little  of  the  real,  solid,  substantial  ministry  in  this  com- 
munity. I  well  remember  Dr.  Bedell  once  preached  a  sermon  be- 
fore our  Education  society  from  the  text, '  Wherefore  wilt  thou  run, 
my  son,  with  the  tidings  not  ready,'  in  illustration  of  the  Ahineases 
of  our  day 

"  I  employ  the  term  '  providential  qualifications  '  as  including  all 
personal  traits  and  habits  which  affect  or  concern  the  individual 
,  personal  relations  of  the  minister.  The  term  '  incidental,'  might 
be  used,  but  that  in  a  man  divinely  called  and  divinely  qual- 
ified for  this  sacred  office,  I  prefer  to  consider  all  things  con- 
cerning him  as  under  a  divine  and  providential  arrangement.  It  is 
a  class  of  qualifications  eminently  important  to  the  ministry,  both 
in  reference  to  its  happiness  and  its  success. 

"  It  is  adaptation  to  aj^pointed  condition.  *  The  right  man  in 
the  right  place,'  an  expression  used  by  Lord  Palmerston  first  in  the 
House  of  Commons,  has  come  to  be  an  apothegm  in  the  language 
of  human  description.  Individual  tastes  and  habitudes  indefinitely 
vary;  and  as  the  Apostle  says  of  the  miraculous  tongues,  none  of 
them  are  without  signification.  There  is  an  original  adaptation  in 
personal  character.  There  is  an  acquired  accordance  with  pre- 
scribed condition.  It  is  not  easy  to  say  what  are  the  young  man's 
adaptations  in  the  starting  of  his  life,  but  the  importance  of  this 
accordance  is  great,  and  the  ministry  is  often  made  most  unhappy 
and  deprived  of  much  of  its  usefulness  by  this  want. 

"  It  is  sympathy  of  tastes  with  the  people  among  whom  our  lot 
is  cast.  The  pastoral  ministry  becomes  a  part  of  the  people.  A 
wise  'ministry  will  endeavor  to  understand  the  habits  of  a  people, 
whatever  they  may  be,  to  feel  for  their  peculiarities,  to  enter  into 
and  shape  the  tastes  and  habits  of  their  conversation.  We  should 
make  it  a  subject  of  determined  effort  to  do  this.  Whether  a  man 
be  a  dweller  upon  the  mountains  or  the  sea-shore,  whether  he  live 
in  a  small  rural  village,  where  hardly  a  sound  of  warfare  reaches 
him  or  in  a  bustling  village  where  everybody  knows  four  times  as 
much  about  everybod}'  as  anybody  knows  about  himself,  these 
locations  require  a  difference  of  personal  adaptation.  Instead  of  a 
dissatisfied  removal,  and  shrinking  from  his  condition,  and  saying, 


414  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    7y7ig^  D,D. 

'  How  can  I  live  with  such  people  !'  the  dignity  of  a  man  well  bom 
and  bred  remains  with  them  easily;  the  simplicity  of  a  man  sent 
from  God  unites  with  them  easily;  the  tastes  of  a  man  who  has 
kindness  of  feeling  and  elevation  of  sentiment  conforms  to  them 
with  pleasure — we  may  illustrate  this  by  the  lives  of  Oberlin  anJ 
Felix  Neff,  and  by  other  cases.  There  is  this  great  difference  in 
the  peculiarities  and  tastes  of  people.  It  is  very  important  that  a 
man  should  be  transplanted,  that  he  should  not  grow  up  in  the 
exercise  of  a  ministry  in  one  locality. 

*'  It  is  a  readiness  to  minister  to  all   classes  of  people,  not  as  a 
mere  obligation  of  duty,  but  as  a  cultivation  of  habit.     I  am  speak- 
ing now  not  of  things  that  ought  to  be  done,  but  of  states  of   mind 
that  ought  to  be  acquired.     Our  ministry  is  not  a  mere  gratifica- 
tion of  personal  taste;  there  are  a  great  many  disagreeable  things  , 
that  we  are  to  submit  to.     We  are  agents  for  Christ  in  a  great  and 
lasting  work  and  whatever  Christ  was  not  above  doing,  we  are   not 
to  be  above  doing.     The  poor  were  as  dear  to  Him  as  the  rich,  and 
the  more  we  have  of  His  mind  and  spirit,  the  more  ready  we  are 
not  only  to  bear  everything,  but  to  forget  that  we  have  anything  to 
bear,  the  more  we  shall  be  happy  and   useful.     I   cannot   tell  you 
the  impression  that  was  made  on  my  youthful  mind  by  Bishop  Gris- 
wold"s  dignity  in  connection  with  the  laboring  classes.     He  would 
not  see  a  woman  bringing  an  armful  of  wood  into    the  house  but  ' 
he  would  go  and  take  it  in  his  own  arms  and  carry  it  into  the  house. 
I  have  seen  him  take  a  pail  of  swill  out  of  a  maid-servant's  hands, 
carry  it  into  the  yard  and  feed  his  own  pigs,    because   it  was  too 
hard  labor  for  a  woman.     Such  a  man  as  that  carried  with  him  an 
influence  and  power  that  was  magnetic.     One  afternoon  he  said  to 
me,  *Mr.  Tyng,  I  want  you  to  go  and  make  visits  with  me.'     I  went 
with  him  through  the  back  streets  and  lanes  of  the   town   of  Bris- 
tol, into  one  house  after  another;  to  see  the  old  man,  dressed  as 
elegantly  as  an  English  Archbishop,  kneeling  on  the  floor  with  the 
people,  talking  in   the  most  friendly,  simple  way,  interested  in  aU 
their  affairs.     I  confess  these  things  made  an  impression  upon  my 
mind,    a  young  city  boy  of  nineteen  years,   that    has  never  been 
effaced  and  never  can  be.     I  thought  it  the  grandest  human  sight  I 
had  ever  seen. 

"  The  more  we  have  this  mind,  we  will  be  ready  not  only  to 
bear  more,  but  to  look  upon  Christians  as  Christ  does,  to  regard 
them  according  to  His  standard,  to  cultivate  that  sort  of  estima- 
tion of  human  character  that  is  conformed  to  His  will  and  purpose. 
Often  the  most  tenderly   educated   are   the   most   conforming   to 


Lectures  on  Preaching,  41 5 

others,  and  what  I  call  the  best  blood  among  us  in  the  human  rela- 
tion is  the  least  suspicious  of  disposition  and  the  least  unwilling 
to  condescend,  and  men  who  make  the  most  complaints  in  the 
ministry  habitually  are  those  who  ^have  the  least  right  to  com- 
plain. 

"  It  is  the  cultivation  of  the  ability  to  instruct  all  classes  of 
persons;  not  merely  in  intellectual  provision  and  spiritual  experi- 
ence, but  in  habit  of  teaching,  the  cultivating  of  a  simple  style  of 
communication.  I  remember  a  very  distinguished  preacher  in  the 
pulpit  of  St.  George's  once.  A  man  of  great  power  of  utterance  and 
logical  formation  in  his  discourse  which  he  preached  on  Sunday  morn- 
ing. In  the  afternoon  I  preached  a  little  simple  sermon  I  am  accus- 
tomed to  preach  to  young  people.  He  expressed  his  surprise  at 
my  being  willing  to  use  such  plain  simplicity.  '  My  dear  brother, 
said  I,  '  suppose  you  had  a  bottle  to  fill,  which  is  the  best  way,— to 
take  it  to  the  pump  and  pump  away  where  nine  parts  out  of  ten 
run  over  and  do  not  get  into  it,  or  is  it  better  to  take  the  tea- 
kettle and  put  mouth  to  mouth  ?  This  morning  you  pumped  all 
over  my  people  and  wet  yourself.' 

"  A  young  man  came  in  my  way  not  long  ago,  and  I  heard 
him  preach.  I  tried  to  analyze  the  first  sentence  of  his  sermon, 
but  it  ran  on  in  such  an  indefinite  mixture  of  words  and  phrases 
'that  before  he  got  half  through,  I  could  not  tell  what  he  was 
about.  I  remonstrated  with  him  about  it.  He  told  me,  *  I  have 
always  admired  that  style  of  preaching,  and  I  have  formed  my 
stylo  upon  Chalmers.'  Just  as  absurd  as  if  a  poor  little  tadpole 
had  told  me  it  had  formed  his  style  from  a  flying  bird.  He  had  no 
conception  of  Chalmers.  He  had  found  a  sentence  on  a  page 
of  Chalmers,  and  if  he  could  make  a  sentence  like  that,  it  was 
Chalmers. 

"  An  eminent  scholar  went  down  to  Cambridge  once  to  supply 
the  church  of  a  brother  fellow  settled  in  Kent,  which  is  the  land  of 
hops.  He  preached  a  scholastic  sermon,  and  illustrated  very  much 
wit! I  the  theory  of  optics.  He  dined  with  a  farmer,  as  it  was  the 
custom  to  invite  the  preacher;  the  farmer  volunteered  the  remark 
that  it  was  a  good  sermon,  but  they  always  called  them  hop-poles  not 
hop-sticks.  The  sermon  was  good  for  nothing,  because  the  people 
did  not  understand  a  word.  Now  the  simph^st  style  of  utterance  is 
always  the  most  eloquent,  the  simplest  sentences  are  always  the 
most  effective.  Contrast  Addison  and  Johnson  as  ty^ies  for  clergy- 
men's utterance.  How  iniinitely  one  rises  above  the  other  in 
importance  as  mediums  of  information !    This  is  a  matter   of  ac- 


416  J^ev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

quirement,  and   one  of  those  acquirements  that  we  are  to   pursue 
with  earnestness, 

"It  is  the  abiUty  to  illustrate  our  teaching.  This  is  a  most  im- 
portant habit ;  its  influence  is  great.  It  is  the  use,  the  advantage 
we  derive  from  varied  reading.  A  clear  perception  of  the  truth,  in 
its  application,  will  be  the  foundation.  A  cordial  desire  to  be 
understood  and  to  be  made  effective  in  teaching,  will  give  it  power 
and  force.  We  will  be  constantly  enjoying  everything  we  see 
and  hear  and  know,  as  a  part  of  our  great  work,  as  our  Master  did, 
and  the  custom  in  its  advance  and  growth  and  variety  gives  great 
popularity  to  the  ministry  and  influence  to  the  pastor.  You  will 
hear  the  sentences  of  that  man  quoted  twenty  or  thirty  years  after 
they  are  uttered  ;    they  are  never  forgotten. 

"  It  is  the  cultivation  of  habits  of  self-control,  remembering  that 
everything  in  the  character  of  the  minister  is  a  part  of  the  ministry, 
and  everything  in  the  character  of  the  minister  is  a  part  of  the 
machinery  of  his  work  :  personal  watchfulness,  avoiding  self-indul- 
gence, the  lusts  of  the  flesh  ;  living  really  for  our  work,  and  living 
really  in  it ;  realizing  that  the  Lord  is  our  portion,  '  in  Him  we'live, 
for  Him  we  die. '  We  are  where  we  are  because  He  wishes  us  to  be 
there,  and  wherever  we  are  is  the  best  possible  place  for  us.  The 
habits  of  the  ministry  are  indeed  a  very  important  system  and 
instrument  of  its  teaching.  We  are  living  epistles  known  and  read, 
of  aU  men,  and  thus  are  we  to  abide  among  men.  Did  you  ever 
read  Scott's  '  Force  of  Truth  ?'  One  of  the  most  remarkable  facts  in 
ministerial  experience  was  his  acquaintance  with  John  Newton. 
Scott  was  an  infidel,  though  a  minister ;  he  entered  the  ministry 
without  a  knowledge  of  Christ.  He  was  brought  into  contact  with 
John  Newton,  by  hearing  of  his  work  as  a  Methodist  and  a  fanatic. 
He  despised  him  as  destitute  of  intellectual  qualification  ;  and  yet 
he  found  one  day  a  poor  suffering  man  in  his  parish  whom  he  had 
neglected,  and  yet  whom  Newton  had  walked  six  miles  to  see  and  to 
minister  to,  and  he  could  not  help  saying,  '  The  man  has  a  spirit  that 
I  have  not,'  and  that  very  fact  of  Newton's  fidelity  in  his  position 
led  Scott  to  his  feet  to  ask  from  him  guidance  in  the  Saviour's  ser- 
vice whom  he  preached  and  followed — many  a  heart  has  been  thus 
won  to  Christ.  We  find  the  same  facts  illustrated  often,  so  that  the 
same  man  may  double  or  destroy  his  power,  and  the  feeble  man  may 
have  a  stronger  power  than  the  most  talented  without  this  provi- 
dential qualification.     In  a  review  of  the  whole: 

"  It  is  declared  to  be  a  special  illustration  of  the  wisdom  of  God 
which  has  set   up    this  earthly  ministry  among  men;  when   in  the 


Lectures  on  Preachhig,  417 

wisdom  of  God  it  was  discovered  that  by  wisdom  tlie  world  would 
never  know  God  ;  then  it  was  said  it  pleased  God  by  the  foolishness 
of  preaching,  not  by  foolish  preaching,  not  by  intellectual  effort,  not 
by  the  power  of  the  human  mind,  not  by  any  of  the  logical  pro- 
cesses of  man's  conclusions,  but  by  the  simple  story  of  divine  sub- 
stitution and  redemption,  by  the  simple  proclaiming  of  a  crucified 
Christ  to  a  lost  world,  '  it  pleased  God  to  save  them  that  believed. ' 
"  When  we  proclaim  a  Saviour,  we  do  it  with  divine  authority  ; 
when  a  man  receives  it,  he  receives  it  not  as  the  word  of  man,  but 
of  God.  If  the  man  rejects,  we  go  back  to  the  Great  Master  who 
has  sent  us,  and  say  distinctly,  '  They  have  not  rejected  us,  they 
have  rejected  Thee.'  The  great  contest  is  all  the  time  about  the 
person  of  the  Being  whom  we  represent,  and  as  ambassadors  we 
may  be  full  of  infirmity  and  of  personal  error,  we  may  have  many 
grounds  of  ignorance  and  many  occasions  of  mistake,  but  the  author- 
ity with  which  we  are  clothed,  is  the  national  authority  which  we 
represent.  Our  flag  is  at  the  peak,  the  man  that  despises  it  de- 
spises the  whole  authority  which  that  flag  represents.  And  we 
have  a  right  to  insist  on  the  ground  of  this  very  responsibility 
that  we  shall  be  received  even  as  Jesus  Christ  Himself  would  be  re- 
ceived if  He  were  upon  the  earth,  preaching  the  one  grand  message 
which  is  to  give  life  in  Him,  and  without  which  there  is  no  life  for 
'  the  soul  of  man. 

"  From  this  consideration  of  our  divine  appointment  and  our 
personal  responsibility  arises  the  demand  for  adequate  and  appro- 
priate preparation.  For  this  no  possible  education  is  to  be  es- 
teemed bevond  that  which  is  needful,  desirable  and  useful.  The 
highest  grade  and  style  of  scholarship  is  never  too  much,  and  pro- 
bation of  personal  character  extended  through  an  adequate  period 
of  demonstration  of  the  fruits  and  presence  of  the  Spirit  must  be 
always  demanded.  Our  piety  can  never  be  *  canonical  piety,'  as  I 
knew  an  instance  in  which  one  of  our  clergy  was  required  some 
years  ago  to  sign  a  certificate  of  ordination  for  a  3'oung  man  whom 
the  Bishop  desired  to  ordain  rapidly.  Our  ordination  requires,  you 
know,  a  certificate  of  three  years'  piety.    '  But,'  said  this  faithful  man, 

*  sir,  eighteen  months  ago  this  man  was  a  drunkard.'  *Yes,'  re- 
plied the  Bishop,  '  but  cannot  you  consider  it  canonical  piety  ? ' 
Canonical  piety !  There  is  no  such  thing  as  canonical  piety. 
Pietv  starts  in  the  conversion  of  the  soul.  An  unconverted  man 
Is  a  damned,  man,  no  matter  what  you  call  him.  A  man  without 
Christ,  it   is   in  vain    to  refer   to  as   being  in  an^v  part  of  hio  life 

*  pious.' 


41 8  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

Not  only  is  this  piety  to  be  demanded,  but  there  is  to  be  a 
character  bold,  apt,  meet  to  exercise  the  ministry  to  the  glory  of 
God  and  the  edifying  of  His  church.  There  is  many  a  good  man 
who  has  no  aptness,  no  meetness  for  such  a  work  as  this,  who  is 
placed  on  the  top  of  this  pinnacle  only  to  be  despised,  and  why 
should  we  insist  upon  making  an  impossible  result, — of  making  a 
wise  man  merely  by  putting  him  on  the  end  of  a  pole  !  Every 
thing  depends  upon  personal  character,  and  our  whole  personal 
character  depends  upon  our  own  personal  character.  I  may  well 
speak  of  it  while  here  beneath  this  roof  where  the  sweet  lovehness 
of  Bedell  showed  what  the  gospel  was,  where  the  disinterestedness 
and  unselfishness  of  John  Clark  made  perfectly  manifest  the  power 
and  depth  and  fulness  of  that  gospel,  and  where  their  successor,  if 
he  could  not  add  to  the  loveliness  of  the  one  or  the  character  of  the 
other,  still  carried  the  same  truth  in  an  earnest,  ornate,  attractive 
shape  unceasingly.  Nowhere  could  I  carry  on  such  a  subject  with 
such  an  appeal  to  the  very  walls  that  are  around  me  as  I  can  to 
those  to  whom  I  am  speaking  here. 

"  The  whole  preparation  is  contracted  and  limited  enough,  and 
when  we  consider  the  importance  of  the  work,  its  divine  constitu- 
tion, its  tremendous  results,  the  glorious  influence  it  is  to  exercise, 
the  solemn  condemnation  that  is  to  pertain  to  its  neglect,  let  us 
never  imagine  that  our  preparation  is  to  be  made  by  shortening 
either  its  time  or  limiting  the  extent  of  its  application. 

"  We  come  to  many  a  demand  in  our  ministry,  that  is  entirely 
beyond  our  ability  and  comprehension,  and  meet  cases  utterly  be- 
yond any  knowledge  we  have,  that  demand,  the  exercise  of  wisdom 
we  have  not,  the   exercise   of  a  patience   and  forbearance  and  love 
that  are  not  dwelling  within  us.     And  the  further  we  go  on  we  see 
many  a  work  which  we  would  gladly  undertake  if  we  felt  confident, 
and  close  our  life  at  last  with  such  a  view  of  the  magnitude  of  our 
office  and  our  own  insufficiency  of  fulfilling  it,  that  I  can  only  say 
to  you  :  the  sunset  of  life  is  full  of  intense   disappointment  in  the 
retrospection,  a  looking  back  upon  demands  unfilled,  efforts  with- 
out result,  with  a  deep  sense  that  we  have  been  sincere,  earnest, 
anxious,  yet  we  have  been  far  too  little  able,  year  by  year,  to  fulfil 
the  work  which  God  has  graciously  committed  to  us.     I  never  can 
forget  dear  Bedell's  dying  testimony :  '  Infirm,  but  not  hypocritical ; 
perfectly  sincere,  but  perfectly  conscious  that  comparatively  noth- 
ing has  been  done.'     And  my  own  life  comes  to  that  period  of  it 
now,  and  the  same  pressing  upon  me  is  a  work  of  terrific  responsi- 
bihty:  to  meet  at   the  judgment  seat  of  Christ  tens  of  thousands 


Lectures  on  Preachi7ig,  419 

of  souls  that  have  heard  the  word  of  God  from  my  mouth,  and 
tens  of  thousands  of  souls  that  will  have  reason  to  say,  '  Good  were 
it  for  us  if  that  man  had  not  been  born.' 

"  Permit  me  to  call  your  attention  to  another  general  fact, — not 
merely  the  importance  of  this  work,  but  the  blessedness  to  us  of  a 
faithful  preparation  for  it.  The  whole  character  of  our  work  is 
formed  and  resting  on  this,  the  certainty  of  a  successful,  happy  and 
useful  ministry  grows  out  of  it.  With  a  conscience  and  heart 
rightly  directed  ;  with  a  mind  enlightened  by  the  Holy  Ghost  ; 
with  a  scheme  of  motives  refined  and  elevated  ;  with  habits  of  per- 
sonal religion  fixed  and  real  ;  with  conscious  communion  with 
God,  and  living  within  the  veil;  with  a  deep  sense  of  that  personal 
contact  with  Jesus  which  comes  from  the  throwing  of  oneself,  with 
all  his  burdens,  simply  at  His  feet;  with  the  cry  for  mercy  to  the 
chief  of  sinners,  with  a  sincere  love  for  souls,  implanted  and  cher- 
ished in  the  heart;  we  may  look  forward  to  a  ministry  owned  of 
God  and  honored  b}'  men.  Its  career  will  be  happiness  contin- 
ually.    Its  retrospect  in  this  relation  will  be  gratitude  and  peace, 

"  The  sun  that  has  shined  sweetly  through  the  day,  though  its 
reflecting  light  brings  many  a  subject,  as  I  have  just  said,  of  bitter 
disappointment,  still  will  go  down  in  a  repose  honored  and  beloved 
at  eve.  I  do  not  believe  that  sweeter  love  attends  a  human  being 
than  follows  a  faithful  Christian  pastor.  I  do  not  believe  that  any 
human  hearts  beat  in  tenderer  afifection  on  earth,  than  they  beat 
over  the  sorrows  and  anxieties  and  cares  and  labors  of  one  that 
has  loved  as  Jesus  loved  and  labored  as  Jesus  labored  for  the  souls 
of  His  peo2:)le.  But  all  this  depends  not  on  genius,  not  on  brill- 
iancy of  talent,  but  on  simple,  persevering  earnest  fidelity  to  Christ, 
on  the  living  all  the  time  in  conscious,  intimate  communion  with  a 
divine  Saviour,  who  works  continually  and  happily  with  us  while 
we  continually  and  faithfully  work  for  Him,  making  us  happy  in 
every  relation,  because  in  every  relation  Jesus  is  there. 

"  Bat  in  such  a  course  of  preparation,  allow  me  to  say  there 
are  many  sources  of  danger  which  require  to  be  earnestly  and  con- 
stantly watched.  There  is  great  danger  of  sacrificing  a  spiritual 
mind  to  a  mere  formal  habit.  Our  danj^fers  in  this  view — I  sav  our 
dangers — I  mean  as  Episcopalians,  for  most  of  us  here  are  such,OMr 
dangers  are  specially  on  the  side  of  formalism.  A  young  man  with- 
out religion  preparing  for  the  ministry  is  not  infrequent.  We  ha- 
bit iially  get  cast  into  that  miserable  shape  of  dead  and  cold  church- 
manship.  Without  the  spirit  that  giveth  life  they  are  chained 
under  the  dominion  of  the  letter  that  killeth.     *  It  is  so  easy,  to 


420  Rev.   Stephen  Hlgginson    Tyng^  D.D, 

fall  into  this  mere  cast-iron  machine  style  ;  it  is  so  easy  this  keep- 
ing of  days  and  saints'  days  ;  so  easy  to  manage  the  whole  scheme 
of  mere  perfunctory  performance,  that  a  heart  that  is  not  in  love 
with  the  work,  yet  runs  round  the  circle  of  duty  not  with  delight 
but  with  comparative  ease,  magnifying  the  importance  of  the  scheme 
perhaps,  and  making  a  solemn  show  in  its  observance,  with  spe- 
cial applications  of  long  skirts  to  one's  coat,  and  such  outward 
designations  as  a  substitute  for  real,  spiritual,  evangelical,  trans- 
forming life.  I  see  all  that  around  me  so  constantly  that  I  can 
never  walk  abroad  without  being  disgusted  with  it, — men  like  bul- 
lets cast  in  a  mould,  they  are  round,  certainly,  but  just  as  heavy  ; 
they  have  the  shape  and  form  and  aspect,  but  are  like  Ezekiel's 
army  before  the  wind  of  the  Spirit  came  from  the  four  quarters  of 
the  earth  upon  them — an  army  of  dead  men,  of  dry  bones, —  not 
alive  to  the  sound  of  the  gospel,  not  alive  to  the  manifestation  of 
the  divine  power, — on  the  contrary,  men  whose  safety  consists  not 
merely  in  ignoring  this  living  power,  but  undervaluing,  deriding  and 
refusing  it.         ...         . 

"  Professional  religion  is  not  personal  religion.  To  save  our- 
selves is  one  department,  to  save  others  is  another.  We  never  can 
get  along  without  the  earnest  cultivation  of  our  own  vineyard. 
Our  strength  is  with  God,  in  communion  with  God,  and  only  as 
we  are  personally  sanctified  and  conformed  to  the  image  of  Christ 
every  day,  in  self-renunciation,  in  simple  faith,  in  more  real  com- 
munion and  fellowship,  in  more  humble  walking  and  humble  be- 
lieving and  humble  trusting  in  Him  by  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  is  it  that  we  find  any  protection  against  all  the  evil  influ- 
ences of  which  I  have  spoken.  And  the  habit  of  prayer,  the  habit  of 
devotional  reading  of  the  word  of  God,  the  habit  of  spiritual  and 
religious  conversation  in  our  meeting  with  each  other,  and  the 
habit  of  mutual  watchfulness  over  each  other  and  the  habit 
of  travelling  on  together,  in  this  spiritual  path,  hand  in  hand,  so 
that  we  shall  not  be  ashamed  to  talk  with  each  other  on  the  state 
of  our  own  souls,  and  those  needs  and  necessities  of  the  soul 
must  be  maintained  in  the  most  assiduous  efforts. 

"  And  now,  as  I  close,  permit  me  to  say  on  this  reality  of  per- 
sonal character  the  whole  blessedness  as  well  as  usefulness  in  the 
ministry  depends.  It  is  impossible  for  a  man  to  be  a  play  actor 
forever.  Shams  soon  die,  but  the  influence  of  true  piety  in  the 
ministry  is  never  false  and  never  rejected.  It  is  not  the  eloquence 
of  Bedell  that  leaves  its  remembrance,  but  the  undying  remem- 
brance of  his  loving,  angelic  piety;  it  is  the  man,  not  the  preacher. 


Lectures  on  Preaching,  42 1 

tliat  is  habitually  thought  of  in  the  Church  and  must  be.  The 
abodes  of  sickness  and  sorrow  welcome  the  spirit  of  living  piety. 
Its  language  is  always  effectual,  because  its  spirit  is  always  sincere. 
The  walk  of  such  a  man  through  life,  is  a  walk  of  peace.  He  may 
have  enemies, — every  faithful  man  will — but  the  eye  that  sees  him 
will  bless  him,  and  the  ear  that  hears  him  will  bear  witness  to  him. 
I  cannot  conceive  of  any  life  so  happy,  so  filled  with  reasons  and 
occasion  for  gratitude  as  the  life  of  a  faithful  pastor  of  the  souls  of 
men  in  the  conscious  union  and  service  of  a  divine  Saviour.  A 
peaceful  ministry  can  be,  may  be,  will  be  secured  from  the  very 
start  of  life.  Let  there  be  this  early  consecration  to  Christ.  Your 
trials  in  it  will  constantly  advance  your  wisdom,  increase  your  power, 
multiply  your  gifts.  Your  temptations  and  difficulties  are  but  the 
stones  on  which  God  grinds  and  polishes  the  edge  of  your  pur- 
poses. Let  the  substance  be  adequate  to  bear  them,  and  never 
fear  that  the  grinding  and  the  honing  is  to  do  you  any  harm. 
Your  place  of  labor  is  already  appointed  for  you,  and  in  due  time 
will  be  opened  to  you  ;  and  without  carefulness,  with  contentment, 
and  growing  delight,  with  simplicity  and  filial  love,  with  readiness 
to  be  anything  or  anywhere  that  Jesus  shall  appoint,  I  pray  you 
enter  upon  your  work,  and  press  forward  to  its  triumphs  and  its 
glorious  joy." 

Such  is  but  a  bare  synopsis  of  these  lectures,  so  filled  with  im- 
portant and  impressive  instruction. 

The  third  general  head  of  the  subject,  "  Preaching  in  Its  Practi- 
cal Exercise," — and  as  every  pastoral  visit  was  deemed  a  preaching, 
including  the  whole  subject  of  pastoral  duty — was  postponed  for 
consideration  in  a  succeeding  course.  A  few  extracts  from  the 
notes  of  his  lectures  are  of  interest  in  this  connection  : 

"  The  whole  of  preaching  should  be  a  scheme,  each  year  a 
course,  a  plan.  This  one  great  advantage  in  the  Liturgy,  a  perfect 
order  of  subj  ects.  Trace  the  line  from  Advent  to  Trinity.  This 
gives  great  scope,  as  well  as  great  order.  Written  preaching  the  fun- 
damental habit  ;  extemporaneous,secondary  and  incidental.  Con- 
stant writing  necessary  for  both,  gives  clear  expression,  clear  contin- 
uance of  thought.  Extemporary  gives  ready  expression.  They  must 
go  together  from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  can  never  give  up  either. 

"Adapt  preaching  to  all  classes,  to  each  a  portion  in  due  season. 
Preach  to  the  young,  cultivate  a  habit  of  communion  with  them. 
Preach  from  your  intercourse  with  your  people,  their  states  of 
mind  and  feehng.  Cultivate  no  hobbies  in  preaching,  strive  to  see 
all  truth  in  its  clearest  relations. 


42  2  Rev,  Stephen  Higginso7i    Tyiig,  B.D, 

"  Practical  duties  of  the  ministry,  we  may  divide  into  two  parts 
—pastoral  discipline  and  pastoral  instruction  :  Discipline  relating 
to  the  Church  as  a  body  ;   instruction,  to  individuals. 

"  To  tlie  Vestry—The  special  organ  of  authority  in  our  Church, 
the  whole  powers  of  the  congregation  in  them.  We  must  find 
them  our  supporters  and  friends  ;  cannot  maintain  our  work  with- 
out this.  Avoid  questions  and  differences  of  judgment  ;  this  will 
require  great  caution  and  effort.  Avoid  personal  demands,  money 
demands,  making  ourselves  inconvenient  and  troublesome,  also 
censures  on  their  proceedings,  disagreements  with  individuals. 
Corporate  character  often  so  different  from  j^ersonal.  Exercise 
quietness,  concession.     No  assumption  of  personal  authority. 

"  To  the  Church, — Admitting— ^uiiBhle  instruction  for  ordinances, 
not  severe  in  judgments  or  desirous  to  repel.  Preparation  for 
Confirmation,  this  our  positive  line  of  authority.  Keal  evidence  of 
spiritual  character  required.  Communion — Public  ordinance.  Pri- 
vate ministration  not  desirable.  No  responsibility  of  judgment  of 
character.  Governing— hj  influence  rather  than  authority.  Much 
said  of  authoritative  discipHne,  our  object  is  not  restraint,  but  in- 
fluence, spiritual  edification.  Authority  cannot  effect  this.  Ex- 
treme cases  only  warrant  exclusion.  Fidehty  in  teaching  will  se- 
cure all  we  desire. 

"  To  the  Sunday  Schools.  An  element  of  great  influence.  Here 
our  direction  is  to  be  entire.  Personal  engagement  as  much  as 
possible.  All  teachers  and  agents  to  be  thus  appointed.  Bring 
them  to  united  action,  study  to  advance  this  action.  The  aim,  in- 
struction ;  Bible  teaching.  Catechism  subordinate,  not  attractive. 
Attachment  of  children  a  great  object.  Our  whole  management  of 
the  Church  for  its  advantage  and  edification. 

''Instruction,  with  individuals.  Weekly  meetings  of  various 
kinds,  all  important  to  maintain  the  life  of  religion.  The  union  of 
the  people  and  the  pastor's  personal  relations.  Lectures,  prayer 
meetings. 

"  Pastoral  visiting,  from  house  to  house,  in  regular  order, 
Twofold  object  ;  First,  a  social  relation,  to  be  acquainted  with  all, 
in  reference  to  future  openings  for  usefulness.  Second,  a  direct- 
rehgious  purpose,  to  carry  the  gospel  to  them.  The  tact  of  parlor 
preaching  and  prayer.  Sickness,  a  providential  opening  for  us.' 
Probable  impression ;  openness  of  mind  produced.  Presenting 
great  usefulness  to  others.  No  ministry  so  much  requires  expe- 
rience, a  spiritual  mind,  a  constant  feeding  on  the  truth.  We  are  to 
be  useful   only  as  we  are  edifying.    Sacraments  not  generally  de- 


Lectures  on  Preaching,  4^3 

sirable;  very  apt  to  be  exalted  and  trusted.  We  thus  minist^i- 
to  superstition  and  unbelief.  Prayer  always.  Extemporaneous, 
adapted,  requires  much  thought  and  discrimination.  Visits  not  too 
frequent,  never  too  long.  Much  patience  required.  Ministry  to 
the  dying  ;  texts  of  Scripture  ;  fill  the  mind  and  memory  with  them 
Funerals,  addresses  always.  Occasions  to  preach  the  gospel  to 
many.  Often  very  useful.  Visiting  the  sorrowing.  A  blessing  will 
often  attend  it.     Not  to  be  neglected   by  us." 

This  brief  outline  comprises  the  system  which  Dr.  Tyng  followed 
in  all  the  relations  to  which  reference  is  made,  and  exhibits  the  in- 
variable practice  of  all  his  ministry  to  the  souls  of  men. 

The  whole  subject  thus  included  and  the  principles  so  clearly 
defined,  are  summed  up  in  the  relation  of  contrast  and  contest, 
in  a  sermon  which  he  preached  about  this  time,  upon  the  text  11 
Corinthians  iii.  6:  "Who  also  hath  made  us  able  ministers  of  the 
New  Testament ;  not  of  the  letter,  but  of  the  spirit  ;  for  the  letter 
killeth,  but  the  spirit  giveth  life." 

"  Nothing  can  be  of  greater  importance  to  us,"  he  there  says, 
•'  than  clear  views  of  the  gospel  as  the  great  message  and  ministry 
of  divine  salvation  to  our  souls.  This  is  the  subject  of  the  Apos- 
tle's testimony  in  this  text.  A  description  of  his  own  ministry,  a 
description  of  every  ministry  which  should  be  like  his  in  succeeding 
ages  of  the  Christian  Church.  The  Apostles  received  a  perfected 
gospel.  They  entered  upon  the  appointed  ministration  of  this  gospel. 
They  describe  their  ministry  in  this  text.  The  ministry  of  mere 
forms  and  ceremonies,  which  they  call  the  '  letter,'  they  renounce. 
The  ministry  of  truth  and  divine  provisions,  which  they  call  '  the 
spirit,'  they  adopt  and  transmit.  But  the  history  of  the  Church 
immediately  developed  the  conflict  and  contest  of  these  two  prin- 
ciples :  a  gospel  ministered  by  material  ceremonies  to  be  per- 
formed, and  a  gospel  ministered  by  gracious  declarations  to  be 
believed.  The  age  of  the  apostles  did  not  pass  without  the  con- 
flict between  them. 

**  Thus  the  habit  of  Judaizing  ceremonies,  started  in  the  primitive 
Church,  and  completely  organized  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  for  cen- 
turies prevailed.  The  faithful  ministry  of  the  message  of  the 
gospel  was  for  centuries  i)resecutec],  but  never  overwhelmed.  A 
succession  of  faithful  witnesses  in  churches  and  individuals  never 
failed  and  never  hushed  their  testimony.  They  stood  fast  in  the 
liberty  wherewith  Christ  had  made  them  free.  They  refused  to  be 
entangled  again  in  the  yoke  of  bondage.  I  cannot  give  you  a 
better  illustration  of  this  contrast  and  contest  for  centuries   than 


424  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

in  the  language  of  one  of  Cranmer's  appeals.  .  .  .  This  was 
the  testimony  of  the  spirit  against  the  letter,  which  this  eminent 
and  godly  man  sealed  with  his  blood  in  martyrdom.  The  bondage 
of  the  letter  prevailed  in  earthly  power  and  silenced  the  faith- 
ful witnesses  of  Christ.  The  power  of  the  spirit  triumphed  in 
them,  and  gave  life  and  joy  in  believing  to  their  souls.  This  was 
the  contrast  and  the  contest  then. 

"  This  contest  is  renewed  again  in  our  day  with  new  determi- 
nation and  spirit.  The  great  question  comes  before  us  :  How  shall 
we  minister  and  how  shall  we  receive  that  glorious  gospel  of  the 
New  Testament  which  declares  complete  salvation  in  an  infinite  Re- 
deemer to  every  believing  soul  ?  And  in  our  own  day  and  in  our 
own  Church,  the  very  discussion  arises  which  agitated  the  Galatiae 
church — and  aroused  the  earnest  remonstrance  of  the  apostle. 
The  advocates  of  the  letter  openly  proclaim  their  view.  They  say 
that  Christ  is  connected  with  the  outward  ministrations  of  the 
ordinances  of  the  Church  and  to  be  found  only  in  them.  We  say 
that  Christ  is  ministered  by  the  faithful  preaching  of  the  words  of 
His  salvation  to  the  souls  of  men.  They  say  taat  Christ  is  to  be 
applied  to  men  by  the  agency  of  outward  ceremonies  and  rites  min- 
istered to  the  sight  and  sense.  We  say  that  Christ  is  to  be  re- 
ceived by  the  power  of  His  Spirit  in  the  teaching  of  His  truth. 
They  say  the  duty  of  the  ministry  is  to  perform  appointed  ordi  ° 
nances.  We  say  the  duty  of  the  ministry  is  to  teach  and  preach 
the  Lord  Jesus  to  those  who  hear. 

"  They  say  the  success  of  the  ministry  depends  on  its  authority 
in  office.  We  say  that  the  success  of  the  ministry  rests  in  its  fidelity 
in  teaching  the  Saviour's  truth.  They  say  the  able  minister  of  the 
New  Testament  is  the  one  who  understands  and  can  perform  these 
outward  rites.  We  say  that  ability  for  ministering  the  gospel  is  a 
knowledge  of  its  glorious  truths  and  an  experience  of  its  spiritual 
power.  With  them,  everything  depends  upon  the  regularity  of 
the  ministration;  with  us,  everything  depends  upon  the  fidelity  of 
instruction.  They  visit  the  sick,  the  suffering,  the  anxious,  with 
the  forms  of  an  outward  service.  We  desire  to  go  with 
the  message  of  a  spiritual  salvation.  With  them  all  the  ex- 
pectation and  the  hope  is  in  the  regularity  of  a  Church;  with 
us,  the  one  source  of  hope  and  strength  is  in  the  fulness  of  a 
Saviour. 

"This  is  the  contrast  and  the  contest.  The  common  ground 
may  be  conceded.  It  is  the  desire  to  make  men  partakers  of  a 
divine    salvation.     It  may  be  a  common  ground  of  equal   earnest- 


Lectures  on  Preaching,  425 

ness,  equal  assiduity,  equal  sincerity.  But  it  is  a  fundamental 
question  in  a  journey  to  be  taken,  which  is  the  right  and  which  is 
the  wrong  way.  In  this  we  would  stand  with  the  Apostle :  '  Using 
great  plainness  of  speech;  not  veiUng  truth  with  Mosaic  cere- 
monies; not  handling  the  word  of  God  deceitfully,  but  with 
open  face,  beholding  as  in  a  glass  the  glory  of  the  Lord;  commend- 
ing ourselves  by  manifestation  of  the  truth  to  every  man's  con- 
science in  the  sight  of  God,  and  looking  unto  God  to  shine  by  His 
Spirit  in  the  hearts  of  men,  to  give  the  knowledge  of  His  glory  in 
the  face  of  Jesus  Christ.' 

"  The  gospel  appeals  to  human  faith;  not  faith  in  a  Church,  but 
faith  in  a  Saviour;  not  faith  in  an  authority  of  man,  but  faith  in  the 
fulness  and  perfectness  of  Christ;  not  faith  in  an  agency  to  be 
used,  but  faith  in  a  work  of  grace,  completed  forever.  I  do  not 
bring  this  subject  before  you  as  a  controversy,  but  as  instruction 
of  the  most  eminent  practical  worth.  The  question  whether  I  am 
to  be  saved  by  the  faith  of  my  thankful  heart  in  Jesus  or  by  my 
accuracy  of  outward  ceremony  is  a  most  vital  and  practical  ques- 
tion; whether  my  faith  is  to  be  in  the  sole  fulness  of  Jesus  thus 
believed  in,  or  also  in  the  authority  of  the  man  who  proclaims  Him; 
whether  my  faith  is  to  be  in  a  Saviour  perfect  and  triumphant,  or 
whether  in  the  particular  personal  presence  of  that  Saviour  in  a 
prescribed  ceremony  or  rite;  whether  I  may  go  directly  to  this 
gracious  Saviour,  as  a  sinner  for  whom  He  hath  died,  and  claim 
Him  as  my  o\Vn  Saviour,  or  whether  I  must  have  some  ministry  of 
man  to  interpose  and  confer  my  right. 

"  All  ceremony  which  is  not  essential  to  the  decency  and 
order  of  spiritual  worship  is  not  merely  useless;  it  is  also 
destructive.  The  multiplying  of  unnecessary  ceremonies  in 
religion  is  not  the  leading  of  the  soul  to  Jesus,  but  the 
interposing  of  a  veil  of  obstruction  in  the  way  of  the  soul 
that  would  seek  a  Saviour.  '  The  letter  killeth. '  Whatever 
hides  the  plans  of  a  Saviour,  whatever  makes  a  difficulty  in  the  way 
of  finding  Him;  whatever  makes  the  attainment  of  His  love  and 
pardon  contingent  and  doubtful;  whatever  exalts  a  human  ele- 
ment between  the  soul  and  Jesus,  'killeth.'  Destroys  the  Saviour's 
work  by  a  substitution  of  the  works  of  man.  Destroys  the  hope 
of  the  soul  by  separating  it  immediately  from  Jesus,  its  only  Sn- 
viour.  Destroys  the  soul  by  persuadinuf  it  to  rest  upon  a  false 
foundation  and  withboldinp^  from  it,  tlie  one  true  and  living  Re- 
deemer of  the  lost  and  guilty.     I  beseech  you  not  to  be  beguiled 


426  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

or  deluded  by  this  deceitful  ingress  of  useless  ceremony  to 
the  worship  of  the  Church,  or  this  fatal  impression  of  false 
doctrine  and  erroneous  principle  in  its  professed  teaching. 
Stand  fast  in  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ  hath  made  you 
free — liberty  from  all  bondage,  and  all  guilt  and  all  fear — 
and  turn  away  from  every  path  and  every  teacher  of  error  in 
the  house  of  God." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

MINISTRY,  1865    to    1870. 

From  a  review  of  the  principles  by  which  Dr.  Tyng's  ministry 
was  so  distinctly  characterized,  there  is  a  natural  transition  to  the 
consideration  of  its  practical  operation  and  results. 

Remarkable  as  were  many  of  the  facts  in  the  history  of  St. 
George's  Church,  still  more  remarkable  were  the  evidences  of  the 
divine  blessing,  which  attended  Dr.  Tyng's  ministry,  and  the  proofs 
of  the  living  fraitfulness  upon  which  he  so  earnestly  insisted  as  the 
manifestation  of  the  spirit  of  the  gospel.  These  alone  could  bear 
witness  to  the  success  which  crowned  his  labors. 

Twenty  years  of  his  rectorship  were  completed  at  Easter,  1865, 
and  from  this  point  of  retrospection  he  could  survey  the  whole 
period,  marked,  as  it  had  been,  by  uninterrupted  prosperity  in 
every  department  of  the  church's  work,  and  his  own  ministrations, 
so  unceasing  and  unwearied,  through  all  this  time. 

In  his  Twentieth  Annual  Parochial  Report,  some  of  the  aspects 
of  this  advancing  prosperity  are  thus  recorded  : 

"  This  is  the  Twentieth  Annual  Parochial  Report,  made  by  the 
present  Rector  of  St.  George's  Church,  of  the  state  of  this  Parish. 
It  may  be  a  fitting  attendant  to  record  a  general  view  of  the 
results  of  the  whole  twenty   years'  work. 

"  The  annual  pew-rent  at  the  commencement  of  this  period 
was  $1500.  For  the  seventeen  years  past,  it  has  averaged  between 
$10,000  and  $12,000. 

*'  The  sum  of  benevolent  contributions  for  others  was  in  the 
first  year  $2800.  It  has  been  in  the  last  $40,000.  The  aggregate 
of  the  first  ten  years  was  $77,000.  The  aggregate  of  the  last  ten 
vears  has  bean  $325,000.     Total  collections,  $102,000. 

"  The  collections  bv  the  Sundav-school  have  amounted  to 
$38,352.  With  this  sum  they  have  erected  a  stone  church  in  jVIon- 
rovia,  costing  $10,000;  St.  George's  IMission  Chapel  in  East  Nine- 
teenth street,  costing  $17,000;  and  St.  George's  German  Mission 
Chapel  in  East  Fourteenth  Street,  costing  $10,000. 

427 


428  Rev,  Stephen  Higghisott    Tyng,  D.D, 

"  The  Ladies'  Dorcas  Society  have  maae  ana  distributed  among 
the  poor  20,000  garments,  and  clothed  3,465  poor  children  in  the 
Sunday-school. 

"The  Ladies'  Soldiers' Aid  Society  have  expended  over  $5000. 
for  clothing  for  the  sick  soldiers  and  sailors  of  the  United  States. 

"  The  Association  of  Young  Men  in  Aid  of  St.  Luke's  Hospital, 
have  collected  and  jDaid  for  the  support  of  patients  over  $12,000. 
A  kindred  association  of  young  ladies  has  made  3000  garments  for 
the  same  purpose,  costing  an  aggregate  of  $1500. 

"  Another  association  of  young  ladies  has  maintained  a  weekly 
sewing  school  for  poor  girls,  in  which  more  than  1500  girls  have 
been  thoroughly  taught  to  sew. 

"  The  support  of  our  local  missions,  missionaries  and  chapels 
has  been  an  average  of  $6,000    a  year. 

"  All  these  efforts  have  been  strictly  congregational,  the  same 
persons  being  engaged  in  multiplied  efforts  of  beneficence  besides. 
There  have  never  been  any  unusual  efforts  made  either  to  awaken 
occasional  feeling  or  to  increase  special  means  of  benevolent  help. 
The  whole  work  has  been  the  steady,  uniform  flow  of  religious 
privilege  and  obligation,  and  of  fidelity  in  duty,  springing  from  a 
grateful  sense  of  blessings  personally  enjoyed. 

*'  Our  Sunday-schools  have  been  another  flourishing  and  suc- 
cessful part  of  our  twenty  years'  work.  I  found  a  Sunday-school  of 
30  teachers  and  250  scholars  in  connection  with  St.  George's 
Church.  The  schools  maintained  and  taught  in  this  church  have 
long  since  attained  their  present  size  of  150  teachers  and  2000 
scholars.  This  number  has  become  so  steadily  fixed  that  it  seems 
to  be  the  providential  measure  of  our  work,  we  have  not  been 
able  to  enlarge  it  in  our  regular  operation. 

"  Our  mission  schools  are  all  in  a  flourishing  condition.  The 
changes  in  our  own  congregation  make  successive  changes  in  our 
missionary  trustees,  and  every  such  work  feels  the  disadvantage  of 
such  changes.  Still  the  total  mission  work  of  St.  George's  Church, 
with  its  four  mission  chapels,  has  been  eminently  successful  and 
useful. 

"  In  the  rectorship  of  St.  George's  Church  during  these 
twenty  years,  I  have  received  1225  communicants,  959  of  whom 
were  received  to  their  first  communion  here.  I  have  ministered 
baptism  to  625  infants  and  175  adults.  I  have  solemnized  463 
marriages,  I  have  presented  899  candidates  for  confirmation. 

"  In  these  last  reports  of  actual  results  of  ministr}*,  I  report 
only  the  work  in  St.  George's  Parish  Church,  and   do  not   include 


Ministry,  i86^  to  i8jo  429 

the  missions,  which  would   about   double   these   numbers   as  our 

whole. 

"I  make  this  general  statement  in  earnest  gratitude  to  the 
goodness  of  God  and  the  fidelity  of  my  people.  God  has  been 
rrraciously  pleased  so  to  preserve  my  health  for  labor,  that  in  these 
twenty  years  I  have  actually  lost  but  one  Lord's  Day  from  absolute 
sickness,  and,  as  the  rule  of  my  ministry,  perform  all  my  personal 
duties  in  person. 

"  St.  George's  Church  is  still  flourishing  and  fruitful,  as  these 
facts  must  show.  Nevertheless,  we  are  now  rapidly  experiencing 
the  results  of  removal  to  distant  parts  of  the  city  and  to  country 
residences,  by  many  families  of  our  congregation,  the  influence  of 
which  is  painful,  and  to  a  degree  injurious  upon  our  work.  The 
future  the  gracious  Lord  will  direct.  The  past  has  been  eminently 
prosperous.  The  present  is  not  discouraging.  To  the  covenant 
care  and  keeping  of  our  divine  Redeemer  we  humbly  commit  the 
whole,  asking  His  forgiveness  and  acceptance  for  His  own  name's 

sake." 

The  labor  which  this  personal  ministry  involved  to  Dr.  Tyng, 
and  the  anxiety  and  care  which  were  inseparable  from  his  individual 
administration  of  all  its  affairs,  it  would  be  impossible  to  represent 
by  any  estimate  or  statement.  He  carried  the  whole  work,  in  all  its 
responsibilities,  practically  unaided,  and  on  him  the  whole  seemed 
to  depend,  though  he  was  most  generously  and  ably  sustained  by 
a  vestry  and  congregation  always  unfailing  in  their  fidelity  and  af- 
fection. When  the  multipHed  services  of  Lent  were  ended  at  every 
recurring  Easter,  and  the  fruit  of  his  year's  toil  was  gathered  in  the 
annual  confirmation,  his  strength  was  completely  exhausted,  but 
still  there  was  no  cessation  of  his  work.  Again  and  again  he  was 
urged  to  seek  recuperation  in  a  European  voyage,  but  he  felt  that 
he  could  not  justly  be  absent,  and  year  after  year  he  may  be  said 
to  have  been  without  any  period  of  rest.  Such  a  continued  strain, 
however,  he  knew  he  could  not  long  withstand,  and,  to  obtain  the 
needed  recreation,  he  finally  determined  to  seek  a  country  home, 
where  the  summer  months  could  be  passed  in  some  degree  of  re- 
tirement. In  his  first  consideration  of  this  plan,  his  thoughts 
turned  to  Newburj-port,  his  native  place,  as  having  greater  attrac- 
tions than  could  elsewhere  be  found.  The  distance  from  New  York, 
however,  made  any  residence  there  impracticable,  without  a  greater 
relinquishment  of  his  work  than  he  was  willing  to  entertain.  It 
was  therefore  necessary  to  seek  some  location  more  convenient  of 
access.     Various  localities  were  visited  and  examined  with  reference 


43.0  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson   Ty7ig,  D.D, 

to  his  own  peculiar  needs.  None  seemed  desirable,  until,  while 
visiting  at  Irvington  on  the  Hudson,  his  attention  was  directed  to 
a  small  cottage,  and  contiguous  land,  which,  though  then  rough  in 
aspect,  presented,  in  his  view,  greater  attractions  than  the  many 
ornate  places  he  had  before  seen.  Here  he  determined  to  locate, 
and  the  original  purchase  of  a  few  village  lots  in  18G4  was  gradu- 
ally enlarged  by  the  addition  of  those  adjacent,  until  a  plot  of  about 
two  and  one-half  acres  in  extent  had  been  acquired.  The  improve- 
ment and  beautifying  of  this  land  afforded  the  recreation  he  so  much 
needed,  while  it  enabled  him  to  indulge  the  fondness  for  country 
life  which  all  his  years  of  city  residence  had  never  effaced. 

To  the  rural  home  thus  selected,  the  name  "  Cottage  Home,"  was 
given,  intending  it  to  be  a  family  homestead  and  a  place  of  peaceful 
retreat  in  his  remaining  years.  There  every  succeeding  summer 
of  his  life  was  spent  and  to  the  benefit  derived  from  this  relaxation 
is  doubtless  to  be  ascribed  the  continued  health  which  he  enjoyed 
in  a  life  so  prolonged.  The  time  spent  there  was  not  all  rest  to 
him,  however,  for  the  few  Sundays  at  midsummer,  when  the  church 
was  closed,  were  those  only  on  which  he  was  absent  from  his  pulpit, 
and  his  pastoral  ministry  was  uninterruptedly  continued. 

The  changes  in  the  congregation  of  St.  George's  were  already 
frequent,  and  the  loss  of  valuable  families  by  removal  was  a  repeated 
trial  to  Dr.  Tyng.  An  even  greater  trial,  however,  was  the  changes 
in  the  vestry  consequent  upon  the  retirement  and  death  of  some 
of  its  oldest  members. 

At  Easter,  1863,  Mr.  Whitlock,  had  felt  compelled  by  age  to  re- 
tire from  office,  after  a  continuous  service  of  twenty-eight  years,  and 
Mr.  Joseph  Lawrence  had  been  elected  Senior  Warden  in  his  place. 
In  June,  1865,  he  was  removed  by  death,  and  of  those  who  had 
labored  with  Dr.  Tyng  in  the  establishment  of  the  new  church,  two 
only  now  remained,  Mr.  Adolphus  Lane  and  Mr.  Samuel  Hopkins, 
to  enter  with  him  upon  the  Third  decade  of  his  rectorship. 

Of  the  many  faithful  laymen  whose  names  are  linked  in  the  his- 
tory of  St.  George's  Church,  and  who  labored  so  earnestly  for  its 
prosperity  and  principles,  none  is  to  be  held  in  greater  veneration 
than  Mr.  Joseph  Lawrence.  When  his  valuable  life  ended  on  the 
11th  of  June,  1865,  it  was  commemorated  by  Dr.  Tyng  in  the  foUow- 
ign  record  of  the  vestry  of  which  he  had  been  for  eighteen  years 
one  of  the  most  useful  members. 

'•'  Joseph  Lawrence  was  born  in  the  town  of  Flushing,  Long 
Island.  From  his  early  manhood  he  has  been  a  resident  of  the 
City  of  New  York,  and  a  successful  and  honored  merchant  in  this  city. 


Ministry,  i86^  to  i8jo.  43 1 

"  For  more  than  fifty  years,  he  has  been  a  constant  attendant 
on  the  ministry  and  worship  of  St.  George's  Church.  In  January, 
1847,  he  was  received  as  a  communicant  in  this  Church.  At  Easter, 
1847,  he  became  a  member  of  its  vestry.  He  was  chosen  as  one  of 
the  wardens  at  Easter,  1863.  His  whole  Hfe  among  his  fellow-citi- 
zens has  been  distinguished  by  unblemished  uprightness,  dignity, 
fidelity,  and  generous  motive  and  action. 

"  As  a  member  of  this  church  he  has  been  an  example  of  singu- 
lar purity,  uniformity  and  faithfulness  in  every  Christian  obliga- 
tion and  duty. 

"  Few  men  have  ever  more  thoroughly  honored  their  Christian 
profession  and  the  name  of  that  Saviour  whom  he  followed.  As  a 
member  of  this  Corporation,  his  unvarying  relations  to  the  rector 
and  his  associates  in  the  vestry  have  been  a  fountain  of  unceas- 
ing comfort  and  j)leasure. 

""  He  has  been  the  forbearing,  loving,  considerate  friend  to  all. 
His  advice  and  counsel  were  always  judicious  and  conclusive.  He 
has  never  given  occasion  of  complaint  to  any.  His  whole  life  as 
seen  by  us,  as  a  church,  has  been  a  shining  pattern  of  human  ex- 
cellence and  religious  usefulness.  The  departure  of  such  a  man 
and  officer  from  the  church  creates  a  chasm  few  can  fill,  and  in- 
flicts a  sorrow  which  divine  compassion  and  support  alone  can  alle- 
viate. His  associates  in  this  Corporation,  who  have  been  witnesses 
of  his  steady,  faithful  and  honorable  career,  feel  it  to  have  been  an 
honor  and  a  joy  to  have  had  such  a  man  united  with  them  in  such 
relations.  They  are  grateful  for  his  valuable  services.  They  retain 
the  memory  of  his  personal  excellences  with  delight  and  reverence. 

"  They  would  seek  for  grace  to  follow  him  as  he  hath  followed 
Christ.  With  these  views  and  feelings,  the  vestry  adopt  and  in- 
scribe the  present  minute  of  their  estimate  and  perception  of  his 
worth,  and  they  desire  the  clerk  to  transmit  a  copy  of  their  record 
to  the  revered  widow  of  their  faithful  and  valued  friend." 

But  a  still  greater  test  of  the  stability  and  the  generosity  of  the 
people  was,  in  the  divine  providence  and  wisdom,  now   prepared. 

On  the  afternoon  of  Tuesday  the  14th  of  November,  18(55,  St. 
George's  Church  was  again  destroyed  by  fire.  The  flames  were 
first  discovered  bursting  tlirough  the  roof,  but  from  what  cause  the 
fire  arose  was  never  positively  known.  It  was  presumed,  however, 
to  have  been  caused  bv  the  carelessness  of  mechanics  who  had 
been  a  short  time  before  engaged  in  repairs  to  the  roof,  though 
there  were  not  entirely  groundless  susjncions  of  an  incendiary 
origm.     The  most  diligent  efforts  were  made  to  save  the  building 


432  P-cv.   Stephen  Higginso7i    Tyiig,  D.D 

from  total  destruction,  but  the  fire  was  at  so  great  an  elevation 
that  all  means  of  reaching  it  were  unavailing,  and  the  flames  rapidly 
extended.  Before  an  hour  had  passed  the  whole  roof  fell  in  and 
the  interior  of  the  church  was  entirely  consumed.  Nothing  re- 
mained but  the  walls,  the  great  height  of  which  kept  the  fire 
within  them  as  in  a  furnace,  and  it  failed  to  spread  beyond,  the 
rectory  being  thus  protected  and  uninjured. 

It  was  a  crisis  in  the  history  of  the  church  which  seemed  fully 
to  justify  Dr.  Tyng's  exclamation,  as  he  viewed  the  ruins  in  which 
were  buried  all  the  labors  of  so  many  years:  "All  is  gone,  the 
labor  of  my  life  is  ended. "  To  him  St.  George's  Church  represent- 
ed the  hopes  and  aspirations  of  his  ministry.  It  had  been  reared 
stone  by  stone  under  his  watchful  eye,  and  its  destruction  appeared 
the  end  of  everything  for  which  he  lived. 

Its  reconstruction  ajoioeared  very  doubtful,  in  view  of  all  the 
circumstances  then  existing  in  proof  of  the  unfortunate  error  which 
had  been  made  in  its  location,  while  if  such  a  reconstruction  should 
be  undertaken,  it  must  involve  enormous  expense  and  be  a  work  re- 
quiring a  vast  amount  of  time  and  effort.  Appalled  as  Dr.  Tyng 
and  the  members  of  the  vestry  and  congregation  were,  by  the 
disaster  which  had  thus  overwhelmed  them,  determination  and 
energetic  action  soon  supplanted  despair. 

The  first  step  necessary  was  to  provide  some  suitable  accommoda- 
tion for  the  congregation  and  the  continued  services  of  the  church. 
Prompt  and  generous  expressions  of  sympathy,  coupled  with  offers 
of  assistance,  came  from  churches  of  all  denominations,  and  among 
the  first  received,  it  is  pleasant  to  record  the  fact,  was  that  from 
the  rector  of  Trinity  Church,  tendering  on  the  part  of  that  corpora- 
tion the  use  of  any  of  its  chapels.  Highly  apjoreciated  as  were 
all  these  testimonies  of  sympathy  and  good  will,  it  was,  however, 
deemed  unnecessary  to  accept  them,  and  the  use  of  Irving  Hall 
was  secured  for  the  services  of  the  following  Sunday. 

A  meeting  of  the  pew-holders  was  immediately  called  for  confer- 
ence with  the  vestry  relative  to  any  measures  to  be  adopted  for  the 
restoration  of  the  church,  and  to  decide  the  questions  which  its 
desolation  had  brought  forward.  The  call  for  this  meeting  was  re- 
sponded to  by  a  very  large  attendance  on  Monday  evening,  Nov- 
ember 20th,  and  the  whole  subject  was  then  fully  considered.  A 
statement  was  made  by  Dr.  Tyng  reciting  all  the  facts  in  the  pre- 
vious history  of  the  corporation,  and  connected  with  it^  endow- 
ment fund,  and  the  means  applicable  to  the  expense  of  rebuilding, 
if  it  should  be  so  determined. 


Mhiistry,  i86j  to  i8jo.  433 

The  total  amount  of  insurance,  it  was  stated,  would  not  exceed 
the  sum  of  Eight)/  tJiousand  dollars,  while  the  cost  of  any  recon- 
struction of  the  church  could  not  be  less  than  One  hundred  and  fifty 
tliousand  to  Tivo  hundred  thousand  dollars,  but  notwithstandinof  this 
great  discrepancy,  it  was  declared  that  tivo  conditions  must  be  con- 
sidered as  absolutely  binding  upon  the  congregation,  in  any  plan 
which  they  might  adopt.     These  were  : 

I.  "  Tliat  the  endoivment  of  One  hundred  thousand  dollars  must  not  he 
expended  or  diminished  for  building  ;  "  and 

II.  "  That  no  debt  must  be  left  mt  the  new  building  to  absorb  the  future 
income  of  the  churchy  by  its  interest  and  extinction,  or  to  harass  and 
destroy  the  potver  and  energy  of  the  church  for  usefulness,  by  its  bondage 
and  anxiety." 

Bold  as  these  propositions  were,  they  exhibited  a  degree  of  con- 
fidence in  the  people  and  of  determination  on  the  part  of  their 
rector  which  evoked  most  vigorous  effort. 

With  these  conditions  assumed,  three  questions  were  presented  : 

I.  '*  Shall  we  rebuild  on  this  location  or  remove  elsewhere  ?" 

II.  "  If  we  rebuild  here,  shall  we  restore  the  church  in  ereneral 
consistency  with  its  former  aspect,  allowing  only  such  modification 
of  the  interior  as  shall  be  found  desirable  or  expedient  for  conveni- 
ence or  economy  ?"  and 

III.  '*  During  the  interval  of  rebuilding,  while  worshipping  in 
other  places,  which  may  be  found  for  the  use  of  the  congregation, 
will  the  pew-holders]consent  to  the  assessment  and  collection  of  the 
same  pew-rents,  or  equal  sums  to  them,  as  they  have  been  accus- 
tomed to  pay  for  the  support  of  the  ministry  and  worship  of  the 
congregation  ?" 

Thus  the  whole  case  was  submitted  for  final  decision.  A  favor- 
able opportunity  was  offered  for  a  removal  of  the  church  to  a  new 
location  in  the  upper  part  of  the  city,  and  for  many  reasons  such  a 
removal  seemed  desirable,  but  the  fact  that  the  land  on  which  the 
church  was  built  had  been  a  gift  from  Mr.  Stuyvesant  for  tliat  pur- 
pose, though  there  was  no  condition  in  the  deed  which  could  pre- 
vent a  sale,  appeared  to  forbid  any  disposition  of  the  projjerty  for 
another  use. 

It  was  therefore  decided  10  rebuild,  as  much  as  possible  in  the 
same  aspect,  the  church  which  all  had  so  valued  and  in  wliich  all 
liad  enjoyed  so  much.  During  the  discussion  of  the  subject,  Dr. 
Tyng  was  asked  to  express  his  own  wish  in  the  premises,  but  posi- 
tively declined  to  exert  any  influence  upon  the  minds  of  those 
upon  whom  rested  the  decision  of  a  question  of  so  great  import- 


434  -^^^»  Stephen  Higginson    Tv^ig^  D.D. 

ance.  When,  however,  the  final  action  had  been  taken,  he  stated 
that  no  course  which  the  congregation  could  have  pursued  would 
have  so  fully  coincided  with  his  earnest  desire,  as  the  decision  to 
rebuild  upon  the  ruins  of  the  former  church.  A  resolution  to  con- 
tinue the  payment  of  the  same  pew-rents  as  before  the  fire  was  un- 
animously adopted,  and  that  there  should  be  no  cessation  of  any 
of  the  operations  of  the  church  was  the  determination  in  the  minds 
of  all. 

The  cost  of  the  restoration  of  the  church  to  its  previous  condi- 
tion was  estimated  at  One  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dioWox^,  and  the 
sum  of  fifty-two  thousand  dollars  was  immediately  subscribed  to 
the  fund  for  this  purpose.*  A  Building  Committee — consisting  of 
the  rector,  with  Messrs.  Percy  K.  Pyne,  Wm.  A.  Haines  and  Wm. 
Alexander  Smith,  of  the  vestry,  and  Messrs.  Wm.  T.  Blodgett,  Chas. 
A.  Easton  and  J.  Pierpont  Morgan  representing  the  congregation — 
was  appointed,  and  to  them  the  execution  of  the  whole  work  was 
committed.  To  it  they  gave  most  assiduous  and  careful  attention 
during  the  two  succeeding  years.  The  church  as  it  stands  to-day, 
with  the  exception  of  the  changes  made  in  late  years  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  choir,  is  the  monument  of  the  fidelity,  judgment 
and  labor  of  this  committee. 

Irving  Hall  having  been  engaged  for  the  use  of  the  congregation, 
was  appropriately  arranged  for  all  the  services  during  the  period 
of  reconstruction,  and  proved  most  satisfactory  and  convenient  in 
all  its  accommodation  for  the  large  numbers  assembled  there  con- 
tinually. 

The  revised  estimates  made  the  cost  of  restoration,  exclusive  of 
organ  and  clock.  One  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  dollars,  but  later 
alterations  in  the  plans  were  found  desirable.  These  materially  in- 
creased the  expenditure,  and  the  final  report  of  the  Building  Com- 
mittee stated  the  total  cost  of  the  building  and  its  furniture  to  have 
been  One  hundred  and  eighty-one  thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty-seven 
dollars  and  fifty  cents.  To  this  amount  is,  however,  to  be  added  the 
cost  of  special  gifts,  which  aggregated  about  fifteen  thousand  dol- 
lars, and  the  total  expenditure,  exclusive  of  organ,  was  thus  made 
One  hundred  and  ninety-six  thousand  dollars.  The  whole  of  this  sum 
was  provided  without  recourse  to  the  invested  funds  of  the  corpo- 
ration or  encroachment  upon  its  current  income. 

St.  George's  Church,  by  this  liberal  action  of  its  people,  stood 
thuc  restored  and  renewed  in   its  increased   beauty   and  grand- 

*  Appendix   V. 


Ministry,  i86^  to  i8jo.  435 

eur,  not  only  vritli  its  endowment  fund  untouched  and  secure,  but 
entirely  free  from  obligation  and  debt.  It  was  another  grand  exhi- 
bition of  the  foresight  and  care  with  which  prorision  was  made  for 
the  future  contingencies  and  needs  of  the  church. 

In  the  renewed  church,  opportunity  was  not  lost  to  perpetuate, 
by  various  memorials,  several  members  of  the  church  who  had  been 
called  to  life  eternal,  during  the  twenty  years,  which  had  elapsed 
since  the  building  was  first  erected. 

Thus  the  Five  windows  in  the  Chancel  apse  were  placed  by  spe- 
cial gifts  as  memorials  of  seven  very  faithful  and  devoted  members. 

In  the  order  of  their  arrangement,  beginning  at  the  southeast 
corner,  they  stand  in  memory  of  : 

Wm.  K.  Strong,  by  his  widow,  Helen  M.  Strong. 

Abraham  J.  Valentine,  by  his  daughter,  Mary  J.  Valentine. 

Joseph  Lawrence,  bv  his  widow,  Rosetta  Lawrence. 

Peter  G.  and  Anna  Arcularius,  his  wife,  by  the  family  of  An- 
drew M.  Arcularius. 

Fred'k  a.  and  Eliza  R.  Tracy,  his  wife,  by  their  surviving 
children. 

The  books,  seventeen  in  number,  for  the  Chancel  use,  were  the 
gift  of  Edward  and  Sophia  Ann  Walker,  in  memory  of  Mrs.  Doro- 
thy Sheddall,  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Walker.  She  w^as  a  grateful  and 
attached  member  of  St.  George's  Church  for  many  years. 

In  addition  to  these  :  The  furniture  of  the  Chancel,  compris- 
ing pulpit,  reading  desk,  font,  communion  table,  railing  and  tihng 
for  Chancel,  and  the  robes,  including  black  silk  gown,  three  sur- 
plices with  black  silk  stoles,  were  the  gift  of  the  Sunday-schools, 
while  the  clock  was  the  gift  of  various  persons,  through  the  rector. 

These  various  gifts  made  the  aggregate  of  individual  subscrip- 
tions to  the  restoration  of  the  church  Ninety-two  thousand  dollars. 

One  of  the  features  of  the  ornamentation  of  the  church  is  to  be 
noted  as  an  illustration  of  Dr.  Tyng's  effort  to  make  it  subservient 
to  the  purpose  of  permanent  instruction. 

This  was  the  series  of  Scripture  testimonies  which  were  in- 
scribed upon  its  walls,  and  designed  as  a  system  of  divine  teaching 
in  responsive  utterances,  opening  a  succession  of  instructions  of 
the  most  important  character. 

In  their  order  they  present  in  cou2)leta  : 


43^  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Ty?ig,  D,D^ 

I. 

TJie  Joy  of  Christian  Worship; 
Tlie  Christians  profession  and  the  Lord's  promise. 

"  I  was  glad  when  they  said  -iinto  me,  Let  us  go  unto  the  house 
of  the  Lord." 

"  I  will  make  them  joyful  in  my  house  of  prayer  ;  m"  house 
shall  be  called  a  house  of  prayer  for  all  people." 

IL 

The  Peculiar  Joy  in  a  Divine  Saviour; 
TJie  Lord's  gracious  promise  ansivered  hy  the  Christian's  grateful  acceptance. 

"  The  Lord  whom  ye  seek  shall  come  to  His  temple,  even  the 
messenger  of  the  covenant,  whom  ye  delight  in." 

"  This  is  our  God  ;  we  have  waited  for  Him  and  He  will  save  us; 
this  is  the  Lord,  we  will  be  glad  in  His  salvation." 

III. 

The  Gracious  Saviour,  the  one  Mediation  of  Acceptable  Worship  ; 
TJie  promise  and  ivarning  and  the  ansiver  to  it 

"  The  true  worshippers  shall  worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and 
in  truth  :  for  the  Father  seeketh  such  to  worship  Him." 

"  I  am  the  way,  the  truth  and  the  life  :  no  man  cometh  unto  the 
Father  but  by  me." 

IV. 

The  All-sufficient  Saviour,  the  one  Guide  and  Bedeemer  of  His  People  ; 
The  gracious  promises  and  the  Christian's  grateful  acceptance. 

"  I  am  the  light  of  the  world  ;  he  that  followeth  me  shall  not 
walk  in  darkness,  but  shall  have  the  light  of  life." 

"  This  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that 
Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners." 

Y. 

The  Glorious  Dignity  of  the  Saviours  Person  and  Work,  and  the  respon- 
sibility which  His  Gospel  Imposes  upon  Those  Wlw  Eeceive  it. 

*'  God  was  manifest  in  the  flesh,  preached  unto  the  Gentiles,  be- 
lieved on  in  the  world,  received  up  into  glory." 

"  How  shall  we  escape,  if  we  neglect  so  great  salvation  ;  spoken 
t>y  the  Lord,  confirmed  unto  us  by  them  that  heard  him." 


Ministry,  i86j  to  i8jo  437 

YI. 

The  Besponse  to  All  ;  the  Sum  of  All. 
"  Christ  is  all  and  in  all."     "  Ye  are  complete  in  Him." 

VII. 
Over  the  Chancel  Arch,  as  tlie  Keystone  of  this  Arch  of  Divine  Truth. 

"  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth  peace,  good  will 
toward  men." 

While  around  the  Chancel  wall,  as  a  witness,  day  by  day,  to  those 
assembled  there,  is  read — 

VIII. 

The  Song  of  the  Redeemed. 

"Blessing  and  honor,  glory  and  power,  be  unto  Him  that  sitteth 
upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb,  for  ever  and  ever." 

These  impressive  words  stand  as  a  witness  of  the  truth  pro- 
claimed within  the  walls  upon  which  they  were  thus  recorded,  and 
were  made  the  subject  of  a  course  of  sermons,  by  Dr.  Tyng,  in 
which  their  lessons  were  more  fully  illustrated. 

In  the  reconstruction  of  the  cliurch  it  was  deemed  proper  that 
an  increase  should  be  made  in  the  valuation  of  the  pews  over  that 
which  had  been  before  established.  With  this  advance,  however, 
they  were  still  cheaper  than  similar  pews  in  other  churches,  the 
highest  valuation  being  twelve  hundred  dollars  and  the  lowest  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars,  an  average  of  five  hundred  and 
eighty-four  dollars  each.  The  same  rate  of  rental  was  estab- 
lished as  when  the  church  was  first  opened,  and  similar  arrange- 
ments to  provide  accommodation  for  all  who  might  wish  to  attend 
its  services,  that  no  one  might  ever  be  excluded.  The  adjustment 
of  the  claims  of  previous  pew-owners  became  a  most  important 
question.  Eminent  legal  advisers  gave  their  opinion  that  all  such 
rijrhts  had  been  extinguished  bv  the  destruction  of  the  church, 
but  every  interest  and  question  was  most  liarnioniouRly  arranged, 
and  the  committee  charged  with  this  duty  truly  merited  the  ac- 
knowledgment made  "  of  the  great  labor  devoted  by  them  to  the 
settlement  of  all  questions  thus  arising,  and  the  Asnse,  forbearinir, 
and  skilful  manner  in  which  they  accomplished  the  whole  arrange- 


43^  Rev,   Stephen  HlggUison    Tyng,  D.D. 

ment,  to   the   promotion   of  the  peace   and  harmony  of  the  whole 
congregation." 

The  thanks  of  the  corporation  were  also  eminently  due,  as  pre- 
sented, to  the  Building  Committee,  for  "  their  long,  diligent,  wise 
and  faithful  labors  and  care,  by  means  of  w^hich  the  reconstruction 
of  the  church  had  been  so  successfully  accomplished." 

In  appreciation  of  the  ability  and  faithful  service  of  Mr.  Eidlits, 
the  architect,  a  special  appropriation  was  made,  with  the  thanks  of 
the  corporation,  and  a  record  should  here  be  made,  as  a  portion 
of  the  history,  of  the  names  of  the  vestry  upon  whom  the  whole  o\ 
this  great  work  had  devolved.  In  the  order  and  date  of  original 
election  they  were,  Adolphus  Lane  (1841),  and  Samuel  Hopkins 
(1848),  Wardens;  and  Ross  W.  Wood  (1854),  Charles  Tracy,  (1854), 
Percy  R.  Pyne,  (1858),Winiam  A.  Haines  (1860),  George  C  Satterlee 
(1862),  William  L.  Jenkins  (1863),  William  Alexander  Smith  (1865), 
William  T.  Blodgett  (1866),  Vestrymen.  At  Easter,  1868,  Mr.  Jenkins 
and  Mr.  Smith  having  declined  a  re-election,  Mr.  David  Dows  and 
Mr.  J.  Pierpont  Morgan  became  their  successors  in  the  corporation, 
to  whose  welfare  they  have  devoted  so  many  years  of  continued 
and  faithful  service. 

On  Sunday  the  29th  of  September,  1867,  St.  George's  Church 
was  again  opened  for  public  worship,  and  at  both  the  morning  and 
afternoon  service  Dr.  Tyng  preached  to  congregations  which  crowd- 
ed the  building  to  excess.  The  morning  service  was  closed  by  a 
prayer  offered  by  the  Rev.  Gardiner  Spring,  D.  D.,  the  pastor  of  the 
Brick  Presbyterian  Church,  who  occupied  a  prominent  seat  in  the 
ehancel  during  the  services.  As  the  life-long  friend  and  associate 
of  Dr.  Tyng  in  the  ministry;  so  long  the  neighbor  and  friend  of 
Dr.  Milnor  in  Beekman  Street  ;  and  as  the  senior  pastor  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  City  of  New  York,  his  presence  on  such 
an  occasion  was  deemed  a  singularly  appropriate  expression  of  the 
fraternal  relations  which  St.  George's  Church  had  always  so  firmly 
maintained. 

On  Thursday,  the  19th  day  of  December,  1867,  the  new  church 
was  consecrated  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Horatio  Potter,  D.  D.,  the  Bishop 
of  the  Diocese  of  New  York.  About  fifty  of  the  clergy  of  New 
York  city  and  vicinity  were  present,  beside  a  very  large  congrega- 
tion. The  sermon  was  delivered  in  these  words,  by  Dr.  Tyng,  upon 
the  text,  Psalm  xxvi.  8  :  "  Lord,  I  have  loved  the  habitation  of 
thy  house,  the  place  where  thine  honor  dwelleth." 

"  We  adopt  to-day  this  expression  of  the  Psalmist's  love.  It  ut- 
ters the   unchanging  affection  and  unwearied  purpose  with  which 


--     -r. 


.     -I. 


Ministry,  i86^  to  i8yo,  439 

we  have  united  to  rebuild  this  spacious  and  splendid  edifice,  for 
the  worship  of  God  and  the  proclamation  of  the  gospel  of  His 
grace. 

"  We  have  loved  the  habitation  of  Ilis  house.  It  has  been  to  us 
the  scene  of  sweet  personal  enjoyment  ;  the  abode  of  peculiar 
and  precious  privileges  ;  the  long  cherished  home  of  pure  Evangel- 
ical truth  ;  the  dwelling  place  of  a  gracious  life-giving  influence  to 
the  souls  of  men  ;  the  temple  of  the  divine  manifestation  of  a  rec- 
onciled God  ;  the  school  in  which  we  have  been  taught  the  fulness 
of  His  adopting  love  and  pardoning  grace  in  His  own  dear  Son. 
It  has  been  to  us  the  illustration  of  '  the  house  not  made  with 
hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens;'  the  treasury  of  the  highest  benefits 
which  man  can  enjoy  on  earth, — the  consecrated  spot  where  we 
have  drunk  from  the  streams  which  flow  from  the  throne  of  God 
and  the  Lamb,  to  make  glad  the  city  of  our  God.  It  has  been  to 
us  none  other  '  than  the  house  gf  God  and  the  gate  of  Heaven.'  And 
the  day  which  consecrates  for  us  this  edifice  again,  to  its  holy  pur- 
pose and  designation,  is  to  us  a  day  of  peculiar  acknowledgment 
and  heart-felt  gratitude." 

After  reviewinf^  the  historv  of  the  church,  he  continued  : 

"Many  of  the  agents  in  this  vast  undertaking,  of  twenty  years 
ago,  have  passed  away.  Enough,  however,  remain  to  be  living  wit- 
nesses of  the  history  which  has  since  succeeded.  For  seventeen 
years  we  worshipped  here  together  in  perfect  unity  of  spirit  ;  in 
the  enjoyment  of  the  highest  gifts  of  divine  grace  and  blessing  ; 
honored  by  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  ;  respected  and  loved  by 
men  ;  in  the  beautiful  description  of  Mordecai's  dominion,  '  Ac- 
cepted by  the  multitude  of  the  brethren,  seeking  the  wealth  of  all 
people,  speaking  peace  to  all  our  seed.' 

"  We  preached  of  Christ  and  of  His  church,  the  glory  of  the  Sa- 
viour and  tlie  blessings  of  His  people,  and  we  enjoyed  and  proved 
them  all.  In  the  most  uniform  regularity  of  worship,  according  to 
our  inherited  and  cherished  forms  ;  in  the  most  sincere  mainte- 
nance of  the  truth  and  order  of  the  gospel,  as  this  Church  has  re- 
ceived the  same  ;  in  the  most  earnest  desire  and  effort  for  the  con- 
version to  Jesus,  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  of  all  who  should 
assemble  here,  we  ministered  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed 
God  to  the  gathered  multitudes  of  men. 

"  Rarely  has  there  been  a  church  more  constantly  blessed  by 
God,  more  honored  in  gathering  souls  for  Christ,  or  more  favored 
with  the  fruits  of  enlarged  usefulness  and  benevolence  to  men. 
Thousands  of  immortal  souls  have  here  found  the  everlasting  sal* 


440  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyjig,  D.D. 

9 

vation  of  the  Son  of  God.  Hundreds  have  here  professed  in  sol- 
emn ordinance  their  soul's  devotion  to  a  gracious  Saviour. 

"  No  Episcopal  church  in  the  United  States  has  gathered  more 
largely,  both  of  families  and  of  individuals,  frora  surrounding  Chris- 
tian churches,  not  Episcopal,  to  the  communion  of  our  Church. 
And  no  church  in  our  communion  is  more  trul}'  and  earnestly  at- 
tached to  the  peculiar  usages  and  worship  of  the  Protestant  Episco- 
•pdX  Church,  or  more  united  and  liberal  in  its  support.  These  are 
some  of  the  facts  in  the  history  of  St.  George's  Church  during  the 
twenty  years  gone  by,  uttered  not  in  the  spirit  of  vain-glorious 
boasting,  but  in  grateful  acknowledgment  of  the  goodness  of  God 
and  of  His  blessing  ujDon  this  peo}3le.  They  wiU  not  be  under- 
valued by  any  who  love  the  Church  of  the  living  God  and  desire 
the  glory  of  the  Redeemer  whom  they  proclaim. 

"  In  the  midst  of  this  prospering  career,  an  hour  of  unexpected 
trial  of  the  reality  of  this  great  work  and  of  the  principles  on 
which  it  was  founded  came  suddenly  upon  us.  We  entered  into 
the  pillar  of  fire  and  cloud  to  be  for  a  season  alone  with  God. 
We  were  to  learn  in  the  awful  solemnity  of  His  thick  darkness  the 
mysterious  supremacy  of  His  will  and  power.  It  was  our  first 
experience  of  disaster,  an  overthrow,  the  last  of  all  our  antic- 
i^Dations. 

*'  Here  again  a  gracious  providence  interposed.  In  perfect  unity 
of  sentiment  and  harmony  of  action,  so  separately  and  individually 
prepared  that  it  seemed  no  less  than  a  divine  direction,  the  people 
determined,  without  a  dissenting  argument  or  appeal,  to  restore 
the  house  of  God  which  they  had  loved  so  much,  in  the  very  place 
of  its  past  abode,  and  on  the  very  walls  which  stood  so  majestically 
in  their  sight.  In  the  attainment  of  this  conclusion,  there  was  an 
equal  determination  to  carry  out  the  purpose  formed,  in  a  style 
appropriate  to  and  accordant  with  the  history  of  the  church  and 
with  the  ability  of  the  people.  The  stand  thus  taken  was  noble 
and  disinterested,  an  exalted  and  fitting  comment  upon  the  whole 
history  of  this  people. 

"  With  united  gratitude  to  Him,  we  present  this  day  for  solemn 
consecration  this  palace  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  arrayed  in  the 
glory  and  beauty  of  its  new  construction,  finished  and  furnished 
in  all  as  a  grand  and  majestic  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  con- 
formed in  its  aspect  to  all  its  own  peculiar  history,  and  illustrative 
of  the  great  princijDles  for  which  this  church  has  always  been  so 
united  and  which  for  more  than  fifty  years  it  has  so  steadfastly 
maintained,. 


Mi7iistry,  i86§  to  i8jo,  441 

"During  the  interval  employed  in  building,  we  have  been 
cheered  by  union  and  harmony  within  and  by  encouragement  and 
sympathy  without.  With  spontaneous  contributions  equal  to  the 
average  of  their  pew-rents,  the  congregation  have  combined  to  sus- 
tain the  exjDeuses  of  their  own  public  services  and  in  the  accus- 
tomed scale  to  continue  their  contributions  to  the  various  objects  of 
Christian  benevolence  abroad.  They  have  withheld  nothing  from 
others  to  restore  themselves.  And  we  feel,  as  we  enter  upon  our 
new  history  and  survey  the  facts  thus  related  of  the  completed  past, 
a  fuller  confidence  in  the  generous  conceptions  with  which  we  are 
encompassed  and  a  more  entire  realization  of  the  union  and  devo- 
tion of  the  congregation  which  has  again  assembled  to  fill  this 
spacious  house.  With  a  new  spirit  we  can  take  up  the  testimony 
of  our  text,  'Lord,  I  have  loved  the  habitation  of  thy  house, 
the  place  where  thine  honor  dwelleth.' 

"  This  church,  when  entirely  completed,  will  cost  but  little'  less 
than  its  original  erection.  It  has  been  finished  with  an  unrivalled 
permanency  and  solidity  of  construction.  The  aspect  and  adapta- 
tion of  the  whole  are  now  before  your  sight.  We  have  adhered 
to  our  hereditary  habits,  because  our  hereditary  principles  are  un- 
changed. We  have  permitted  no  alteration  of  these  important  in- 
struments and  agencies  of  our  public  worship,  or  of  the  robes  or 
methods  for  our  ministry,  because  in  our  view  great  principles 
of  Christian  doctrine  are  involved  in  all  these  external  adjuncts  of 
our  public  service,  and  we  have  no  principles  of  Christian  doctrine 
to  give  up  or  alter,  and  we  are  opposed  to  useless  and  unnecessary 
change. 

"  We  cling  to  that  class  in  the  Church  who  may  be  truly  distin- 
guished as  Conservative  Churchmen  in  our  ecclesiastical  body.     We 
choose    to  deliver  all  the    sacred  usages    of    our    Church    to   the 
generation  to  come  unaltered,  and  unperverted,  as  we  have  received 
them,  clothed  with  that  simplicity,  purity  and  dignity  in  the  out- 
ward form  of  ministration  of  the  truth  and  worship   of  God  our 
Saviour  which  we  received  from  the  generations   before   us,  in  the 
liouseliold  of  our  faith.     We    trust  that  in  the  good  providence  of 
God   tlie  si)ires  of  St.   George's  will  never  be  *  leaning   towers,'  in 
any  direction,   but  pointing  upward    and    ahvay   to    one    God,  one 
Saviour,  one  Comforter,    one   Word,  one    Faith,  one    Church,    one 
Baptism,  one  Communion,    one   Eternal    Glory,    one    Salvation  by 
boundless  Grace,  one  Walk  in  watchful  holiness  before  God,  edify- 
ing and  not  destroying,  comforting  and  not  casting  down,  loving  all 
who  love  the  Lord  and  seeking  to  maintain  with  all  the  unity  of  tiio 


442  P'.ev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

Spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace.  Beyond  all  peradventure  or  human 
will,  other  voices  must  soon  be  heard  ministering  within  these  walls. 
The  present  living  ministry  can  only  seek  or  hope  to  influence 
the  future  by  the  more  assiduous  and  simple  training  of  the 
generation  committed  to  it,  in  a  thorough  establishment  in  the 
truth. 

"  With  the  faith,  the  worship,  the  usages  and  the  discipline  we 
have  received  from  our  fathers  we  are  perfectly  satisfied.  We  have 
no  changes  to  propose  or  desire.  We  ask  only  for  that  practical 
Christian  liberty  which  is  indispensable  in  every  Church  ;  for  that 
impartial,  comprehensive,  sustaining  discipline  which  becomes 
every  government  ;  for  that  mutual  toleration  and  respect  in  per- 
sonal relations  without  which  it  is  impossible  for  intelligent  men  to 
live  in  peace  together  ;  for  that  fraternal  acknowledgment  which 
cannot  be  refused  to  those  who  truly  belong  to  Christ  ;  and  for 
that  personal  freedom  in  the  support  and  maintenance  of  selected 
objects  of  Christian  beneficence,  which  can  never  be  denied  to  those 
to  whom  intelligent  observation  must  be  conceded,  and  from  whom 
it  is  impossible  that  aid  to  every  call  should  be  expected. 

"  The  moderation,  dignity  and  harmony  of  all  the  past  history 
of  our  Church  we  long  to  perpetuate.  Its  Apostolical,  Protestant, 
Evangelical  character  we  would  sustain.  Upon  all  our  bishops,  or 
brethren  in  the  ministry,  in  our  widely  spread  communion,  we  un- 
ceasingly ask  for  a  rich  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  of  the  living 
God,  that  our  venerable  Church  may  shine  forth  in  all  the  glory  of 
her  future  history,  the  ornament  of  our  common  Christianity;  the 
object  of  united  lovs  and  reverence  from  all  the  people  of  God  ; 
attractive  to  all  the  righteous  nation  who  keep  the  truth,  and  the 
accredited  home  of  all  that  is  tolerant,  kind  and  loving  towards  all 
who  truly  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

"  In  this  glorious  reviving  of  the  work  of  God  in  our  whole  Church, 
this  spacious  edifice  will  find  its  familiar  occupation.  The  proces- 
sion of  its  future  pastors,  we  trust,  will  not  deny  or  dishonor  the 
great  principles  and  purposes  for  which  this  noble  edifice  has  been 
erected,  and  to  which  the  history  of  this  church,  from  its  commence- 
ment, has  borne  unchanging  testimony. 

"The  comprehensive  protection  and  freedom  which  has  always 
been  conceded  in  this  great  diocese  to  all  the  various  classes  of 
opinion,  conviction  and  habit  in  our  churches,  within  the  just  limits 
of  peaceful  order  and  personal  Christian  edification,  and  under 
which  the  rectors  and  people  of  this  church  have  dwelt  and  minis- 
tered with  tranquillity  and  happiness  these  fifty  years  past,  we  can- 


Ministry,  1865  to  18 jo,  443 

not  believe  will  be  exchanged  in  the  light  and  glory  of  advancing 
Christian  influence  and  intelligence  for  any  scheme  more  narrow  or 
any  principles  less  tolerant. 

"  We  therefore  dedicate  and  devote  this  gift  of  the  Lord  to  us, 
to  the  glory  and  worship  of  God,  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost,  in  sincere  communion  with  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
in  the  United  States  and  in  the  diocese  of  New  York,  and  in  chosen 
and  grateful  conformity  to  its  doctrine,  its  worship,  its  discipline 
and  its  usages,  praying  always  that  peace  may  be  within  its  walls 
and  prosperity  within  its  palaces. 

"  With  these  views  thus  frankly  and  fraternally  uttered,  and 
with  the  most  cordial  affection  and  respect,  we  welcome  this  day 
our  revered  and  honored  Bishop  and  our  respected  and  beloved 
brethren  in  the  ministry,  who  have  cheered  and  encouraged  us  by 
their  attendance  within  the  church  which  has  now  been  conse- 
crated to  the  exalted  Saviour,  the  King  of  Glory,  and  the  Lord  of 
Hosts.  May  the  rich  blessings  of  the  divine  Head  of  the  Church 
be  with  them  all,  prospering  all  their  work,  and  guide  them  through 
grace  to  everlasting  glory.  And  to  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost,  be  glory  in  the  Church  throughout  all  ages,  world  with- 
out end.     Amen." 

During  the  year  1868  two  small  vo.umes  were  added  to  the  list 
of  Dr.  Tyng's  published  works.  By  request  of  the  editor  of  The 
Neiv  York  Ledger,  a  serial  was  written  for  publication  in  that 
paper.  This  story,  "  The  Spencers,"  is  worthy  of  particular  note, 
not  only  as  being  the  only  effort  in  this  field  which  Dr.  Tyng  ever 
made,  but  for  its  employment  as  simply  an  additional  means  of  im- 
parting divine  instruction.  It  is  interesting  also  as  embodying  so 
many  incidents  occurring  in  his  own  connection  and  ministry  and  as 
being  in  all  its  material  facts  a  personal  history.  The  work  was 
subsequently  transferred  to  the  American  Tract  Society,  and  be- 
came one  of  the  regular  publications  of  that  society. 

While  this  was  in  course,  a  little  treatise  upon  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per was  prepared.  As  indicated  by  its  title,  "  The  Feast  Enjoyed," 
it  was  designed  chiefly  as  an  assistance  in  its  intelligent  and  spir- 
itual enjoyment.  Under  their  different  captions—"  The  Feast  En- 
joyed"; -Its  Appointment";  "Its  Invitation";  "Its  Purpose"; 
"The  Benefits  Expected";  "The  Cliaracter  Demanded";  "  The  Ex- 
hortations Given  "—its  chapters  form  a  compendium  of  instniction 
upon  tliis  important  subject.  It  was  at  the  same  time,  however, 
a  protest  against  the  doctrines  of  the  Sacramentarian  school  in 
the  Church,  put  forth  in   a  period  of  much  controversy,  the  his- 


444  Rev.  Stcphe^i  Higgijison    Tyitg,  D.D. 

tory  of  which  demands  some  reference  and  relation  in  its  appro- 
priate place. 

Simultaneously  with  the  completion  of  St.  George's  Church 
occurred  the  final  adjustment  of  all  its  affairs  with  the  corporation 
of  Trinity  Church. 

When  the  church  in  Beekman  Street  was  transferred  to  the  coi\ 
trol  of  Trinity  Church  in  1850,  the  stipulation  v/as  made,  it  will  be 
remembered,  that  the  services  should  be  regularly  maintained, 
and  no  sale  of  the  property  should  be  made  without  the  consent 
of  St.  George's  Church.  In  the  year  1860,  however,  it  was  learned 
that  the  services  had  been  discontinued,  and  a  committee  of  the 
vestry  of  St.  George's  was  immediately  appointed  to  make  the 
proper  inquiry. 

Three  years  later,  a  formal  communication  was  made  by  Trinity 
Church,  relative  to  a  sale  of  the  property,  and  requesting  that  a 
committee  should  be  appointed  by  St.  George's  to  confer  with  them 
on  the  subject.  Such  a  committee  was  thereupon  appointed,  fully 
authorized  to  act.  After  a  negotiation  lasting  nearly  four  years,  in 
January,  1868,  a  final  report  was  made,  which  stated  that  the  prop- 
erty had  been  sold,  for  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and  forty- five 
thousand  dollars,  of  which  one-fourth  was  to  be  paid  to  St.  George's 
and  the  remainder  to  Trinity  Church.  In  addition.  Trinity  Church 
released  the  mortgage  upon  the  church  on  Stuyvesant  Square  and 
all  covenants  relating  thereto.  All  the  questions  so  long  pending 
between  the  two  corporations  were  thus  finally  closed  and  the  re- 
lations which  in  one  or  another  form  had  existed  between  them 
for  so  many  years,  were  forever  ended.  The  old  church  in  Beek- 
man Street,  impracticable  longer  to  maintain,  was  very  soon  after 
destroyed.  The  new  church  on  Stuyvesant  Square,  strengthened 
by  all  its  trials,  entered  upon  a  new  era  of  prosperity,  a  new  pagQ 
of  its  history. 

"  Thus,"  says  Dr.  Tyng  in  his  Record,  "  the  restoration  of  the 
church  was  complete  in  all  its  parts  and  relations  and  the  public 
worship  and  benevolent  operations  of  the  congregation  were  con- 
tinued in  an  unbroken  harmony  of  operation  and  influence.  The 
new  aspect  of  the  church  was  improved  in  manj-  jooints.  Perfect 
unity  of  sentinent,  entire  harmony  of  feeling,  united  willingness  to 
labor  in  the  Lord's  service  for  all  the  beneficent  purposes  which 
called  for  their  efforts,  marked  the  congregations  and  made  a  min- 
istry among  them  a  pleasure  and  a  privilege. 

The  weekly  assemblies  for  religious  instruction  and  prayer,  the 
^undav-schools  of  the  church  and  of  the  mission  chapels  connected 


Ministry,  i86^  to  i8yo,  44 5 

witli  it,  the  Yaried  associations  for   united   usefulness,  were  all  up- 
held with  ease  and  pleasure. 

"  Among  such  a  people  and  in  such  relations  the  ministry  of 
the  gospel  was  an  employment  of  j^leasure  and  thankfulness  un- 
broken and  unalloyed.  The  pastor's  duty  was  repaid  in  itself,  and 
all  was  light  in  the  service  of  such  a  Lord  with  such  a  people. 
Thus  I  passed  on  through  the  infinite  mercy,  of  a  covenant  God 
with  increasing  comfort  and  without  a  care.  The  liberal  kindness 
of  the  vestry  met  all  my  wants,  and  the  generous  spirit  of  my 
people  covered  all  my  defects." 


CHAPTER  X. 

RELATION  TO  CONTROVERSIES,   1865  to   1870. 

The  distinct  reaffirmation  of  principles  made  by  Dr.  Tyng  in 
his  sermon  at  the  consecration  of  St.  George's  Church  becomes  the 
more  significant  in  a  consideration  of  the  circumstances  and  events 
of  the  time  in  which  the  words  were  uttered,  while  the  presence  of 
Dr.  Spring,  and  his  partaking  in  the  opening  service,  must  also  be 
regarded  in  a  similar  light  and  as  a  similar  testimony. 

Reference  to  some  of  these  events  is  necessary  to  a  proper  un- 
derstanding of  the  position  which  Dr.  Tyng  held    in  their  connec- 
tion, though  it  would  be  impossible   here  to  enter  in  any   detailed 
narration  of  the  movements  which  made  this  period  a  most  impor 
tant  one  in  the  history  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

At  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  as  a  result,  doubtless,  of  the  associ- 
ation of  the  clergy  of  different  denominations  in  the  works  of  be- 
nevolence in  which  they  had  been  so  earnestly  engaged,  there  arose 
the  desire  for  greater  union  in  religious  effort.  The  fraternal  feel- 
ing prevailing  between  them,  however  separated  in  Church  organ- 
ization, sought  more  public  acknowledgment;  in  many  instances 
finding  natural  expression  in  an  exchange  of  pulpits  and  a  union  in 
religious  services  which  attracted  general  attention  and  elicited 
much  approval.  Such  a  tendency  was  plainly  opposed,  however, 
to  the  spirit  of  the  exclusive  party  in  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  the 
growth  of  a  disposition  to  lessen  the  barriers  existing  between  it 
and  other  Protestant  Churches,  seemed  an  error  which  demanded 
prompt  suppression. 

In  the  diocese  of  New  York,  while  the  ecclesiastical  power  was, 
as  it  had  long  been,  in  the  hands  of  the  High  Church  party,  they 
had  not  been  able  to  elect  a  Bishop  holding  any  extreme  views,  and 
the  episcopal  authority  had  thus  for  many  years  been  exercised 
by  those  under  whom  the  largest  liberty  had  been  enjoyed.  Thus 
Bishop  Horatio  Potter  hrfid  been  chosen  in  1854,  by  a  compromise 
between  the  two  parties  in  the  Church,  and  had  presided  over   the 

446 


Relation  to  Controversies.  447 

diocese  with  a  degree  of  moderation  which  had  been  promotive  of 
the  greatest  benefit  and  the  utmost  satisfaction.  It  was  no  little 
surprise  to  many,  therefore,  when  he  issued  a  "  Pastoral  Letter,"  in 
1865,  which  placed  him  in  the  most  exclusive  position  in  reference 
to  the  questions  then  at  issue.  In  this  letter  he  not  only  condemned 
the  practice  of  commingled  services  on  the  ground  of  impropriety, 
and  inveighed  against  the  clergy  who  took  >art  in  them  as  having 
broken  their  ordination  vows,  but  even  intimated  that  measures 
would  be  taken  to  subdue  such  infractions,  as  he  claimed,  of  the 
Church's  laws.  Several  of  the  clergy  thus  publicly  reproved,  made 
immediate  replies  in  defence  of  their  position  and  action,  but  of 
these,  that  of  Dr.  Tyng  alone  calls  for  attention  here.  It  is  particu- 
larly interesting,  not  only  as  a  forcible  expression  of  his  own  views, 
and  purpose,  but  as  controverting  entirely  the  claims  which  the 
Bishop  had  made,  and  as  presenting  a  historical  review  of  the 
whole  subject  which  had  been  thus  brought  up  for  discussion. 

"  Right  Reverend   and  My  Dear  Bishop,"  he   wrote,  -''  I   have 
received  by   mail  a  copy  of  a  printed  pamphlet  purporting  to  be  a 
*  Pastoral   Letter  '  from  yourself  '  to  the  Clergy  of  the  Diocese   of 
New  York.' 

*'  Canon  Third,  Section  Ten,  prescribes  that  *  every  Bishop  shall 
deliver  a  charge  to  the  Clergy  of  his  Diocese,'  and  '  shall  address  to 
the  people  of  his  Diocese  Pastoral  Letters.'  As  all  the  duties  of  the 
Episcopal  office  are  defined  by  law,  I  am  required  further  to  as- 
sume, that  this  letter  is  not  intended  as  an  official  Episcopal  docu- 
ment, but  as  a  personal  communication  addressed  by  you,  for  your 
own  convenience,  in  the  form  of  a  circular,  to  the  clergy  of  the 
diocese.  As  such  I  receive  it  with  great  respect.  In  a  regular 
canonical  address  from  a  Bishop  within  his  own  jurisdiction,  to 
those  subject  to  his  appointed  oversight,  I  acknowledge  a  positive 
authority  which  would  render  questionable  the  right  of  criticism  or 
reply.  But  an  address  which  is  extra-canonical,  becomes  merely 
personal  and  didactive,  and  not  only  permits,  but  seems  also  to  in- 
vite, individual   conference    and  response I  am  not 

incited  by  a  desire  in  any  way  to  assume  an  attitude  or  aspect 
■which  shall  even  appear  antagonistic  to  your  judgment  in  tlie  ec- 
clesiastical administration  which  has  been  committed  to  you,  and 
the  great  responsibility  of  which  you  bear.  I  trust  that  my  whole 
life  in   the  Church  has  shown  me  to  be  in  no  relation    factious,  or 

fond  of  dissension The  occasion  which  has  called 

for  this  response  from  me,  I  cannot  but  esteem  a  very  trying,  and, 
to  me,  a  very  painful  one.     I  fear  it  will  tend  to  array  against  your- 


44^  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

self  the  feelings    and  judgments  of  many  of  the  clergy,  whose  sup- 
port of  you,  and  respect  for  you,  have  been  most  cordial  and  entire, 
and  whose  fraternal  confidence  must  always  be  a  fact  of  great  value 
in  your  Episcopal  relations.     It  opposes,  with  admonitions,  perhaps 
with  threats   of  needless  severity,  a  general  tendency  and  spirit  of 
our  time,  which  is  not  only  in  itself  harmless  and  entirely  tolerable, 
but  is,  in   its  purpose  and  desire,  manifestly  in  the  line  of   divine 
truth  and  example,  adapted  to  edify  rather   than  destroy    the  best 
interests  of   the  gospel  and  the  Church  of  God.     It  throws  your 
influence    and  yourself  on  the  side  of   an  exclusiveness  of   partisan 
judgment  and  action  which  I  am  sure  is  not  the  spirit  of  tne  New 
Testament  ;  which   can  never  be   acceptable  or  welcomed  in   the 
Christianity  of  our  land  ;  and   which  in  its  relations  to  our  own 
Church,    can  only   tend,    as  it  has  always   tended,   to   retard   its 
growth,  to  limit  its  influence,  to  discredit  its  character,  and  make 
it  unpopular  and  repulsive  in  the  apprehension  of  the  people  whom 
it  seeks  to  gather  and  to  bless. 

"  And  all  this  is  to  be  done  and  borne,  avowedly  to  meet  sup- 
posed difficulties,  which  in  your  own  view  are  so  temporary  and 
evanescent,  that  you  say  of  them  (p.  12) ,  '  These  movements  will 
speedily  come  to  nothing,'  and  (p.  15),  *  will  be  limited  to  a  very 
narrow  circle,'  *  will  be  impotent  and  fugitive,  as  everything  must  be 
impotent  and  fugitive  which  is  in  the  nature  of  a  departure  from  a 
polity  so  reasonable  and  so  well  settled  as  ours.' 

"My  dear  Bishop,  perhaps  Gamaliel  would  have  counselled  in 
such  a  case,  that  it  would  be  the  part  of  a  cautious  and  wise  govern- 
ment to  '  refrain  from  these  men,'  and  let  them  alone;  especially  so, 
if  your  anticipations  should  be  correct,  that  in  attempting  to  '  over- 
throw' them,  '  the  Bishop  himself  will  not  escape  the  special  out- 
break of  odium  and  censure,'  nor  avoid  '  exposing  himself  to  hard 
thoughts  from  within  the  Church,  and  to  bitter  denunciations  with- 
out.' I  most  sincerely  hope  that  neither  of  these  painful  results 
will  occur. 

"  Indeed  I  greatly  doubt  their  occurrence,  for  however  the 
clergymen  whose  course  of  ministry  has  thus  been  made  the  sub- 
ject of  your  very  serious  reprehension,  may  be,  and  often  have 
been,  the  objects  of  reproach  and  censure,  as  violating  law,  when 
in  the  mere  exercise  of  their  indubitable  liberty,  I  have  not  been 
accustomed  to  hear  from  them  the  language  of  bitterness  in  return. 
They  are  the  very  men  who  have  always  sought  for  peace,  and 
have  made  peace  in  the  Church,  in  the  whole  field  of  my  observa- 
tion, whose  conduct  in  the  ministry  is  held  up  to  such  grievous  cen- 


Relation  to  Controversies,  449 

sure,  in  the  language  of  your  letter.  To  secure  the  peace  of  the 
Church,  and  because  they  believed  that  your  administration  would 
promote  this  peace,  they  cordially  united  in  your  election;  and  m 
the  accomplishment  of  that  result,  which  could  only  have  been  ac- 
complished by  their  united  fideUty  to  you  as  their  choice,  through 
intense  opposition  from  the  dominant  party  in  the  diocese,  and  by 
a  long,  protracted  canvass  of  votes,  they  secured  the  issue  of  a 
united  church  and  a  satisfied  people.  To  your  administration  they 
have  given  an  unshrinking  and  unqualified  support;  nor  have  you 
ever  found  them  arrayed  among  your  opposers,  or  caballing  for 
schemes  of  division  or  irregular  influence  to  annoy  or  resist  you. 

"  My  dear  Bishop,  you  say  that  you  have  '  been  again  and 
again  appealed  to,  by  both  clergymen  and  laymen,  (who  are  not  apt 
to  be  busybodies  or  censorious,)  to  do  something  to  check  the  evil ' 
which  you  censure.  Of  course  I  have  no  means  to  identify  these 
individual  persons.  I  am  not  surprised  at  the  caution  of  your 
parenthesis  in  speaking  of  them,  for,  in  some  cases  known  to  me,  I 
should  have  called  them  'excessively  both  busybodies  and  censori- 
ous. In  those  cases,  I  was  gratefully  impressed  with  the  wisdom 
which  decHned  to  be  harnessed  to  the  wheels  of  persons  of  their 
habit  and  propensity.  I  have  but  little  doubt  that  among  these 
'  clergymen  and  laymen  '  referred  to,  there  would  not  be  found  a 
single  person  who  cordially  gave  his  vote  for  your  election.  On 
the  other  hand,  I  am  aware  of  some,  who  have  urged  you  to  your 
new  relation  to  the  clergymen  now  arrayed  for  censure,  who  set 
themselves  at  the  time  of  that  election  with  united  purpose  and 
determination  to  defeat  it;  that  they  might  place  the  government 
of  the  Church  in   other   hands,  more    likely   to  rule  according   to 

their  will. 

"  They  were  defeated  in  their  attempts  to  prevent  your  acces- 
sion to  the  Episcopal  office;  but  they  have  not  hesitated  to  censure 
your  administration;  in  the  convention,  to  thwart  your  wishes;  in 
private,  in  no  way  to  advance  your  influence;  and  they  now  combine 
to  separate  you  from  the  real  friends  and  supporters  of  your  im- 
portant ministry;  to  array  you  in  apparent  hostihty  to  them,  and 
thus  to  break  up  the  peace  of  the  Church,  the  quietness  of  your 
own  Episcopate,  and  your  confidence  in  those  who  have  loved  and 
upheld  you.  I  must  be  permitted  to  speak  of  this  whole  develop- 
ment as  a  most  painful  result  in  the  influence  which  it  is  likely 
to  exercise    over  the  future    welfare  of  our  Church    and  of    this 

diocese. 

«  My  dear  Bishop,  had  these  interfering    '  clergymen  and  lay- 


45o  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.B. 

men  '  left  you  free  from  their  impertinent  control,  and  had  you  ad- 
dressed a  charge  to  your  clergy  of  your  own  monition,  however  I 
might  not  have  agreed  with  you  in  sentiment,  I  should  have  suffered 
in  silence.  But  when  your  serious  censure,  and,  as  I  think,  need- 
less and  unwarrantable  censure,  of  a  large  portion  of  your  clergy, 
and  that  the  portion  the  most  habitually  friendly  and  loving  to- 
ward yourself,  is  avowedly  upon  the  ground  of  the  repeated  appeals 
of  '  clergymen  and  laymen,' combining  to 'separate  chief  friends,' 
I  must  frankly  say  that  I  cannot  acknowledge  the  wisdom  of  the 
course,  the  justice  of  the  proceeding,  or  the  expediency  of  the 
time,  or  method  selected  for  their  gratification.  And  I  feel  com- 
pelled, from  my  age  and  relation,  to  do  what  I  can  to  vindicate  my- 
self, to  guide  and  protect  my  younger  brethren,  and  to  maintain 
the  long  accredited  and  acknowledged  liberty  of  the  Chiu'ch,  thus 
unexpectedly  restricted  and  refused. 

"  The  practical  character  of  your  letter,  in  its  inevitable  conclu- 
sions, involves  the  most  serious  charge  against  a  large  portion  of 
the  clergy  under  yoirr  oversight  which  can  be  made  against  intelli- 
gent men.  It  is  simply  the  charge  of  a  life  of  deliberate  and 
conscious  perjury.  You  remind  them  (p.  4)  that  when  they  be- 
came the  ministers  of  the  Church  in  which  they  serve,  they  '  bound 
themselves,  with  all  the  solemnities  of  an  oath,'  to  a  line  of  confor- 
mity which  they  have  systematically  refused.  You  accuse  them 
of  doing  this  in  a  trifling  and  irreverent  spirit  (p.  12),  when  you 
speak  of  their  course  as  a  *  violation  of  engagements  generally 
deemed  sacred.*  I  do  not  see  how  in  respectful  terms  you  could 
intensify  the  solemnity  of  this  charge.  To  me  it  is  my  Bishop's 
description  of  my  forty-four  years'  pastoral  ministry  in  the  Church 
in  which  I  was  born,  from  a  family  never  out  of  this  Church,  and 
from  whose  fold  I  shall  never  voluntarily  stray. 

"  That  I  should  silently  rest  under  the  charge  of  a  life  of  per- 
jury could  not  be  expected.  That  my  Bishop,  with  whom  I  have 
never  taken  any  but  '  sweet  counsel,'  should  have  made  it,  would 
have  been  to  me  incredible,  had  I  not  thus  been  compelled  to  meet 
it.  That  I  should  shrink  in  silence  under  it,  and  go  down  to  that 
grave  which  is  now  so  near  me,  practically  acknowledging  it,  is 
utterly  impossible.  That  I  should  take  any  other  than  a  frank, 
open  and  personal  notice  of  it,  would  be  equally  unbecoming  and 
unlike  myself. 

"  I  therefore  address  you  personally,  as  I  should  always  desire, 
but  upon  a  stand  of  self-defence  which  I  never  anticipated  as  a  re- 
quisition from  you.     I  cannot   address  you   with  disrespect,  for  I 


Relation  to  Controversies,  45 1 

have  the  most  sincere  and  affectionate  respect  and  love  for  you. 
But  I  feel  bound  to  declare  myself  in  my  whole  ministry  open  to 
all  the  imputations  of  your  letter.  I  deem  the  things  complained 
of  a  personal  liberty  which  Christ  has  given  to  me,  and  which  the 
Church  has  never  taken  away,  and  though  I  should  freely  say  of 
some  of  the  illustrations  which  you  have  introduced,  that  I  did  not 
deem  them  expedient,  I  cannot  say  of  any  of  them  that  I  think 
them  unlawful,  still  less  that  I  can  esteem  them  as  the  open  career 
of  perjury. 

"  My  dear  Bishop,  there  is  nothing  new  to  me  in  the  subject  of 
your  letter.  Jt  is  a  ground  which  I  have  been  compelled  fre- 
quently to  traverse.  But  I  confess  with  sorrow  that  the  stand 
which  you  take  in  regard  to  it  is  new  and  to  me  wholly  unexpected. 
I  see  no  path  to  a  result  of  peace,  if  it  is  your  purpose  to  maintain 
it  as  a  stand  of  authority,  but  the  alternative  of  an  excision  of  al] 
who  have  been  thus^guilty  from  the  Church;  or  their  renunciation 
of  the  principles  and  practices  of  a  life  as  a  submission  to  that 
which  they  must  esteem  an  extra-official  authority.  The  one 
would  drive  the  persons  from  the  Church ;  the  other  would  banish 
the  manhood  from  the  persons. 

"  There  are  three  views  under  which  the  charges  and  the  de- 
mands of  your  letter  present  themselves  to  my  consideration. 
First  :  In  their  own  history.  Second:  In  my  personal  history  as 
connected  with  them.  Third:  In  the  merits  of  the  claims  in 
themselves. 

**  There  is,  first,  the  history  of  the  claims  which  are  pressed  in 
your  letter  as  a  scheme  of  facts.  They  constitute  that  which  has 
always  been  known  as  the  High  Church  scheme  in  the  latter  years 
of  our  Church.  The  two  main  facts  habitually  designated  and  op- 
posed by  this  scheme,  as  practiced  and  encouraged  in  our  Church, 
have  been  the  use  of  extemporaneous  prayer,  and  the  union  with 
other  denominations  of  Christians  in  religious  worship. 

*'  The .  controversy  concerning  these  things  in  our  Church,  has 
been  wholly  within  the  line  and  field  of  my  own  personal  observa- 
tion, and  in  all  its  leading  facts  thoroughly  known  to  me,  in  that 
observation.  In  the  earlier  years  of  our  Church's  history,  there  was 
no  discussion  or  discrepancy  upon  this  subject.  Not  one  of  our 
earlier  bishops,  from  the  English  consecration,  assumed  this  High 
Church  ground.  Neitlier  White,  nor  Madison,  nor  Bass,  nor,  so 
far  as  I  have  known  or  hoard,  Provost  or  Moore,  professed  to  stand 
upon  that  platform.  The  open  and  earnest  vindication  of  the 
fichemo  began  with  Bish  p  Tlobart,  who  was   consecrated  in  1811. 


452  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

It  was  commenced  by  him  mainly  in  reference  to  the  formation  of 
the  American  Bible  Society  in  1816.  The  first  knowledge  publicly 
given  to  the  Church  of  this  scheme  as  such,  was  in  Bishop  Hobart's 
celebrated  charge  to  the  conventions  of  New  York  and  Connecti- 
cut, entitled,  '  The  High  Churchman  Vindicated. '  The  principles 
of  the  scheme  were  expanded  and  applied  in  Bishop  Hobart's  con- 
troversy with  Judge  Jay  upon  the  Bible  Society,  and  with  Dr.  Mil- 
nor  and  Dr.  Mason  upon  the  Claims  of  Episcopacy. 

"  From  Bishop  Hobart,  this  scheme  began  a  formal  system,  the 
practical  influence  and  operation  of  which  were  afterward  found  in 
every  diocese,  and  came  in  a  degree  to  be  a  ruling  power  in  many. 
Prayer-meetings,  private  informal  lectures,  revivals  of  religion, 
union  societies  for  all  kinds  of  rehgious  objects,  all  acknowledgment 
of  the  ministry,  or  of  the  right  to  minister  in  other  Churches  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  not  Episcopally  constituted,  were  the  objects  of 
special  hostility  and  assault. 

'^Bishop  Griswold,  who  was  consecrated  at  the  same  time  with 
Bishop  Hobart,  and  Bishop  Moore  of  Virginia  were  as  steadfast 
and  earnest  in  their  opposition  to  this  scheme  of  exclusion  and  dis- 
crimination, as  Bishop  Hobart  was  in  favor  of  it.  Bishop  White, 
who  was  personally  friendly  to  each,  and  a  lover  of  all  good  men, was 
eminently  moderate  in  his  utterances,  but  never,  in  his  teachings  or 
his  conduct,  sanctioned  the  claims  of  the  High  Church  scheme.  Dr. 
Milnor,  in  New  York,  the  particular  personal  friend  and  the  par- 
ishioner of  Bishop  White,  was  a  zealous  and  uncompromising  antag- 
onist to  it.  The  younger  clergy  divided  under  these  leaders  ac- 
cording to  their  connections  or  affinities. 

"  The  warfare  for  this  excluding  scheme,  and  the  warfare 
against  it,  made  the  history  of  our  Church  during  the  lifetime  of 
Bishop  Hobart.  Since  his  death,  though  on  each  side  the  dividing 
principles  have  remained,  the  controversy,  as  a  general  fact,  has 
been  withdrawn,  and  the  whole  Church  has  settled  down  into  an 
acknowledgment  of  the  '  liberty  of  prophesying,'  involved  in  the 
previous  discussion. 

"When  this  High  Church  scheme  found  as  its  outgrowth  the 
vagaries  of  the  Oxford  illumination,  and  claimed  the  toleration  of 
them,  it  could  no  longer  denounce  or  threaten  what  it  still  deemed 
the  errors  of  the  'Evangelical'  scheme.  Mutual  consent  has  given 
us  mutual  peace.  I  hoped  it  would  be  acknowledged  that  *  God 
had  given  peace  in  our  time.'  I  least  of  all  expected,  my  good 
Bishop,  that  one  so  mild  in  temper  and  moderate  in  government  as 
yourself,  should  agpin  awake  the  spirit  of  controversy  ;  or  that  one 


Relation  to  Controversies.  463 

so  self-controlled  and  wise  should  have  suffered  himself  to  yield  to 
the  '  appeal-s'  of  '  clergymen  and  laymen'  to  rebuke  those  who  were 
truly  prophesying  in  the  Lord's  name,  or  to  condemn  those  whom 
the  Lord  hath  not  condemned. 

"  The  coming  history  can  only  be  a  repetition  of  the  past.  We 
can  never  concede  the  exclusive  interpretation  which  your  letter 
appears  to  claim  for  alleged  law  upon  this  subject.  The  forcing 
of  your  views,  as  you  seem  to  intimate  by  the  capital  letters  on 
your  eighth  page,  can  only  result  in  dividing  the  Church,  destroy- 
ing much  fruit  of  the  ministry  therein,  driving  valuable  ministers 
therefrom,  or  constraining  into  a  selfish  hypocrisy  for  bread,  those 
whom  power  may  have  the  opportunity  to  oppress,  and  whose 
earthly  condition  is  without  a  comforter.  That  any  circumstances 
shall  be  found  sufficiently  constraining  to  lead  you  to  this  course, 
or  that  any  courts  shall  be  found  sufficiently  partisan  and  blind  to 
sustain  such  a  system  of  wholesale  excision  from  the  Church,  I 
can  only  believe,  when  the  facts  shall  give  their  indubitable  dem- 
onstration. 

*'  You  will  pardon  me  for  this  freedom  of  speech.  But  Bish- 
op Hobart  was  never  willing  to  carry  out  the  practical  logic  of 
his  principles,  though  he  openly  threatened  to  bring  them  to  their 
test,  in  preventing  Bishop  Meade's  consecration  ;  and  Bishop  Bav- 
enscroft  urged  him  to  exercise  them  in  the  punishment  of  Dr.  Mil- 
nor.  We  can  only  say  now,  what  we  have  been  compelled  always 
to  say  :  '  Supeifior  power  can  have  our  places,  but  no  earthly  power 
can  have  our  principles.' 

"  We  are  perfectly  willing  that  this  High  Church  scheme  should 
be  assumed,  pressed,  vindicated  by  individual  opinions  among  the 
clergy  and  laity  as  they  please.  But  we  shall  protest,  as  we  have 
always  protested,  against  its  inauguration  as  a  principle  of  govern- 
ment by  our  bishops.  The  liberty  which  we  have  enjoyed,  we 
claim  as  our  inherited  and  indubitable  right.  And  while  we  truly 
love  you  as  our  Bishop,  we  cannot  concede,  even  to  your  wish,  that 
which  to  us  is  a  dear  and  valued  principle  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ. 

"  The  second  view  which  I  desire  to  take  of  this  subject,  is  my 
own  personal  liistory  in  connection  with  it.  It  is  my  own  minis- 
try which  I  am  called  to  defend.  That  ministry  has  been  un- 
changed in  its  principles  from  its  commencement.  I  was  born  and 
educated  in  the  Episcopal  Church.  But  these  High  Church  princi- 
ples I  never  heard,  or  heard  of  in  my  youth.  So  far  as  I  knciw, 
they  were  introduced  into  Boston  in  1820.  Bishop  Bass  and  Bish- 
op Parker  had  been  of  the  old  moderate  stamp  of  churchmanship. 


454  -^^^-  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D,D, 

Bishop  Griswold,  who  succeeded  them  in  1811,  added  to  their  con- 
servative quietness  and  impartiaHty,  a  vigorous  and  faithful  preach- 
ing of  the  gospel,  to  which  we  were  in  a  great  degree  strangers  be- 
fore. 

"  In  his  retired  parish  in  Bristol,  Rhode  Island,  Bishop  Gris- 
wold's  ministry  had  been  remarkably  blessed  with  revivals  of  rehg- 
ion.  His  people  were  much  accustomed  to  conference  meetings, 
prayer- meetings,  and  familiar  lectures,  in  all  of  which  the  Bishop 
greatly  delighted  and  excelled.  In  these  meetings,  though  they 
were  always  opened  with  a  short  selection  from  the  Prayer-book, 
the  privileges  of  extemporaneous  prayer,  and  of  lay  exhortation  in 
a  variety  of  forms,  were  freely  and  habitually  adopted  by  the  peo- 
ple, in  the  presence  and  with  the  approval  of  the  Bishop.  The 
first  public  display  of  the  High  Church  scheme  was  in  a  series  of 
attacks  in  Tlie  Gospel  Advocate,  a  periodical  established  by  Dr. 
Jarvis  in  Boston,  which  were  written  by  him.  The  Bishop  de- 
fended himself  in  some  essays,  the  publication  of  which  was  refused 
in  The  Gospel  Advocate,  but  which  were  afterwards  published  in  a 
tract  on  prayer-meetings. 

The  struggle  to  establish  the  High  Church  scheme  in  Massa- 
chusetts was  ineffectual  at  that  time.  I  am  thankful  to  say,  it  has 
never  succeeded  since.  The  successors  of  Dr.  Jarvis  in  St.  Paul's 
have  been  advocates  of  a  very  different  system  from  his. 

"  By  Bishop  Griswold  I  was  prepared  for  my  ministry.  I  was 
instructed  by  him  in  the  system  of  faithful  ministration  which  he 
practiced,  and  which  I  have  endeavored  faithfully  to  maintain.  The 
Prayer-book  and  the  canons  generally  were  the  same  then  as  now.  If 
my  life  has  been  a  life  of  perjury,  so  was  the  life  of  Bishop  Griswold. 
In  the  free  use  of  extemporaneous  prayer  on  all  other  occasions 
than  the  regular  public  worship  of  the  church,  in  preaching  with- 
out restraint  wherever  he  was  invited  to  preach,  in  invitations  to 
ministers  of  other  churches  to  preach  in  his  church,  in  a  free  and 
friendly  union  in  religious  exercises  with  aU  who  loved  the  Lord 
Jesus,  Bishop  Griswold  set  me  the  example,  and  gave  me  my  di- 
rection. I  adopted  his  system  of  ministry,  and  I  have  endeavored 
to  carry  it  out  in  all  my  subsequent  career. 

"  Forty-four  years  ago,  I  commenced  my  ministry  in  the  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia,  diocese  of  Maryland.  There  I  came  under  a  High 
Church  bishop,  who  had  himself  been  brought  in  from  the  Scotch 
Presbyterian  Church.  Bishop  Kemp  was  a  good  man.  But  he 
idohzed  Bishop  Hobart  and  the  New  York  scheme.  In  this  he  was 
an  entire  contrast  to  his  predecessor,  Bishop  Olaggett.     My  open' 


Relation  to  Controversies,  ^'^^ 

ing  ministry  in  Maryland  was  distinguished  by  a  letter  from  Bishop 
Kemp,  whom  I  had  never  seen,  on  this  subject.     It  was  enough 
for  him,  that  I  had  come  from  Bishop  Griswold.     This  was  the  be- 
ginning of  a  warfare  for  years,  around  the  same  great   principles 
of   contest  which  distinguish   your   letter.     They   were    principles 
which  we  could  not  rehnquish.     We  were  made  able  then  to  vindi- 
cate and  maintain  our  freedom.    With  the  Rev.  Brethren  Henshaw, 
Johns,  Mcllvaine,  and  Hawley,  and  many  others  of  similar  charac- 
ter, I  was  called  to  stand  in    defence  of  the  gospel  in  its  doctrines 
and  its  liberty.    It  was  my  first  encounter  with   this  High  Church 
scheme,  which,  in  my  unhesitating  judgment,  then  and  now,  wars 
with  both.    This  contest  taught    me  thoroughly   its  character,   its 
"spirit,  its  tendency,  and  its  result.    That  controversy  passed  by,  I 
am  grateful  to  say,  without  compromising  our  liberty,  or  violating 
in  the  end  our  kind  and  friendly  relations  with  Bishop  Kemp  ;    and 
the  later  years  of  my  ministry  in  Maryland,  though  unchanged  in 
principle  and  habit,  were  passed  in  peace. 

''  Thirty-six  years  ago  I  was  called  to  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  in 
the  midst  of  a  large  population  of  our  Church,  with  whom  I  sympa- 
thized entirely.  This  exclusive  system  had  never  ruled  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. I  was  received  with  a  paternal  kindness  by  Bishop  White, 
which  I  can  never  forget.  To  him  I  submitted  personally  the  very 
questions  which  are  now  discussed  :  Shall  I  accept  invitations  to 
preach  in  churches  which  are  not  Episcopal?  In  what  way  shall  I 
use  our  forms  of  prayer  on  such  occasions?  Preach  for  all  who 
invite  [you,  if  you  can  and  desire  to  do  it.  Employ  the  Prayer- 
book  as  much  as  you  can  usefully  and  consistently  with  their 
habits  ;  was  the  substance  of  his  replies.  This  I  did  probably  in 
more  than  fifty  cases  in  the  diocese  of  Pennsylvania. 

*'  Bishop  White  was  the  President  of  the  Pennsylvania  Bible 
Society,  as  well  as  of  some  other  union  societies.  I  have  often  at- 
tended these  meetings  with  him.  I  have  heard  him  invite  ministers 
of  other  denominations  to  pray,  and  to  address  the  congregations 
assembled.  They  preached  the  gospel  in  his  presence  and  under 
his  sanction.  He  was  acknowledged  and  received  not  merely  as 
the  Bishop  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  but,  as  Dr.  Sharp  in  Boston 
said  of  Bishop  Griswold.  '  as  the  father  of  us  all.'  ISIy  ministry  in 
Philadelphia  encountered  much  opposition  and  complaint  from 
some  of  the  High  Church  portion  of  the  Church.  But  from  its 
commencement,  to  his  death,  Bishop  White  was  my  steadfast  and 
unyielding  friend.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  coming  to  my  church 
on*  Sunday  evenings  with  great  frequency,  to    manifest  the    spirit 


456  Rev»  Stephen  HiggiJison    Tyng,  D,D. 

with  which  he  stood  by  me  in  the  very  course  which  others  op- 
posed and  censured. 

"  Bishop  Henry  Onderdonk  succeeded  him  in  the  Episcopate,  not 
only  in  fact,  but  in  principles  of  government.  The  Church  has  had 
few  wiser  or  more  moderate  rulers  than  he.  Complaints  were 
made  to  him  of  certain  facts  in  my  ministry,  particularly  of  the 
giving  the  use  of  my  church  for  the  meetings  of  union  societies 
and  promiscuous  prayer-meetings.  But  he  constantly  refused  to 
entertain  them,  or  to  interfere  in  any  way  with  what  he  deemed  the 
liberty  of  the  ministry.  He  answered  on  one  memorable  occasion, 
that  the  fault  was  not  in  doing  these  things,  but  in  making  a  dis- 
turbance about  them.  Instances  of  this  kind  of  ministration  I 
need  not  detail. 

"  This  was  my  experience  in  Philadelphia.  I  am  ^thankful  to 
know  that  Pennsylvania  has  met  with  no  change  in  this  relation. 
In  the  eminent  Bishops  who  preside  over  the  Church,  the  princi- 
ples and  practices  of  Bishop  White  are  still  maintained,  and  the 
great  body  of  the  churches  and  of  the  clergy  are  conformed  to 
them.  Bishop  White  was  not  in  the  habit  of  making  extempora- 
neous prayers  ;  but  he  frequently,  perhaps  habitually,  wrote  the 
prayer  after  his  sermon,  and  on  many  occasions  defined  and  de- 
fended this  habit,  as  the  liberty  which  was  secured  to  the  ministry 
by  the  canon. 

"  My  dear  Bishop,  I  have  now  been  twenty  years  in  the  diocese 
of  New  York.  In  Bishop  Wainwright,  my  first  Bishop  here,  I 
found  the  friend  of  my  youth,  whose  moderation  and  wisdom  shone 
as  the  pre-eminent  qualities  of  his  short  Episcopate.  These  ten 
years  past,  I  have  been  happy  in  the  tranquillity  and  consideration 
of  your  government  in  the  same  spirit.  I  had  supposed  that  the 
days  of  Church  warfare  were  over,  at  least  for  me.  I  fondly  be- 
lieved that  in  the  advancing  liberality,  good  sense,  and  civilization 
of  the  country  and  the  age,  the  elements  of  ecclesiastical  discord 
were  so  well  understood  and  so  justly  weighed,  that  we  might  be 
permitted  hereafter  to  work  in  our  own  way,  in  mutual  toleration 
and  forbearance,  to  edify  the  great  cause  of  our  common  Lord,  and 
to  edify  the  Church  we  love.  I  truly  regret  my  disappointment,  as 
much  for  the  sake  of  others  as  for  mv  own.  I  cannot  but  feel  and 
think,  if  the  principles  and  practices  of  my  ministry,  so  much  pro- 
longed, and  so  publicly  known,  have  borne  or  deserved  to  bear  the 
imputation  and  character  from  which  I  am  now  compelled  to  de- 
fend them,  a  watchful  Episcopate  should  long  since  have  visited 
me  with  a  proper  penalty. 


Relation  to  Controversies,  45/ 

"  But,  my  good  Bishop,  you  have  visited  my  church,  and  my 
chapels.  You  have  confirmed  more  than  five  hundred  new  candi- 
dates for  Christian  fellowship  under  my  ministry.  You  have  ad- 
dressed my  people  in  words  far  too  flattering  for  me,  um'eserv- 
edly  commending  my  work  and  my  ministry  to  them.  And  you 
have  never,  to  me  or  to  my  people,  uttered  the  warning  which  fidel- 
ity in  duty  certainly  required,  against  a  ministry  which  you  have 
now  felt  compelled  to  characterize  by  terms  of  such  severity.  You 
came  again  and  again,  according  to  the  canon,  in  your  official  visi- 
tations, to  ^inspect  the  behavior  of  your  clergy,'  and  you  have 
ministered  to  me  or  my  people  no  reproof.  I  had  learned  from 
you  to  expect  none.  I  have  been  led,  in  my  confidence  in  your 
feelings  and  purposes,  to  say  and  to  hope  that  I  should  go  down 
to  my  grave  in  peace,  *  my  people  blessing,  by  my  people  blest,' 
when,  most  unexpectedly,  I  find  my  whole  course  publicly  ar- 
raigned and  condemned,  untried  and  unheard,  in  a  way  which 
must  result,  in  your  own  language,  '  not  in  augmented  tendency  to 
union  and  harmony,  but  an  unusual  rising  up  of  disturbance  and 
division.' 

"  I  am  compelled  to  look  back  upon  my  whole  careeer  and  say  : 
Neither  the  spotless  Griswold,  nor  the  patriarchal  White,  nor  the 
intelligent  and  logical  Onderdonk,  nor  the  generous  and  open-heart- 
ed Wainwright,  ever  denounced  or  reproved  me  ;  but  justified 
and  encouraged  me  with  paternal  and  brotherly  support.  If  I 
have  been  wrong  in  my  principles  or  conduct,  they  were  eminently 
so.  If  they  have  been  just,  and  to  be  justified,  then  have  the  prin- 
ciples of  my  ministry  been  canonical  and  correct  ;  and  I  have 
*  ministered  the  discipline  of  Christ  as  this  Church  hath  received 
the  same.'  You  leave  me  no  other  recourse  in  earthly  determina- 
tion, than  to  throw  myself  back  on  this  whole  complete  career  of 
ministry,  and  to  avow  its  rectitude,  in  the  theories  of  its  guidance, 
and  in  the  facts  which  have  distinguished  it  ;  and  to  commit  my- 
self for  the  future  to  my  Master  and  His  Church,  while  I  say, 
humbly  but  solemnly,  I  can  do  no  otherwise  in  time  to  come. 

'^  The  personal  aspect  of  this  response  to  your  letter,  my  dear 
Bishop,  I  greatly  regret  ;  but  you  have  compelled  me.  And  I  now 
turn  to  consider  tlie  third  view  which  I  i:)roposed  to  take  of  the 
subject,  in  its  own  merits.  In  doing  this,  I  will  respectfully  follow 
the  course  of  your  own  selection,  of  what  you  describe  as  '  some  of 
the  principles  and  laws  of  the  Church,  which  we  accepted  when 
we  became  her  ministers,  and  which,  with  all  the  solemnities  of  an 
oath,  wo  bound  ourselves  to  observe.'     (Pago  4.) 


458  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D,D, 

"  I  have  no  objection  to  make  to  your  selections,  and  willingly 
consider  them  all  with  you.  But  in  this  consideration  of  the  se- 
lected passages  from  the  Prayer-book  and  the  Canons,  I  must  be 
permitted  to  remark,  that  the  whole  discussion  is  upon  the  partic- 
ular interpretation  to  be  given  to  the  selected  expressions  adduced. 
Your  letter  assumes  an  interpretation  entirely  peculiar,  the  his- 
tory of  I  which  have  already  exhibited,  as  if  this  interpretation 
were  the  undoubted  meaning  of  the  law.  I  am  not  able  to  agree 
with  you  in  your  interpretation  of  the  language  presented,  and 
cannot,  therefore,  hold  myself  responsible  for  the  conclusions  which 
you  deduce  therefrom.  But  I  will  proceed  to  consider  your 
selections  under  their  enumerated  heads. 

*'  I.  I  did  '  deliberately  write  and  pronounce  to  the  Bishop,  the 
emphatic  declaration,  'I  do  believe  the  Holy  Scriptures  of  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments  to  be  the  Word  of  God,  and  to  contain 
all  things  necessary  to  salvation,  and  I  do  solemnly  engage  to  con- 
form to  the  doctrines  and  worship  of  the  Protesant  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  United  States.'  In  fulfilling  this  declaration,  I  have 
most  earnestly  endeavored  to  maintain  these  doctrines,  and  to  con- 
form to  this  worship,  for  near  forty-five  years  of  ministry  in  the 
Church.  I  am  not  aware  that  in  any  single  instance  or  fact,  I  have 
ever  broken  this  solemn  engagement.  I  have  sincerely  given  the 
best  powers  of  my  mind,  and  all  the  energies  of  my  life,  to  carry 
out  this  declaration,  in  an  earnest,  practical  fidelity,  the  history 
and  the  proof  of  which  have  been  before  the  view  of  the  Church. 
For  the  facts  of  this  ministry,  I  ask  the  most  thorough  examina- 
tion, as  they  have  passed  under  the  knowledge  of  my  brethren,  and 
in  the  midst  of  the  various  congregations  of  the  people  of  Christ, 
which  have  been  committed  to  me.  Of  my  labors  in  teaching  and 
edifying  the  people  of  my  charge,  in  the  doctrines  and  worship 
prescribed,  appointed,  and  received  by  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  in  its  institutions,  observances,  distinctive  principles,  or- 
dinances, and  rites,  I  challenge,  before  the  Great  Head  of  the 
Church,  an  impartial  scrutiny  ;  being  persuaded  that,  however  in- 
firm and  incompetent  in  many  things,  I  have  never  been  a  hypo- 
crite, an  idler,  or  a  self-indulgent  and  perjured  man  in  the  house 
of  God. 

"  This  solemn  declaration  and  engagement  I  did  not  subscribe 
with  the  added  special  interpretation  of  any  Bishop;  or,  if  of  any  one, 
then  certainly  that  of  Bishop  Griswold,  who  ordained  me.  Still 
less  did  I  agree  to  receive  as  law  the  successive  Episcopal  inter- 
pretations of  the  doctrines  and  worship  which  I  adopted,  as  I  might 


Relatio7i  to  Controversies,  459 

remove  from  one  diocese  to  another,  or  as  succeeding  Bishops 
might  be  placed  over  me  in  the  wise  providence  of  God  ;  and  thus 
to  make  the  Episcopal  opinion  in  reality  the  law  of  the  Church. 
The  Church  left  me  to  read  these  doctrines  and  law  for  myself. 
The  Bishop  and  Presbyters  appointed,  examined  me  for  my  knowl- 
edge in  the  premises.  And  I  was  thenceforth  entrusted,  as  an  ac- 
cepted and  approved  minister  in  the  Church  of  God,  to  be  myself 
the  judge  of  my  conformity  to  the  doctrines  and  worship  and  the 
law  of  the  Church  ;  to  edify  the  Church  of  God  ;  and  to  serve  her 
in  the  gospel  of  her  Lord,  not  in  the  mere  bondage  of  the  letter, 
but  in  the  inteUigent  freeness  of  the  spirit  ;  not  according  to  the 
opinions,  prejudices  and  whims  of  others  around  me,  but  in  a  good 
conscience  before  God.  Thus  have  I  endeavored  faithfully  to 
serve  Christ  and  the  Church,  asking  direction  from  no  changing 
human  dictation,  but  from  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God,  and  from  my 
own  conscience  in  the  sight  of  God. 

"  II.  In  the  midst  of  the  service  of  ordination,  as  I  stood  be- 
fore the  Bishop  and  before  the  holy  table,  I  did  say,  '  I  will,  by 
the  help  of  the  Lord,  give  my  faithful  diligence  always  so  to 
minister  the  doctrines  and  sacraments  and  the  discipline  of  Christ, 
as  the  Lord  hath  commanded,  and  as  this  Church  hath  received 
the  same,  according  to  the  commandments  of  God,  so  that  I  may 
teach  the  people  committed  to  my  care  and  charge,  with  all  dili- 
gence to  keep  and  observe  the  same.'  I  have  honestly  and  faith- 
fully endeavored  to  do  this. 

"But  this  High  Church  interpretation  of  doctrine,  sacraments, 
and  discipline,  this  Church  had  never  received;  neither  had  tho 
Lord  commanded  it,  in  any  information  then  given  to  me,  nor  in 
any  further  information  which  I  have  since  been  able  to  acquire. 
I  regard  it  as  a  new  doctrine,  '  unawares  brought  in,  to  spy  out 
our  liberty  which  we  have  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  to  bring  us  again  in- 
to bondage,'  to  which  I  must  say  we  can  '  give  place  by  subjection, 
no,  not  for  an  hour,  that  the  truth  of  the  gospel  may  continue,'  in 
the  Church. 

"  The  new  scheme  of  excluding  and  unchurching  all  *  non- 
Episcopal  divines,'  '  excluding  ministers  and  licentiates  of  non-Epis- 
copal bodies,  not  ouly  from  administering  the  sacraments,  but  also 
from  teaching  in  her  fold,  holding  them  to  be  '  incompetent,'  I  do 
not  believe '  the  Lord  hath  commanded,'  or  that  it  is  '  according  to 
the  commandments  of  God;'  and  I  certainly  know  that  '  this 
Church  hath  not  received  the  same,'  but  has  rejected  it,  and  re- 
sisted it,  and  renounced  it,  always  on  every  occasion  on  which  in- 


460  Rev,  Stephen  Higginso7i    Tyng,  D.D, 

dividual  persons  in  the   Church  have   attempted   to  enforce  it,   or 
assume  it,  as  the  doctrine  and  teaching  of  the  Church. 

"  The  English  Church  at  the  Eeformation  certainly  did  not  re- 
ceive it.  The  divines  of  the  Continental  Reformation  were  freely 
acknowledged,  consulted,  referred  to,  and  invited  to  teach  and  min- 
ister in  her  universities,  and  among  her  people.  Neither  Cranmer 
nor  Parker,  nor  Whitgift,  her  first  eminent  and  her  abiding  author- 
itative leaders,  taught  the  excluding  principles  of  this  scheme. 
Bancroft  was,  perhaps,  its  originator  in  the  English  Church.  At 
least,  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  a  trace  of  it  in  the  authorities  of 
the  English  Church  before  him. 

"  The  Church  of  England  did  not  receive  this  interpretation, 
when  she  sent  Hall,  and  Davenant,  and  Carleton,  to  take  counsel 
with  the  Synod  of  Dort,  an  assembly  of  Presbyterian  divines,  on 
terms  of  perfect  equality  and  unrestricted  freedom. 

,"  The  English  Church  did  not  receive  this  scheme,  when  '  The 
Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Christian  Knowledge,'  the  very  society 
which  has  been  always  counted  the  pattern  and  model  of  ortho- 
doxy in  the  Church,  commissioned  Lutheran  ministers,  without 
Episcopal  ordination,  as  competent  to  be  the  missionaries  to  prop- 
agate the  gospel  in  Africa  and  the  East. 

"  The  English  Church  has  never  received  this  scheme,  from  the 
Reformation  down  to  this  day.  Its  introduction  has  always  been 
opposed  and  contended  with,  as  a  novelty  which  the  Church  had 
never  received.  The  character  of  the  Archbishops  of  Canterbury 
in  the  whole  line  of  their  testimony  from  the  Reformation,  has 
been  the  solemn  witness  and  token  of  the  opposite  decision.  From 
Cranmer  down  to  Sumner,  they  have  transmitted  no  such  scheme 
to  their  successors.  The  only  conspicuous  name  among  them 
adopting  the  scheme  is  the  ill-fated  Laud  ;  while  all  whose  names 
have  given  honor  to  their  station,  like  those  whom  I  have  men- 
tioned, and  Wake  and  Moore,  and  Tenison,  and  Tillotson  and 
Seeker,  and  others  like  them,  have  presented  no  such  doctrine  as 
the  doctrine  of  the  Church  over  which  they  have  so  honorably  pre- 
sided. 

"  The  American  Church  did  not  receive  this  interpretation  in 
her  settlement  of  doctrine.  Her  opposing  stand  is  as  notorious  as 
any  fact  in  past  human  history.  In  the  preface  to  her  Prayer-book 
the  key  to  its  interpretation,  she  says  :  '  This  Church  is  far  from 
intending  to  depart  from  the  Church  of  England,  on  any  essential 
point  of  doctrine,  discipline,  or  worship,  or  further  than  local  cir- 
cumstances  require.'     Her    first  generation   of  bishops   did   not 


Relation  to  Controversies,  4^^ 

adopt  it,  nor  transmit  it.  The  great  body  of  her  ministers  and 
people  never  have  adopted  it.  The  Church  in  the  Eastern  Diocese, 
comprising  the  five  New  England  States,  in  which  I  was  ordained, 
had  never  received  it.  It  was  never,  as  a  scheme  of  doctrine,  de- 
livered to  me.  I  have  not  received  it  in  the  Church,  or  from  the 
Church.  I  have  always  considered  it  as  among  the  '  erroneous  and 
strange  doctrines  contrary  to  God's  word,'  which  I  promised, '  the 
Lord  being  my  helper,'  *  with  all  faithful  diligence,  to  banish  and 
drive  away  from  the  Church.'  And  I  have  always  endeavored,  in 
fulfilment  of  my  promise,  with  '  faithful  diligence  always  to  minis- 
ter the  doctrines  and  sacraments,  and  the  discipline  of  Christ,  as 
the  Lord  hath  commanded,  and  as  this  Church  hath  received  the 
same,'  but  not  as  Archbishops  Bancroft  or  Laud,  or  Bishop  Ho- 
bart,  have  assumed  to  be  its  infallible  interpreters. 

"in.  The  five  particulars  which  your  letter  presents  under 
this  third  head,  including  the  Preface  to  the  Ordinal,  and  the  four 
Canons  which  are  referred  to,  I  have  never  known  to  be  violated 
or  disregarded  in  the  Church.  The  ministers  who  have  '  officiated 
in  its  congregations '  have  been  always  '  called,  tried,  and  exam- 
ined,' so  far  as  I  know,  before  they  were  '  accounted  and  taken  to 
be  lawful '  ministers  '  in  the  Church,'  and  *  have  had  Episcopal  con- 
secration or  ordination.'  This  has  been  the  governing  rule,  univer- 
sal, unvarying,  within  my  knowledge. 

"  That  the  occasional  ministering,  or  speaking,  or  preaching  in 
our  churches  by  other  persons,  is  a  violation  of  this  law,  and  an 
*  officiating  *  in  our  congregations,  cannot  be  maintained  by  the 
general  judgment  and  practice  of  the  Church.  I  have  known 
Presbyterians,  Baptists,  Methodists,  Roman  Catholics,  Russian, 
Greek,  and  German  Lutheran  ministers,  all  permitted  to  *  officiate  * 
by  Bishops,  if  their  occasional  and  exceptional  exercises  were  *  offi- 
ciating,' in  the  meaning  of  our  law.  Laymen,  ordained  by  no  one, 
have  been  invited  to  speak  in  our  churches  by  Bishops.  Laymen 
are  authorized  to  read  our  whole  regular  Liturgy  by  Bishops. 
And  while  our  Church  has  never  deviated,  and  probably  never  will 
deviate,  from  her  requisition  of  an  Episcopal  ordination  for  her 
ministers,  this  Church  has  never  adopted  the  absolute  exclusion  of 
all  others  from  occasional  service  in  our  congregations.  Among 
those  who  have  thus  officiated  in  congregations  committed  to  me, 
perhaps  I  could  enumerate  a  dozen  ministers  of  different  denomi- 
nations, and  as  many  laymen,  in  an  advocacy  of  different  claims  of 
religious  benevolence  and  Christian  duty.  It  has  never  been  held, 
by  the  body  of  the  Church,  within  my  knowledge,  that  such  an 


462  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Ty7ig^  D.D, 

occasional  allowance,  or  invitation  of  ministrations,  is  the  '  account- 
ing or  taking '  of  such  persons  to  be  '  lawful '  ministers,  in  the 
sense  of  the  Preface  and  the  Canons;  or  an  assuming  to  discuss  the 
question  of  ordination  in  any  way;  or  that  such  occasional  minis- 
trations were  a  violation,  either  of  our  principles  or  our  laws. 

"  But  it  is  not  my  purpose  or  desire  to  discuss  the  question, 
"what  ought  to  be  the  interpretation  of  these  laws  ?  I  merely  under- 
take to  give  you  the  grounds  of  my  own  action.  I  consider  myself 
in  no  way  violating  such  prescriptions  for  our  regular  ministry  and 
government,  by  an  occasional  act  of  official  kindness  and  respect. 
I  have  often  heard  excited  and  assuming  young  men  denouncing 
such  a  course  as  manifesting  that  I  was  '  no  Churchman.'  But  I 
am  now,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  charged  by  a  Bishop  ruling 
over  me,  with  being  guilty  of  violating  my  solemn  oath,  in  the 
pursuit  of  such  a  career. 

"  I  do  not  think  a  general  mingling  of  the  ministrations  of  dif- 
ferent denominations  of  Christians  to  be  wise,  or  likely  to  be  effect- 
ual. I  fear,  with  you,  that  such  *  efforts  will  tend  to  disorder  and 
confusion,  rather  than  to  peace  and  harmony.'  But  I  cannot  agree 
with  you  that  the  *  proceedings  '  of  which  you  speak,  '  are  contrary 
to  the  usages  and  antecedents  of  the  Church,  and  contrary  to  the 
well-established  judgment  of  the  Church,  as  to  the  meaning  and  the 
intent  of  her  law.'  On  the  contrary,  I  fully  believe  that  '  the  well- 
established  judgment  of  the  Church,  as  to  the  meaning  and  the 
intent  of  her  law,'  is  the  preservation  of  absolute  uniformity  as  the 
rule  of  government  in  the  stated  and  habitual  ministry  of  our  con- 
gregations, but  not  the  prohibition  of  such  occasional  exceptions  as 
Christian  kindness  and  friendly  relations  among  the  '  respective 
churches  of  the  different  religious  denominations  of  Christians,'  as 
the  Preface  to  our  Prayer-book  defines  them,  may  require.  The 
privilege  of  union  on  common  ground  with  aU  who  love  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  for  religious  worship  and  Christian  effort,  is  great 
and  valuable,  and  it  would  be  a  very  sad,  and,  I  think,  a  very  de- 
structive day  for  our  Church,  if  the  affectionate  and  friendly  partici- 
pation in  such  an  union  should  be  acknowledged  and  denounced  as 
a  crime. 

"  The  High  Church  scheme  has  never  yet  succeeded  in  inflicting 
public  penalties,  so  significantly  described  on  the  eighth  page  of 
your  letter,  upon  those  who  have  refused  the  adoption  of  its  theo- 
ries of  interpretation.  If  your  Episcopate  should  be  allowed  to 
select  this  as  its  crowning  triumph,  while  it  would  be  '^  a  yoke  which 
neither  we  nor  our  fathers  were  able  to  bear,'  it  would  be  an  appeal 


Relation  to  Controversies,  463 

and  reference  to  posterity  and  the  future,  which  I  fear  would  prove 
in  its  results  anything  but  honorable  and  a  success.  I  wish  for 
you,  my  dear  Bishop,  a  very  different  reputation,  and  one  far  more 
in  the  analogy  of  your  past  career,  and  I  must  be  permitted  to 
entreat  you,  whatever  '  clergymen  or  laymen '  may  appeal  to  you,  not 
to  suffer  yourself  to  throw  your  effective  influence  finally  on  the 
side  of  this  discussion.  *  If  this  counsel  or  this  work  be  of  men,  it 
will  come  to  naught;  but  if  it  be  of  God,  you  cannot  overthrow  it; 
lest  haply  you  may  be  found  even  to  fight  against  God.' 

"IV.  Your  fourth  head  of  selection  takes  up  the  other  subject 
in  discussion— the  use  of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer.  Upon  this 
I  need  not  dwell  at  much  length.  The  principle  involved  has 
already  been  included  in  my  previous  remarks.  The  language  of 
the  canon  is  very  precise  in  its  application  to  what  are  called  '  oc- 
casions of  public  worship,'  and  '  before  all  sermons  and  lectures.' 
The  use  of  the  regular  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer  on  such  occa- 
sions, and  in  such  antecedence,  has  been,  accordingly,  the  univer- 
sal habit  of  our  Church.  But  the  literal  and  absolute  exclusion 
and  inclusion  which  are  involved  in  its  forced  interpretation,  I 
presume  to  say,  would  not  find  an  illustration  of  its  obedience 
within  the  whole  Church.  I  doubt  if  there  be  a  single  minister  of 
the  Church  who  has  ever  carried  out  this  literal  application  of  the 
canon,  according  to  its  strict  interpretation. 

"  Who  is  there  that  has  never  read  anything  but  the  regular 
Morning  or  Evening  Prayer  before  sermons  or  lectures  ?  Who  is 
there  that  has  not  introduced,  and  seen  others  introduce,  mission- 
ary meettngs  and  other  occasions  of  benevolent  associations,  when 
there  were  many  lectures,  by  a  few  collects,  variously  selected  and 
put  together,  instead  of  insisting  on  the  whole  Morning  or  Even- 
ing Prayer  ?  Who  is  there  in  the  ministry  that  ever  pretended  to 
carry  out  an  obedience  to  all  the  rubrics  of  the  Prayer-book  ?  What 
man,  bishop  or  presbyter,  has  obeyed  the  first  rubric  in  the  office  of 
the  ministration  of  Private  Baptism,  *  The  minister  of  every  parish 
shall  often  admonish  the  people  that  they  defer  not  the  baptism  of 
their  children  longer  than  the  first  or  second  Sunday  after  their 
birth '  ?  Who  is  there  that  performs  the  office  of  Churching  of 
Women,  or  obeys  the  rubric  before  that  office  ? 

"  Complete  obedience  to  the  Prayer-book  cannot  be  found  in 
our  Church.  Unreasonable  and  unnecessary  neglect  of  it  can  no 
more  be  found.  The  accredited  usage  of  the  Church  is  general 
conformity  to  the  letter  of  the  canon  in  regular  assemblies  for 
stated   worship  in   our  congregations,  and   reasonable  liberty  and 


464  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

variety  on  all  other  occasions.  Any  other  interpretation  of  the 
canon  than  this  runs  into  inevitable  absurdity.  Accordingly, 
the  law  and  habit  of  the  Church  are,  throughout  all  our  congrega- 
tions, that  our  ministers  prepare,  or  select  from  others,  occasional 
offerings  of  prayer  for  multiplied  occasions,  when  the  Prayer-book 
leaves  them  completely  unsupplied. 

"  Bishops,  who  have  no  more  authority  in  such  cases  than  any 
others,  have  always  followed  in  the  same  course,  because  the  course 
is  inevitable.  Bishop  Hobart's  private  prayers  for  funerals,  for 
visitations  of  the  sick  and  the  afflicted,  which  are  without  the 
slightest  claim  to  authority,  and  as  really  violations  of  the  canons 
of  the  Church,  (of  which  you  say  '  the  Church  leaves  nothing  to  the 
fancy  or  caprice  of  the  officiating  minister,  will  not  allow  her  chil- 
dren to  be  disturbed  in  their  solemn  acts  of  worship,  by  the  intru- 
sion of  novel  forms  and  expressions,')  as  any  extemporaneous  prayer 
which  may  be  offered,  are  in  the  habitual  use  perhaps  of  half  the 
clergy  in  your  diocese,  and  they  not  the  half  to  whom  your  present 
rebukes  apply. 

"  My  dear  Bishop,  it  is  impossible  that  this  shall  be  otherwise. 
As  a  general  form,  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  is  adequate,  and  is 
regarded.  As  applying  to  all  occasions,  meeting  all  occasions,  and 
excluding  all  other  exercises,  it  is  completely  insufficient;  it  never 
has  been,  it  never  can  be  regarded.  No  ministry  in  our  Church 
can  confine  itself  to  the  Prayer-book  in  all  the  demands  which  it 
must  meet.  And  when  you  attempt  to  charge  a  violation  of  a  sol- 
emn oath  upon  those  who  do  deviate  from  it,  you  really  include  in 
your  accusation  of  perjury  all  the  ministers  of  our  Church.  To 
carry  out  the  literal  meaning  of  your  own  words — 'the  Church 
binds  the  conscience  of  every  minister  to  a  strict  conformity,* 
'  within  her  fold  [she  will  endure  no  irregularity ' — is  simply  im- 
possible. I  must  take  the  hberty  to  doubt  whether  your  own  per- 
sonal practice  would  not  be  found  amenable  for  many  inevitable 
violations  of  your  own  prescription. 

"  For  myself,  the  principles  of  my  ministry  are,  first,  to  obey 
my  Master's  great  injunction, '  to  preach  the  gospel  to  every  crea- 
ture'; second,  to  use  the  Prayer-book  before  all  sermons  and  lect- 
ures, and  on  all  occasions  of  public  worship ;  third,  on  every  occa- 
sion of  preaching  to  other  than  regular  Episcopal  congregations, 
to  use  as  much  of  the  Prayer-book  as  I  think  appropriate  to  the 
occasion,  and  consistent  with  the  useful  and  impressive  conducting 
of  the  worship  of  such  occasions,  and  to  add  whatever  other 
prayers  I  think  adapted  to  be  useful  and  a  blessing;  fourth,  after 


Relation  to  Controversies,  465 

all  sermons  and  lectures,  and  on  all  other  occasions  which  I  think 
do  not  come  within  the  reasonable  application  of  the  canon,  to  employ 
such  prayers  as  I  think  suitable  to  the  circumstances  in  which  I  am 

placed. 

"  A  reasonable  and  free  interpretation  of  the  canon,  and  not 
what  you  call  a  '  severe  '  and  excluding  one,  has  been  the  habit  of 
my  work,  and  the  rule  of  my  ministry.  I  have  neither  the  ability 
nor  the  intention  to  change  it.  If  this  be  a  violation  of  my  oath, 
I  must  bear  the  penalty  and  endure  the  guilt.  To  such  a  course  I 
have  habitually  counselled  younger  brethren  in  the  ministry,  as  the 
only  way  in  which  they  will  be  likely  to  fulfil  their  ministry  to  the 
glory  of  God  and  the  edifying  of  the  Church.  I  have  endeavored 
to  obey  the  canons  and  the  rubrics,  as  far  as  such  obedience  ap- 
peared practical  and  reasonable,  trying  never  to  forget  the  princi- 
ple of  interpretation  given  by  Archbishop  Tillotson  to  Bishop 
Beveridge:    '  Charity  and  common  sense  are  above  the  rubrics.* 

*'  Such,  as  is  my  practice,  I  presume  is  the  practice  of  the  great 
body  of  our  clergy.  To  change  this  practice,  and  silence  this 
universal  freedom  is  beyond  the  power  or  the  right  of  Episcopal 
authority.  If  you  resolve  to  force  the  principles  and  conclusions 
of  your  letter  to  their  utmost  application,  no  one  will  envy  you  the 
social  influence  you  will  have  exercised  in  the  Church,  or  the  rela- 
tions of  trial  and  sorrow  you  will  have  created. 

"  But  to  undertake  a  system  of  advice  to  you  is  not  within  my 
province.     I  do  not  design  to  have  any  controversy  on  the  subject 
with  any.     I  shall  not  give  my  time  or  thought  to  a  dismssion  of 
the   points   involved,   beyond   their   application   to   myself.     How 
sincerely  I  regret  the  course  which  you  have  now  opened,  I  could 
not  perhaps  describe  to  you.     But  so  far  as  I  am  concerned,  my 
personal  feelings   toward   yourself  will  be  as  unchanged    as  my 
own  principles  of  action.     It  has  been  the  privilege    and  pleasure 
of  my  position,  under  your  oversight,  to  maintain   the   most   affec- 
tionate   relation    toward    yourself.     I  trust    nothing   may    inter- 
rupt this  relation  toward  yourself  while  we  live.      But  if  perse- 
cution is  to  come  for  the    truth's  sake,    and    pains   and   penalties 
are  to  be  inflicted,  such  as  you  italicize  on  the  eighth  page  of  your 
letter,  I  have  no  reason  to   expect  immunity;  I  have  no  desire  to 
present  excuse;  I  have  no  ground  to  occupy  differing  from  brethren 
whom  I  love,  who  are  in  the  same  condemnation;  and  I  shall  in  no 
way  shelter  myself  from  the  projected  operation  of  authority  or 
power,  however  unjust  it  may  be  esteemed. 

"  My  dear  Bishop,  my  heart's  desire  and  prayer  is  for  the  richest 


466  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyngy  D,D, 

blessings  of  a  Saviour's  grace  to  rest  upon  you  and  your  work  for- 
ever, hoping  to  dwell  with  you  eternally,  where  the  one  great  law 
will  be  the  universal  law  of  love. 

"  I  am,  with  great  respect,  your  servant  and  brother  in  Christ, 

"  Stephen  H.  Tyng. 

"  St.  George's  Kectory,  June^  1865." 

The  years  immediately  succeeding,  however,  brought  forward 
questions  still  more  important  than  these,  which  are  thus  referred 
to.     As  one  familiar  with  the  whole  situation,  wrote  in  1867: 

"Every  intelhgent  Christian  perceived  that  a  most  important 
crisis  was  approaching  in  the  Episcopal  Church.  The  anxieties  of 
all  lovers  of  Protestant  truth  were  aroused,  lest  this  venerable 
communion  should  again  be  betrayed  to  its  pre-Reformation  foes. 
The  steady  advance  of  Tractarian  doctrine,  the  unresisted  develop- 
ment of  Ritualistic  practices,  the  growth  of  exclusiveness  to  other 
Reformed  Churches,  and  the  manifest  tendencies  toward  some  sort 
of  inter -communion  with  the  Greek,  if  not  the  Roman  Churches, 
all  these  facts  combined  to  produce  doubtfulness  among  those 
without,  and  alarm  among  those  within  the  dear  old  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church. 

"  The  so-called  Pan- Anglican  Conference  had  met  and,adjourned. 
Much  pomp  and  ceremony  were  connected  with  its  public  exer- 
cises. All  the  excesses  of  the  Ritualistic  school  were  engrafted 
upon  its  services,  and  yet  not  one  word  of  warning  or  reproof  came 
from  the  guarded  hall  of  Lambs-lih.  A  pastoral  letter  was 
issued,  which  Archbishop  Manning  said  every  Romanist  could 
accept,  and  was  quoted  by  the  Ritualists  as  at  least  a  negative  en- 
dorsement of  their  system. 

"  In  the  meantime,  men  who  had  solemnly  sworn  to  be  faithful 
to  the  standards  of  the  Church,  from  pulpit,  press  and  platform, 
spoke  of  the  Thirty-nine  Articles  with  contempt,  as  the  '  forty  stripes 
save  one  ';  called  the  venerated  fathers  of  our  Church,  Bishops 
White  and  Griswold,  'only  Presbyterians';  and  strove  to  manu- 
facture a  '  Catholic  '  enthusiasm  among  the  people,  which  should 
lead  to  the  discarding  of  the  word  '  Protestant '  in  the  title  of  the 
Church." 

The  perception  of  these  dangers  gave  renewed  vigor  to  those 
who  maintained  the  Evangelical  standards  of  the  Church,  and 
quickened  them  in  their  determination  and  zeal,  as  they  awaited 
the  impending  crisis. 

As  was  said  by  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  on  one  occasion,  "  The  flag  of 


Relation  to  Controversies,  467 

Ritualism,  which  is  a  censer,  required  the  bolder  and  wider  mani- 
festation of  Christ  and  His  gospel.  The  more  the  j^rkst  appeared 
in  the  heresy,  the  more  must  the  preaciier  stand  forth  for  the  truth." 

In  various  associations  Evangelical  men  met  for  consideration 
of  the  questions  thus  brought  before  them,  and  with  whatever 
divergence  of  views  on  minor  points,  joined  in  a  firm  protest 
against  the  false  doctrines  which  were  creeping  into  the  Church. 
Among  these  associations  may  be  particularly  mentioned,  "  The 
Clerical  Association,"  of  which  Dr.  Tyng  was  the  first  president, 
and  "  The  Latimer  Society,"  so  named  by  his  suggestion,  and  many 
of  their  most  active  members,  it  may  be  noted,  were  those  who  had 
>eon  brought  into  the  ministry  under  his  guidance  and  direction. 

Increased  efforts  were  put  forth  by  the  Evangelical  societies. 
Their  anniversary  meetings,  occurring  in  November  of  every  year, 
brought  together  a  large  assembly  of  bishops,  clergy  and  laity  of 
similar  sympathies,  and  were  made  occasions  of  unusual  impor- 
tance and  interest.  In  the  fall  of  1867,  when  these  meetings  were 
held  in  Philadelphia,  a  new  feature  was  introduced,  which,  ren- 
dered necessary  by  current  events,  subsequently  became  a  regular 
part  of  their  order. 

The  interpretation  which  was  given  to  several  expressions  in  the 
Book  of  Common  Prayer  caused  them  to  be  claimed  as  authority 
for  Ritualism  and  the  doctrines  which  in  that  system  were  en- 
grafted upon  the  Church.  In  such  an  interpretation  these  terms 
had  a  manifestly  Romanizing  influence,  and  were  made  symbols  of 
error  to  many  who  declared  that  their  consciences  were  constantly 
burdened  by  the  compulsory  use  of  words,  which  thus  received  a 
meaning  contrary  to  the  history  and  usage  of  the  Church.  They 
earnestly  sought  relief,  therefore,  in  such  a  revision  of  the  Prayer- 
book  af.  would  allow  optional  expressions  similar  to  the  permissive 
words  in  the  Creed. 

Their  request  for  this  was  based  upon  the  optional  use  of  the 
sign  of  the  cross  in  Baptism  ;  the  declaration  of  absolution  in  the 
Morning  and  Evening  service  ;  the  two  forms  used  in  the  imposi- 
tion of  hands  at  Ordination,  and  as  all  these  had  been  inserted  for 
conscience'  sake,  they  urged  that  a  similar  change  in  other  connec- 
tions should  not  be  deemed  unreasonable. 

These  views  were  presented  at  the  meetings  in  1807,  before 
referred  to,  and  a  conference  was  therefore  called  for  their  consid- 
eration, with  the  understanding,  however,  that  only  those  who  took 
part  in  it,  should  be  committed  to  its  decisions.  Many  who  at- 
tended it  had  found  no  stumbling-block  in  the  use  of  the   words 


468  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyngj  D.D, 

objected  to,  but  the  effect  which  might  be  and  was  given  to  them 
was  fully  realized  and  freely  admitted,  and  by  unanimous  action 
the  question  was  submitted  to  a  committee  of  ten  of  the  clergy, 
to  report  at  a  future  time  on  the  expediency  of  a  reform  in  the  ex- 
pressions referred  to.  Of  this  committee  Dr.  Tyng  was  appointed 
a  member,  but  no  information  of  his  action  or  words  in  this  con- 
nection has  been  accessible,  though  his  views  on  the  subject  are 
found  expressed  in  other  relations.  The  other  topics  which  came 
before  this  conferencdj  the  "  Liberty  of  Preaching,'*  and  the  "  recog- 
nition of  non-Episcopal  ministry,"  were  embodied  in  a  declara- 
tive paper  which  clearly  defined  the  position  which  Evangelical 
men  held  upon  those  points. 

Their  opponents  in  the  Church  were  not  less  earnest  and  active 
in  the  propagation  of  their  principles  and  views.  Associated  in 
similar  ways,  the  two  parties  were  ranged  in  a  controversy  and  con- 
flict which  in  its  influence  and  results  was  far-reaching  and  most 
important,  and  the  course  of  which  was  marked  by  many  note- 
worthy events.  Those  only  which  are  related  to  Dr.  Tyng's  per- 
sonal history,  however,  demand  any  reference  here.  In  dioceses  in 
which  the  Sacramentarian  school  were  predominant  and  powerful, 
many  attempts  were  made,  by  means  of  ecclesiastical  authority, 
more  firmly  to  establish  their  rule,  and  suppress  and  subject  the 
Evangelical  element.  One  of  the  most  notable  of  these  efforts,  and 
one  with  which  Dr.  Tyng  was  directly  connected,  requires  especial 
attention. 

The  Rev.  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  Jr.,  the  rector  of  the  Church  of 
the  Holy  Trinity,  New  York,  during  the  summer  of  1867,  visited 
the  family  of  one  of  his  parishioners,  whose  summer  residence  was 
in  the  city  of  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  and  by  invitation 
preached  in  the  Methodist  Church,  which  they  attended.  He  re- 
ceived a  notice,  signed  by  the  rector  of  the  two  Episcopal  churches, 
forbidding  him  to  preach  within  the  limits  of  the  city,  which  they 
claimed  to  be  their  parochial  cure.  No  attention  being  given  to 
what  he  considered  an  unauthorized  prohibition,  he  officiated  on 
the  following  Sunday,  in  fulfilment  of  the  engagement  previously 
made.  For  this  action  he  was  presented  for  trial,  upon  an  alleged 
violation  of  the  Canon  Law  of  the  Church. 

In  form  it  was  the  presentment  of  Mr.  Tyng  for  exercising 
his  ministry  in  another  parish  or  cure  without  the  express  permis- 
sion of  the  resident  ministers.  Such  an  attempt  to  attach  an  un- 
natural and  impracticable  interpretation  to  this  canon,  and  to  re- 
strict the  clergy  in  a  right  which  had  before  been  universally  con.- 


Relation  to  Co7itroversies.  469 

ceded  and  exercised,  was  a  proceeding  wliicli  excited  great  public 
interest  and  elicited  much  condemnation.  It  was  viewed  by  Dr. 
Tjng  as  an  utterly  unwarrantable  jjerversion  of  law,  and,  when 
approved  by  the  Episcopal  authority  of  the  diocese  of  New  York,  as 
simply  an  attack  upon  him  in  the  person  of  his  son.  He  therefore 
entered  into  the  case  with  the  most  earnest  and  determined  feeling. 

The  Board  of  Presbyters  appointed  by  Bishop  Potter  for  this 
trial  met  at  St.  Peter's  Church,  New  York,  on  the  10th  of  January, 
1868.  Both  parties  to  the  issue  were  represented  by  the  ablest 
legal  counsel,  the  Hon.  Wm.  FuUerton,  Mr.  Courtlandt  Parker,  Mr. 
Charles  Tracy  and  Dr.  Tyng  appearing  for  Mr.  Tyng.  The  sessions 
of  the  court,  attracted  a  large  audience  each  day.  Several  sessions 
were  occupied  in  the  hearing  of  testimony,  evidence  being  given 
that  the  universal  custom  and  usage  of  the  Church  fully  justified 
the  course  which  Mr.  Tyng  had  pursued. 

In  addition  to  the  exhaustive  arguments  of  the  legal  counsel, 
Dr.  Tyng  prepared  an  argument  and  review  of  the  case.  Though 
excluded  from  the  consideration  of  the  court,  by  their  decision  that 
but  two  counsel  should  be  heard,  on  either  side,  it  was  published 
in  full  in  the  printed  record  of  the  case,  and  in  the  following  brief 
extracts,  presents  his  view  of  the  whole  proceeding. 

"  Gentlemen  of  this  Reverend  Court,"  he  said,  "  I  shall  not  affect 
to  conceal  the  sense  of  injustice  and  dishonor  with  which  I  ap- 
proach the  practical    issue  presented  in  this  case 

"  When  I  seriously  estimate  the  solemnity  of  the  far-reaching 
issue  in  this  purpose  to  be  accomplished,  the  painful  narrowness 
of  mind  displayed  in  the  persecution  attempted,  the  shocking  and 
impossible  principle  which  is  here  to  be  forced  on  the  Christian 
Church,  in  the  claims  of  power,  and  the  false  assumptions  of  law, 
which  lie  at  the  foundation  of  this  charge,  and  which  will  be  con- 
sidered as  established,  by  the  conviction  and  punishment  of  the  re- 
spondent accused  in  this  case,  I  cannot  but  feel  that  few  questions 
have  ever  arisen  in  the  Christian  Church  of  more  importance,  or 
likely  to  be  attended  with  more  serious  results 

"  So  far  as  this  respondent  is  concerned,  I  stand  before  this 
reverend  court,  as  his  counsel,  to  maintain  that  he  has  violated 
no  law,  and  is  justly  amenable  before  you,  for  no  transgression. 
He  is  chirgod  with  nothing  which  transcends  the  limits  of  bis 
unqualifiod  right  ;  and  by  no  just  decision  of  this  court  can  he  be 
made  to  bear  the  penalty  of  transgression. 

"  To  demonstrate  this  position,  I  propose  to  examine  the  provis- 
ions and  demands  of  the  canons,  under  the  professed  authority  of 


470  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyhgy  D.D, 

I 

which  he  has  been  arraigned  before  this  court,  and  for  alleged  vio- 
lations of  which  he  has  been  summoned  here  to  answer.     .     .     . 

"Against  the  injustice  of  this  whole  proceeding  I  enter  my  sol- 
emn protest.  And  I  take  the  liberty  to  represent  to  this  reverend 
court,  that  there  is  a  tribunal  of  public  opinion  in  the  land,  before 
which  an  appeal  will  always  be  taken,  and  will  always  stand,  from 
every  trial  and  every  decision,  affecting  the  rights,  the  character,  and 
the  property  of  man  ;  and  to  that  tribunal,  in  every  step  of  our  imag- 
ination, and  anticipation,  we  are  constantly  impelled,  involuntarily, 
to  appeal. 

"  In  looking  forward  to  that  tribunal,  I  should  be  most  uncan- 
did  and  untrue,  did  I  not  appeal,  with  the  deepest  conviction  of 
the  injustice  with  which  the  respondent  has  been  treated,  of  the 
rejection  of  all  the  common  principles  of  law,  with  which  his  testi- 
monv  has  been  refused,  and  of  the  utter  disregard  of  canonical  re- 
quirement  with  which  the  consummation  of  the  trial  has  been 
reached  ;  so  that  its  result  has  no  other  value  in  establishing  a 
precedent  of  authority,  but  that  which  may  appertain  to  the  amount 
of  intelligence  and  impartiality  actually  displayed  by  the  five  gen- 
tlemen individually  composing  this  court,  whose  decision  is  to  be 
quoted  as  a  precedent,  establishing  the  meaning  of  the  ecclesiasti- 
cal law  in  question.  My  right  as  a  citizen,  my  duty  as  a  counsel, 
and  my  office  as  a  presbyter  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
would  not  be  consistent  with  my  saying  less  to  this  reverend  court 
than  I  have  now  said. 

"The  canon  under  which  this  ecclesiastical  notice  has  been 
given,  (by  the  Bishop  of  New  Jersey)  is  Canon  3,  Section  1,  Title 
2.  It  is  entitled  'of  a  clergyman  in  one  diocese  or  missionary 
district,  chargeable  with  misdemeanor  in  another.' 

"  The  language  of  this  canon  is  very  precise  and  positive  in  its 
system  of  definition  and  provision,  *  If  a  clergyman  of  this  Church  shaU 
in  any  other  diocese  or  missionary  district,  conduct  himself  in  such  a  ivay 
as  is  contrary  to  the  rules  of  this  Church  and  disgraceful  to  his  office,  the 
ecclesiastical  authority,  etc' 

"  This  whole  case  rests  upon  this  canon,  and  its  justice  is  only 
to  be  maintained  according  to  it,  and  in  a  full  conformity  to  its 
provisions.  The  only  right  which  any  bishop  has  to  touch  the 
action  of  a  clergyman  belonging  to  another  diocese,  is  that  which 
is  given  by  this  canon.  It  is  the  one  law  of  the  Church  which  gives 
an  inter-diocesan  authority  and  an  inter-diocesan  relief.  . 

"  The  relations  of  independent  dioceses  are  not  to  be  disturbed 
by  every  two-penny  local  and  personal  complaint  ;  by  every  per- 


Relation  to   Controversies,  471 

sonal  and  envious  charge  trumped  up  by  selfish  and  ill-tempered 
ministers;  by  such  questions  of  contemptible  trifling,  as  have  been 
made  the  objects  of  testimony  before  this  court;  as  whether  a 
clergyman  stood  or  knelt  when  he  said  the  Absolution;  whether  he 
used  in  it  the  first  or  second  personal  pronoun  plural;  whether  he 
wore  on  a  special  occasion  a  surplice  or  a  gown — when  the  counsel 
proposing  this  last  question,  and  the  court  allowing  it,  knew,  or 
ought  to  have  known,  that  there  is  no  canon  of  the  Church  which 
requires  him  to  use  either,  upon  any  occasion.  These  may  be  im- 
portant questions  in  New  Jersey  churchmanship.  They  are  ques- 
tions of  inconceivable  and  contemptible  trifling  in  the  larger  mind  of 
freer  churches  and  more  enlightened  states. 

"  The  substance  of  the   conduct,    must   be    such   behavior   as  is 
in  itself  disgraceful  to  the  office  of  the  ministr?/,    as   well   as   a  violation 

of  the  laws  of  this   Church I   demand 

to  be  informed,  what  is  the  'conduct  contrary  to  the  rides  of  this 
Church  and  disgraceful  to  the  office  of  the  ministr?/,'  which  the  Bishop 
of  New  Jersey  has  thought  fit  to  embody  in  a  charge  against  the 
respondent  in  this  case,  and  which  the  Bishop  of  New  York  has 
felt  himself  compelled  to  indorse,  and  to  place  before  this  reverend 
court  for  trial. 

"  We  strike  the  trail  of  this  solmen  charge  in  the  report  of  a 
committee  of  three  presbyters  and  two  laymen,  which,  in  obe- 
dience to  the  command  of  the  Bishop  of  this  diocese,  they  have 
laid  upon  your  table  for  trial.  It  is  a  most  remarkable  document 
for  five  Christian  men  to  frame  as  an  exhibition  of  their  idea  of 
human  guilt.  It  has  weight  of  absurdity  enough  to  make  it  sink 
beyond  the  reach  of  man's  recovery.  I  have  no  doubt  the  gentle- 
men who  have  signed  it  will  see  the  day  when  they  will  cease  to 
desire  that  it  should  be  remembered  as  any  part  of  the  history  dl 
their  own  lives. 

"This  is  their  record,  and  this  is  all — 'Preaching  and  reading 
prayers.'  This  is  the  offence.  *  Preaching  and  reading  pragers  with- 
in the  corporate  houyids  of  the  city  of  New  Brunswick.'  This  is  the  lo- 
cation. Doing  this  tvit/iout  tJie  consent  of  the  two  rectors.  This  is 
the  crime.  Let  us  investigate  it:  la  it  a  reality  transacted  by  sane, 
intelligent,  and  Christian  men, — men  who  really  love  their  Saviour; 
men  who  truly  respect  the  Church;  men  of  commom  sense  who 
liavo  a  pnrticle  of  just  concern  for  their  own  good  name?  One 
scarcely  wonders  that  a  daily  paper  should  stigmatize  the  whole  of 
it  as  '  an  ecclesiastical  joke.* 

"  The  next  step  wo  have  is  an  appeal   giving  information  to  the 


472  Rev,  Stephen  Higginso7i    Tyng^  D.D, 

Bishop  of  the  diocese  of  New  Jersey  of  the  offence  thus  committed 
by  the  respondent,  and  expressing  great  '  fear  if  this  offence  be  not 
reproved,  it  may  be  repeated,  to  the  great  injury  of  the  Church  in 
this  place.' 

"  Happy  would  it  have  been  for  the  credit  of  the  Church  in  New 
Jersey  if  the  spirit  even  of  Moses  had  descended  there  :  *  Enviest 
thou  for  my  sake  ?  would  God  that  all  the  Lord's  people  were 
prophets,  and  that  the  Lord  would  put  His  Spirit  upon  them !' 

"So  would  White  have  answered;  so  would  Griswold.  But, 
alas !  in  the  Episcopate  of  our  day,  the  spirit  of  White  and  Gris- 
wold seems  as  far  remote  as  the  spirit  of  Moses    and  of  Paul. 

"  The  Bishop  of  New  Jersey  rushes  immediately,  (m  the  same 
day,  to  fulfil  his  appointed  portion  of  this  absurd  proceeding. 

"  He  says,  '  In  obedience  to  Section  1,  Canon  3,  Title  2,  I  hereby 
give  notice,'  etc.  But  he  gives  no  such  notice  as  the  canon  de- 
mands. The  Bishop  of  New  Jersey  can  not  so  accuse  the  respondent 
in  this  case.  He  dare  not  do  it.  He  gives  a  notice  which  the 
canon  will  not  adopt,  and  cannot  justify;  and  which  no  other  eccle- 
siastical authority  in  the  land,  as  candid  as  himself,  would  for  a 
moment  regard. 

"  When  this  notice,  so  completely  defective,  came  to  the  eccle- 
siastical authority  of  New  York,  unfortunately  for  the  reputation  of 
this  diocese,  its  Bishop  was  abroad  from  the  countryo  How  the 
Standing  Committee  persuaded  itself  to  accept  this  notice^  I  hard'y 
dare  conceive.  I  well  understand  and  thoroughly  feel  that  there  is 
much  in  a  name.  I  cannot  divest  myself  from  the  conviction  that  in 
this  prosecution  there  has  been  much  in  the  name.  I  will  venture 
to  assert,  could  you  have  removed  a  name  which  so  many  ot  the 
gentlemen  were  not  averse  to  see  dishonored,  and  substitute  some 
one  ot  the  honorable  names  ot  our  Church  in  this  diocese,  the  fatal 
flaw  in  this  document  would  never  have  been  overlooked.  That 
ecclesiastical  authority  would  have  cast  it  aside  at  once,  as  ut- 
terly untenable,  uncanonical,  illegal.  They  would  never  have 
thought  of  appointing  a  committee  to  examine  or  inquire  concern- 
ing it.  This  first  step  in  New  York  was,  as  every  succeeding  step 
has  been,  intensely  personal,  and  apparently  indifferent  to  justice, 
if  the  person  could  be  reached. 

''-  The  Committee  of  inquiry  rapidly  reported  according  to  their 
direction,  and  the  Standing  Committee,  without  waiting  for  the  re- 
turn of  the  Bishop,  hastened  to  organize  a  Court,  to  carry  out  the 
purposes  for  which  the  whole  scheme  had  been  prepared. 

"  In  the  meantime,    the  Bishop  of  this   diocese  returned.     He 


Relation  to   Controversies,  473 

had  not  been  involved  in  any  of  the  preceding  process  of  moral 
entanglement.  The  whole  case  was  in  his  hands.  He  had  the  in- 
dubitable right  to  arrest^all  further  proceedings  and  withhold  all 
further  action  in  the  case.  I  regret  to  be  obliged  to  say,  he  did 
not  elect  to  do  so.  .  .  .1  am  bound  to  beUeve  the  Bishop  of 
New  York  sincere  in  his  conviction,  though  I  fra  nkly  say,  such  has 
been  my  respect  for  my  diocesan,  that  all  the  men  in  the  world 
would  not  have  been  able  to  persuade  me  to  believe  this  decision 
possible,  in  anticipation  of  his  own  personal  and  positive  act.     .     . 

"  Any  proceeding  more  uncalled  for,  more  unreasonable,  more 
injurious,  or  more  unjust,  it  has  never  fallen  to  my  lot  to  know. 

"  The  whole  prosecution  has  broken  down  completely  in  the 
principle  of  its  authority.  Not  a  particle  of  evidence,  really  sus- 
taining it,  has  been  produced,  and  no  one  is  more  conscious  of  that 
than  the  eminent  counsel  for  the  prosecution,  I  am  perfectly  sure.  .   . 

"  The  presentment  laid  upon  your  table  makes  a  new  charge,  of 
another  crime,  upon  the  respondent,  and  for  this  he  has  been  ar- 
raigned before  this  court.  It  is  that,  '  he  did,  within  the  corporate 
bounds  of  the  city  of  New  Brunswick,  officiate-  by  preaching  and 
reading  prayers,  without  the  permission  or  permissions  of  these 
clergymen,  or  of  the  church- wardens  and  vestrymen,  or  ministers  of 
either  of  the  congregations,  or  a  majority  of  said  wardens  and 
trustees.'  I  beg  leave  to  call  the  attention  of  the  court  to  the 
looseness  of  this  document. 

*' The  canon  referred  to,  as  applicable  to  this  case,  is  Canon  12, 
Section  6,  Title  1,  of  the  Canons  of  the  General  Convention. 

"  Its  language  is:  *  No  minister  belonging  to  this  Churcli  shall 
officiate,  either  by  preaching,  reading  prayers,  or  otherwise,  in  the 
parish  or  in  the  parochial  cure  of  another  clergyman,  unless  he  have 
received  express  permission,  for  that  purpose,  from  the  minister  of 
the  parish  or  cure,  or,  in  his  absence,  from  the  church-wardens  and 
vestrymen,  or  trustees  of  the  congregation,  or  a  majority  of  them. 
Before  this  canon  can  be  brought  into  application  to  any  act, 
charged  upon  the  respondent,  two  fundamental  questions  are  to  bo 
settled. 

"What  is  the  legal  and  authorized  meaning  of  the  terms  'parish 
and  parochical  cure'  in  the  language  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  ?  AVhat  is  tlio  meaning  of  the  term  '  officiate,'  according 
to  the  same  standard  of  deliuition  ?  " 

After  a  long  investigation  of  the  meaning  wliich  must  be  given 
to  these  terms,  and  argument  up<in  the  impossibility  of  attaching 
any  other  interpretation  to  them.  Dr.  Tyng  contiuued: 


474  Rev,  Stei)hen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D. 

"  If  such  is  to  be  the  administration  of  law  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States,  its  glory  has  departed,  its 
peace  has  gone  forever,  and  its  existence  ii^  a  land  of  freedom  ought 
soon  to  follow  them. 

"  I  claim  to  have  demonstrated  that  the  terms  '  parish,  paro- 
chial cure  and  congregation,'  employed  in  Canon  12,  Section  6,  Title 
1,  under  which  section  and  canon  the  charges  of  this  presentment 
have  been  brought  against  the  respondent,  have  not  received,  in  the 
habitual  language  of  the  Church,  a  territorial,  but  a  personal  inter- 
pretation, and  cannot  therefore  be  applied  to  the  present  case;  that 
a  territorial  interpretation  is  not  consistent  with  the  language  of  the 
canon  itself,  while  a  personal  interpretation  is  entirely  so:  that  a 
territorial  interpretation  is  entirely  inconsistent  with  the  whole 
practice  and  usage  of  this  Church;  that  a  territorial  interpretation 
interposes  difficulties  and  impediments,  which  make  it  impossible 
that  the  canon  should  be  so  interpreted,  or,  if  so  interpreted,  shall 
ever  be  obeyed  in  the  practical  ministry  of  the  clergy  of  the  Church; 
that  the  complainants  in  this  case  had  no  authority  over  the  terri- 
tory or  place  in  which  the  respondent  is  said  to  have  officiated;  and 
therefore  had  no  legal  right  to  prohibit  such  officiating,  or  to  claim 
the  legal  obligation  of  the  respondent,  to  ask  their  express  permis- 
sion for  such  officiating. 

*'  The  Church  may  forbid  and  has  forbidden  all  clergymen  of  this 
Church  from  officiating  in  the  churches  or  among  the  families  of 
the  congregations  of  other  clergymen  without  their  consent  or  per- 
mission. It  is  a  most  valuable  and  important  law, — no  clergyman 
of  this  Church  can  desire  to  break  it, — no  clergyman  can  be  per- 
mitted to  break  it.  It  is  for  the  interest  and  comfort  of  every 
clerg3^man  to  maintain  it.  The  peace  and  harmony,  the  prosperity 
and  success  of  the  Church  depend  upon  its  maintenance.  The  un- 
disturbed and  protected  unity  of  a  pastor  and  his  congregation  is 
of  inestimable  importance.  It  is  of  universal  importance.  To  se- 
cure and  maintain  it  is  no  High  Church  or  Low  Church  scheme. 

"  But  it  cannot  be  maintained  upon  a  territorial  interpretation 
of  a  parish.  The  erecting  of  the  Wall  of  China  around  a  parish 
might  have  answered  in  the  barbarous  warfare  of  the  earlier  earth, 
but  would  be  a  poor  guardianship  of  the  moral  influences  and  rela- 
tions of  the  land  and  the  day  in  which  we  live. 

"  What  the  Church  would  prevent,  and  means  to  prevent,  is  per- 
sonal undermining  influence  among  a  people.         .... 

"  Every  clergj^man  of  the  Church  is  to  be  protected  in  the 
peaceful  discharge  of  liis  own  duties  in  his  own  congregation,  ac- 


Relation  to   Coiitroversies,  475 

cording  to  his  conscience  and  their  wish.  And  therefore  it  is  that 
I  feel  myself  unable  to  unite  in  the  uncanonical  complaints  and  at- 
tempts to  restrain  by  force  of  authority  some  extreme  interpretations 
of  Church  right  and  observance  in  another  conspicuous  instance, 
which  have  been  several  times  referred  to  in  this  cause,  in  the  argu- 
ments of  both  sides.  If  I  have  a  passion,  it  is  for  liberty,  religious 
liber  by,  freedom  of  the  spirit  and  freedom  of  action.  '  Where  the  spirit 
of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  liberty.'  I  care  comparatively  little  for  an  en- 
forced unity.  I  can  say  with  the  learned  counsel,  that  '  my  heart 
throbs  for  unity  upon  the  creed  of  Nice. '  But  I  can  say,  with  more 
intense  feeling,  my  heart  throbs  with  the  desire  to  '  proclaim  liberty 
through  all  the  land  to  all  the  inhabitants  thereof,'  '  in  the  unity  of 
the  Spirit,  and  the  bond  of  peace.' 

"  The  Bishops  of  New  Jersey  and  of  New  York,  probably,  would 
be  found,  in  any  just  investigation,  as  guilty  of  the  violation  of  this 
alleged  canon  as  this  respondent.  So  would  the  complainants  in  this 
case,  the  presbyters  presenting,  and  every  member  of  this  court. 
The  canon  has  never  been  enforced  as  the  rule  of  our  ministry.  It 
never  can  be.  It  is  impossible  to  bring  it  into  any  minute  and  ab- 
solute appUcation.  And  every  attempt  at  expounding  it  by  the 
prosecution,  in  this  trial,  has  been  attended  with  the  compulsory 
effort  to  excuse  certain  violations  of  it,  with  which  all  are  charge- 
able, as  inevitable,  that  pecuUar  odium  might  be  brought  upon  this 
defendant.  Never  on  earth  was  there  a  combined  will  and  purpose 
of  interpretation  more  unjust.  Why,  then,  is  this  young  man  se- 
lected as  the  first  public  victim  for  this  combined  persecution, 
when  every  clergyman  around  him  is  as  guilty  as  he  ? 

"  I  answer  in  the  face  of  this  community,  because  he  was  young, 
and  it  was  thought  he  could  be  safely  handled,  and  others  could  be 
effectually  reached  through  him;  because  he  was  to  a  degree,  influ- 
ential, and  it  was  important  that  he  should  be  crushed.  It  is  not 
he  that  has  been  really  tried,  but  that  which  the  learned  counsel 
has  been  pleased  to  call  '  the  Puritan  party  '  in  him. 

"  The  Puritan  party  !  I  can  only  say  personally,  in  Lis  paternal 
stock  there  was  never  a  Puritan,  from  the  Reformation  to  his  gen- 
eration. It  is  not  that  I  should  feel  the  name  of  Puritan  a  dis- 
honor. They  were  a  noble  race.  Well  would  it  have  been  for  the 
Church  of  England  to  have  retained,  with  honor,  the  faithful  men, 
whom,  under  this  opprobrious  title,  they  persecuted  and  reviled. 
But  from  my  soul,  I  despise  a  set  of  men  who  come  into  the  Epis- 
copal Church, — from  the  Quakers,  Presbyterians,  and  every  class  of 
surrounding  Christians — are  welcomed  and  exalted  as  rulers  in  this 


47^  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyngy  D.D, 

Church,  and  then  turn  round  with  a  contemptuous  sneer  and  speak 
of  the  '  sects,  the  meeting-houses,  the  societies,  the  schisms,'  they  have 
just  left,  in  which  their  fathers  and  mothers  lived  and  died,  and  from 
the  worst  sectarian  spirit  of  which  they  themselves  have  never  been 
released.  There  is  no  wiser  admonition  of  the  Scriptures  than  that  of 
Paul  to  Timothy,  '  Not  a  novice,  lest,  being  lifted  up  with  pride,  he 
fall  into  condemnation.'  The  great  body  of  the  bitterness,  exclu- 
siveness,  hostility  to  other  Christians,  which  disgraces  the  Episcopal 
Church  this  day,  is  to  be  found  among  that  class  of  men  who  have 
thus  joined  this  Church  at  their  maturity,  and  are  the  real  repre- 
sentatives of  that  party  of  which  the  learned  counsel  has  said, 
*  They  are  never  satisfied  unless  they  can  make  or  break.' 

"  The  learned  counsel  has  asked,  '  Why  are  men  at  strife  with 
each  other,  because  some  think  they  can  do  this  same  work 
that  all  are  pledged  to  do,  in  a  way  which  they  deem  more 
effectual  than  another  ?  All  have  full  liberty  to  work  in  their  own 
way.' 

"  I  may  well  ask  his  question  in  return,  '  Why  are  they?'  But 
because  ^^ou  have  chosen  to  initiate  this  authoritative  persecution, 
and  to  prohibit  a  liberty  which  was  never  challenged  by  authority 
before.  Your  *  Articles  of  Keligion '  are  trodden  under  foot  by  men 
who  teach  every  aspect  of  popish  doctrine  in  your  Church  except 
the  personal  authority  of  the  Pope.  Your  Bishop  goes  with  his 
official  sanction  among  the  extremest  shapes  of  popish  ceremonies, 
against  which  this  Church  has  always  delivered  a  faithful  testimony. 
The  whole  general  aspect  in  general  worship,  in  many  of  your 
leading  churches  of  this  city,  has  been  changed  within  the  few 
years  past,  so  that  Hobart  returning,  would  have  to  inquire  in 
vain,  in  Trinity  and  its  chapels,  for  the  old  paths  in  which  he 
walked,  and  left  others  walking.  We  have  not  attempted  to  resist 
or  restrain  this  liberty  which  has  been  claimed.  It  is  not  we  who 
have  organized  a  strife.  We  are  the  objects,  the  victims  of  a  per- 
secution, an  oppression,  which  intends  to  do  by  ecclesiastical 
power, — the  resort  of  the  violent  and  intellectually  weak, — what 
arguments  and  influence  were  found  incompetent  to  do. 

"  Perhaps  the  little  finger  of  the  son  may  be  stronger  than  the 
loins  of  the  father.  We  may  be  called  to  much  contention,  — it  may 
be,  to  much  suffering.  But  we  adopt  this  counsel's  words,  '  We  do 
not  mean  to  be  driven  off.'  They  claim  their  rights  in  this  Church, 
and  we  claim  ours.  When  I  say  'we,'  I  do  not  speak — I  have  no 
right  to  speak — for  any  one  connected  with  this  case.  I  speak  of 
the  school  of  opinion  in  the  Church — the  party  in  the  Church,  if  you 


Relation  to   Controversies,  Ml 

choose,— with  whom  I  sympathize,  and  I  say  that  we  do  not  mean 
to  be  driven  off. 

"  He  says,  '  All  have  full  liberty  to  work  in  their  own  way.'  I 
retort  his  own  words,  with  entire  satisfaction,  in  reply,  'I  ask 
nothing  better  than  that.  Why  will  they  not  live  up  to  it  ?  Why 
preach  forever,  and  never  practice  ?' 

"  Whose  liberty  have  we  attempted  to  restrain  ?  Whom  have 
we  persecuted  ?  We  have  no  desire  to  persecute.  We  have  no 
wish  to  restrain  a  fair  and  comprehensive  liberty.  The  usages  of 
the  Church,  as  uniformly  illustrated  in  our  history  as  a  Church,— 
'  Ubiqm,  semper,  db  omnibus,''  we  are  contented  to  abide  with.  We 
introduce  no  novelties.  We  make  no  threats.  We  have  submitted 
to  acts  of  personal  injustice  before  ;  we  have  been  taunted,  reviled 
in  your  Church  papers,  because  we  have  submitted.  We  are  still 
ready  to  adopt  the  counsel's  closing  words,  '  We  have  a  right  to 
hold  the  faith  of  the  Apostles  and  of  thelearly  Fathers  prior  to  the 
division  of  the  Church,  and  we  cannot  be  drawn  out  because  we 
hold  that  faith.  We  are  ready  to  join  hands  with  all,  to  spread  the 
truth  of  the  gospel,  and  to  defend  its  claims  against  error  of  all 
kinds  ;  and,  above  all,  to  carry  forward  the  banner  of  the  Church 
against  the  impiet}^  the  wickedness,  the  indifference,  tl^e  perplexity, 
the  scientific  falsehood  of  the  day,  against  all  enemies  of  the  Church's 
faith  throughout  this  land.' 

"  What  have  we  ever  asked  more  than  this  ?  We  ask  no  more 
now.  But  if  at  the  end  of  near  half  a  century's  ministry  of  liberty, 
the  whole  of  it  under  professedly  High  Church  bishops,  I  am  now 
to  see  a  system  of  bitter  persecution  inaugurated  by  Episcopal 
authority,  I  must  meet  the  case  the  best  way  I  can,  in  submission 
to  God,  and  with  peacefulness  in  the  Church.  But  persecute  as 
you  may,  nothing  but  the  power  of  a  resistless  physical  force  shall 
ever  drive  me  out  of  my  father's  Church,  a  Church  in  which  I 
ministered  before  many  of  you  were  born,  and  from  the  scenes  of 
wliich  I  must  soon,  according  to  the  will  of  God,  depart.  I  may 
say  with  Hooker,  '  I  have  lived  to  see  this  world  made  up  of  per- 
turbations,' and  I  truly  grieve  to  see  the  Episcopal  Church,  in  this 
diocese  of  New  York,  dishonoring  itself  with  the  inauguration  of  a 
system  of  doctrinal,  individual  persecution,  the  whole  effect  of  which 
must  be  to  weaken  its  power,  to  overturn  its  respectability,  to  repel 
from  it  all  wlio  are  not  craven  enough  to  submit  to  persecution,  or 
bitter  enough  to  delight  in  it  ;  and  to  make  the  Episcopal  office 
and  flVBtem"  which  ought  to  be  an  attraction  and  a  home  for  the 
wandering    and   the   peace-loving,   a  by-word  of  reproach  to  the 


47  8  Rev.   Stephen  Higginsoii    Tyng,  D.D, 

ungodly,  and  an  object  of  lamentation  and  rebuke  to  the 
good." 

As  had  been  evident  throughout  the  trial,  but  one  result  was 
to  be  expected.  No  surprise  was  caused,  therefore,  when,  by  the 
decision  of  the  court,  rendered  on  the  24th  of  February,  Mr.  Tyng 
was  adjudged  guilty,  and  '  admonition'  was  stated  as  the  penalty 
to  be  imposed. 

An  appeal  was  addressed  to  the  Bishop,  urging  him  to  hold 
the  case  under  advisement  until  the  arguments  at  the  trial  could 
be  printed  and  submitted,  but  he  hastened  to  approve  the  find- 
ings of  the  court  and  summoned  Mr.  Tyng  to  appear  at  the  Church 
of  the  Transfiguration,  New  York,  on  the  14th  day  of  March,  1868, 
to  receive  the  public  admonition  then  to  be  pronounced. 

On  this  occasion.  Dr.  Tyng  accompanied  his  son,  and,  when 
the  Bishop  had  concluded  his  address,  advanced  to  the  chancel  and 
placed  in  his  hand  the  following  protest,  the  reading  of  which  had 
not  been  permitted. 

"To  THE  Eight  Rev.  Horatio  Potter,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  Diocese  of  New  York. 

"  Bigld  Bev.  Sir:  — It  has  been  your  pleasure  to  '  approve'  of  the 
*  findings'  of  this  court  of  presbyters,  and  you  have  now  adminis- 
tered the  sentence  of  '  admonition,'  '  recommended'  by  them 
against  the  respondent. 

''This  is  your  own  act  and  your  own  responsibility.  I,  Stephen 
H.  Tyng,  D.  D.,  a  presbyter  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in 
the  diocese  of  New  York,  and  rector  of  St.  George's  Church  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  and  one  of  the  counsel  for  the  respondent,  do 
most  respectfully  but  firmly  enter  my  solemn  protest  against  this 
whole  proceeding,  now  completed,  from  its  commencement  to  its 
conclusion,  as  false  in  its  allegations,  unjust  in  its  principle,  unca- 
nonical  in  its  form,  illegal  in  its  transactions,  iniquitous  in  its  pur- 
pose, and  voluntarily  and  persistently  persecuting  in  its  spirit,  pro- 
cess and  development.  And  I  do  solemnly  appeal  from  this  deci- 
sion of  this  court,  and  from  this  approval  thereof,  by  the  Bishop  of 
this  diocese,  under  the  most  earnest  sense  of  the  cruel  injustice 
with  which  this  respondent  has  been  treated  ;  to  the  supreme  and 
final  decision  of  the  General  Convention  of  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church  in  the  United  States  ;  to  the  abiding  sense  of  justice  and 
righteousness  in  the  individual  members  of  this  Church  throughout 
this  land  ;  to  the  record  of  future  historic  truth  ;  to  generations  of 
advancing  light  and  religious  purity  and  power,  which  may  come 
hereafter  ;  and  with  the  deepest  humility,  but  with  confidence  un- 


Relation  to   Controversies,  479 

feigned,  to  the  judgment-seat  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the 
one  Great  Head  and  Ruler  of  His  Church,  and  whose  approval  can 
never  be  given  to  the  persecution  of  the  innocent,  or  the  oppres- 
sion of  the  weak. 

"  Given  in  the  Church  of  the  Transfiguration,  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  this  14th  day  of  March,  A.  D.  1868. 

"  Stephen  H.  Tyng, 
Sector  of  St.  Georges  Church, 

In  tlie  city  of  NeivYorhJ" 

With  this  appeal  the  case  ended.  The  trial  wa^  fruitless  of  any 
of  the  results  which  it  was  designed  to  accomplish  and  brought 
nothing  but  dishonor  upon  the  Church. 

An   interesting    sequel   to   it,  however,    was  presented    in   the 
Diocesan  Convention  a  few  years  later.     "  It  was  noticed,"  so  the 
report   reads,  "  that  one  clerical  delegate.  Dr.  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  Jr., 
who  had  not  been  present  at  the  sessions  of  the  Convention  for 
several  years,  was  daily  in  promj)t  attendance.     The  question  upon 
th3  minds  of  all  was,  what  could   be   the  cause    of   his   constant 
presence  at  this  time  ;  anxious  expectation  that   some    disturbing 
subject  was  to  be  brought  forward,  pervaded  the  whole  assembly. 
But  everything   went  quietly   on   up  to  the  very  moment  of   ad- 
journment, and  there  was  no  indication  of  any  interruption  of  the 
serenity  of  the  proceedings.     At  length  Dr.  Tyng  rose.     The    Con- 
vention listened  silently  for  what  was  to  come.     The  Bishop,  who 
was  in  the  chair,  seemed  to  prepare  himself  as  he  awaited  the  first 
utterance  of  the  speaker.     *  Mr.  President,'  he  said  in  a  tone  and 
manner  which  told  the  deep  feeling  with    which  he  spoke,  '  I  rise 
for  the  purpose  of  j^resenting  a  resolution,  which  I  had  hoped  to 
present   when  the    chair  was  not   occupied  by   the  Bishop.     But 
as  that  ojiportunity  is  not  likely  to  occur,    I   beg  leave    to  offer 
a   resolution,  which,  I  am  sure,  will  meet   with    a   response  from 
every  member  of  this  Convention.'     He  then  continued,  in  a  few 
eloquent  words  expressing  the  sympathy  of  the  Convention  for  the 
Bishop  in   the  recent  bereavement  which  he  had  sufi"ered  in    the 
death    of  his  son,  and  concluded  by  offering  a  resolution   of  the 
same  tenor.     A  rising  and  silent  vote  attested  the   feeling  of  the 
Convention  as  they  concurred  in  this  testimony.     The  manner  and 
words  with  wliich  ^Ir.  Tyng  spoke,  made  a  deep  impression.      The 
well-known   character  of  his  churchmanship  and  the  remembrance 
of  the  fact  that  he  was  the  only  presbyter  in  the  diocese   who  had 
ever  been  publicly    *  admonished,'  by  Bishop  Potter,    gave  added 


480  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

value    to    this    expression    of    Christian    sympathy    and    fellow- 
ship." 

Another  action  in  general  spirit  and  plan  akin  to  this  case 
^as  taken  by  the  Convention  of  the  diocese  of  New  York  at  its  ses- 
sion in  1867.  The  one  tended  to  the  restriction  of  the  clergy  in  the 
"  liberty  of  preaching,"  the  other  to  the  restriction  of  the  churches 
in  the  '''  liberty  of  benevolent  contributions,"  by  enforcing  upon 
them  the  support  of  certain  objects. 

As  the  failure  of  this  effort  was  in  large  degree  due  to  the  de- 
termined stand  which  was  taken  by  the  vestry  of  St.  George's 
Church,  it  properly  becomes  a  subject  of  record  in  this  connection. 
Though  an  enactment  of  the  Convention  of  1867,  it  did  not  become 
known  until  some  time  later,  and  it  was  not  until  January,  1869, 
that  the  vestry  of  St.  George's  Church  learned  that  certain  amend- 
ments had  been  made  to  the  Canons,  affecting  public  collections 
for  benevolent  objects.  The  delegates  to  the  last  Convention  were 
immediately  requested  to  inquire  as  to  the  facts,  and  in  the  report 
submitted  by  Mr.  Charles  Tracy  the  history  of  the  case  is  thus  pre- 
sented : 

*'  The  XYth  Canon  of  the  diocese  as  it  existed  before  the  con- 
vention of  1867  required  that  in  every  parish,  provision  be  made 
for  at  least  monthly  church  offerings,  by  collections  or  otherwise,  *for 
Theological  Education,  Diocesan  Missions,  and  other  Church  ob- 
jects. And  also  required  that  the  subject  of  education  be  confided  to 
*  The  Society  for  Promoting  Religion  and  Learning  in  the  State  of 
INew  York,'  and  that  the  missionary  operations  of  the  diocese  be 
conducted  by  '  the  Missionary  Committee  of  the  Diocese  of  New 
York,'  but  no  canon  then  existing  specified  any  other  Church  ob- 
ject as  entitled  to  such  offerings  nor  imposed  a  penalty  for  an  omis- 
sion to  make  any  of  the  collections. 

"  The  Convention  of  1867  amended  Canon  lY.  to  the  effect  that 
if  any  church  in  union  with  the  Convention  '  shall  have  failed  to 
make  any  or  either  of  the  collections  or  contributions  required  or 
enjoined  or  directed  by  any  canon,  such  church  shall  be  regarded 
as  having  forfeited  its  connection  with  the  Convention,  and  shall  no 
longer  have  a  right  to  send  a  delegate  or  delegates  to  the  same.' 

"The  diocese  of  New  York  is  composed  of  the  Bishop,  the 
clergy,  and  the  churches,  which  have  united  with  it.  The  diocese 
has  a  written  Constitution.  The  Convention  depends  on  that  Con- 
stitution for  its  existence  and  its  powers.  The  Convention  is  not  the 
diocese.  The  Constitution  gives  no  authority  to  the  Convention  to 
control  the  churches  in  respect  of  their  charity,  by  specifying  par- 


Relation  to   Co7itroversie$,  4^^ 

ticular  objects  for  which  offerings  shall  be  made,  nor  any  power  to 
exclude  a  church  for  omitting  to  take  collections  for  such  speci- 
fied objects.  The  amendment  of  Canon  IV.  by  the  Convention  of 
1867  was  therefore  wholly  unauthorized,  and  is  null  and  void. 

"  The  Constitution  provides  a  method  for  properly  amending 
its  own  provisions,  but  no  amendment  of  the  Constitution  has  been 
made  conferring  on  the  Convention  power  to  enact  as  a  law  such  a 
requirement  as  this  provision  of  the  lYth  Canon,  nor  would  an 
amendment  of  that  character  in  the  Constitution  be  admissable, 
unless  it  had  the  actual  consent  of  every  parish.  No  majority  vote 
would  suffice,  so  to  enable  the  Convention,  to  deprive  of  representa- 
tion, parishes  which  belong  to  this  diocese,  and  are  partners  in  its 
proi3erty  and  funds,  and  are  essential  to  its  ecclesiastical  unity,  for 
omitting  to  support  particular  societies  or  charitable  objects. 

•'  The  terms  of  union  include  loyalty  and  devotion  to  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Church,  but  not  an  absolute  conformity  to  everything 
which  conventions  from  time  to  time  may  assume  to  prescribe. 

*'  The  Convention  has  not,  cannot  have,  Constitutional  power  to 
require  a  church  to  take  up  a  collection  in  the  aid  of  St.  Stephen's 
College,  at  Annandale,  or  the  Philadelphia  Divinity  School;  for  the 
Missionary  Committee  of  the  Convention,  or  the  Diocesan  Commit- 
tee of  the  Church  Missionary  Society.  The  absolute  and  ultimate 
right  and  duty  of  each  member  of  the  Church  to  choose  between 
such  ultimate  objects  according  to  his  own  judgment  is  no  clearer 
than  the  right  of  each  parish  in  a  body,  in  appointing  collections  for 
education  and  for  mission^  to  discriminate  between  different  or- 
ganizations and  agencies  through  which  its  offerings  shall  be 
applied. 

"  The  amendments  above  referred  to  were  adopted  in  18G7,  and 
stood  in  the  Canons  one  whole  year  before  the  Convention  of  1868, 
and  yet,  in  the  latter  Convention  numerous  churches  were  'epre- 
sented  which  had  omitted  some  of  the  required  offerings,  and  such 
omission  appeared  by  their  own  reports,  but  no  attempt  was  made  to 
exclude  them.  Whether  this  arose  from  the  fact  that  at  the  time 
of  enacting  this  unwarranted  amendment  of  Canon  IV.  the  Conven- 
tion discontinued  the  established  practice  of  sending  its  report  to 
the  several  vestries,  or  to  the  fact  that  the  edition  of  the  Canons 
with  such  amendments  was  small,  and  copies  not  easily  obtained, 
or  to  the  want  of  confidence  in  the  validity  of  the  new  enactment 
on  the  part  of  its  promoters,  or  from  some  other  cause,  it  is  not 
necessary  to  know. 

"  But  the  existence  of  this  amendment  In  the  form  of  a  canon 


4^2  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

renders  it  expedient  that  this  vestry,  both  assert  its  right  in  the 
premises,  and  also  guard  against  being  wrongfully  deprived  of  its 
just  representation  under  color  of  legislation. 

"  The  Committee  therefore  recommended  the  adoption  of  the 
following  resolutions: 

"  I.  That  in  the  judgment  of  this  vestry,  the  above-mentioned 
amendments  of  Canon  IV.  and  the  provisions  of  Canon  XV.  were 
and  are  unauthorized  by  the  said  Constitution  and  repugnant 
thereto;  and  the  same  are  an  infringement  of  the  rights  of  the 
churches,  and  are  not  valid  amendments  of  the  Canons  of  this  diocese, 
and  of  right  should  be  held,  deemed  and   treated  as  null  and  void. 

"  II.  That  in  order  to  promote  the  peace  of  the  Convention  and 
Diocese,  as  well  as  to  prevent  any  illegal  attempts  which  might  be 
made  to  deprive  this  Church  of  its  rightful  and  Constitutional  rep- 
resentation in  future  Conventions  under  color  of  said  amendments 
and  provisions  of  the  Canons,  collections  may  be  taken  up  in  the 
usual  manner  for  said  two  specified  bodies,  '  The  Society  for  Pro- 
moting Religion  and  Learning  in  the  State  of  New  York  '  and  '  the 
Missionary  Committee  of  the  Diocese  of  New  York,'  upon  some 
Sundays  before  the  next  annual  Convention,  the  vestry  hereby  con- 
testing that  said  amendments  are  in  their  judgment  unconstitu- 
tional, unauthorized,  wrongful  and  void,  and  that  the  taking  of  such 
collections  shall  not  be  construed  to  express  or  imply  any  assent  to 
such  amendments." 

In  pursuance  of  these  resolutions,  Dr.  ,Tyng  made  the  two 
collections  in  the  church  during  the  following  month,  explaining, 
however,  the  reasons  and  circumstances  under  which  they  were 
made.  The  report  of  the  committee  was  referred  back  to  them  for 
printing  and  circulation,  and  the  action  of  St.  George's  Church  was 
thus  widely  published.  Its  further  proceedings  are  related  in  the 
report  made  in  November,  1870. 

The  delegates  to  the  Convention,  Messrs.  Charles  Tracy, 
George  C.  Satterlee,  and  J.  Pierpont  Morgan,  reported  that,  "  at  the 
Diocesan  Convention  of  1869,  a  motion  was  made  and  a  notice  given 
by  a  delegate  from  this  church  for  the  repeal  of  so  much  of  Canon 
XV.  as  required  that  provision  be  made  in  each  parish  for  offerings, 
by  collection  or  otherwise,  to  be  paid  to  the  particular  committee 
and  society  therein  mentioned,  and  for  so  much  of  Canon  IV.  as 
provides  that  any  church  which  shall  have  failed  to  make  any  or 
either  of  the  collections,  shall  be  regarded  as  having  forfeited  its 
connection  with  the  Convention. 

"  The  rule  of  proceeding  established  by  Canon  XIX.   required 


Relation  to   Controversies,  483 

the  matter  thus  presented  to  go  to  the  Standing  Committee  on 
Canons,  and  it  consequently  went  over  to  the  Convention  of  1870. 
In  the  meantime,  the  members  of  that  committee  were  supplied 
with  printed  copies  of  the  report  of  January  30, 1869,  and  the  action 
of  this  vestry  had  thereon  on  March  11,  1869.  At  the  Convention 
of  1870,  the  Standing  Committee  on  Canons  reported  against  re- 
pealing the  parts  of  Canon  XV.  providing  particular  collections* 
but  in  favor  of  repealing  that  part  of  Canon  IV.,  which  imposes  a 
penalty  for  omitting  these  collections. 

**  After  some  discussion,  the  amendment  was  adopted  by  the 
Convention  ;  it  being  perfectly  understood  and  expressed  in  the 
Convention,  that  the  amendment  left  the  objectionable  provisions  no 
greater  force  than  mere  advice,  without  a  penalty  for  violation,  the 
undersigned  did  not  deem  it  necessary  or  advisable  to  press  for  an 
amendment  of  Canon  XV. 

"  The  vestry  having  temporarily  provided  for  collections  in  favor 
of  the  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Religion  and  Learning  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  and  of  the  Missionary  Committee  of  the  Diocese 
of  New  York  mentioned  in  Canon  XV.  and  the  reason  for  such 
provision  having  now  ceased,  and  this  church  preferring  to  make 
its  offerings  for  the  supi3ort  of  religious  education,  and  of  Domestic 
Missions,  within  the  diocese,  through  other  channels  and  organiza- 
tions, the  undersigned  recommend  that  collections  for  these  two 
specified  bodies  be  discontinued." 

The  course  thus  pursued  in  these  different  relations,  sufficiently 
displays  the  determination  and  spirit  by  which  Dr.  Tyng  and  St. 
George's  Church  were  governed,  and  with  which  established  prin- 
ciples were  steadfastly  maintained  against  whatever  opposition  it 
might  be. 

The  efforts  for  a  revision  of  the  Prayer-book  continued  from 
year  to  year,  while  the  contest  against  the  Romanizing  tendencies 
in  the  Church  constantly  increased.  The  annual  conferences  re- 
mained an  important  part  of  the  Evangelical  anniversaries,  and  at 
all  these  meetings  Dr.  Tyng  was  invariably  present,  seeking  to  in- 
fluence and  guide,  it  may  also  be  said,  to  restrain,  those  with  whom 
in  most  points  he  so  fully  agreed,  yet  whom  he  often  found  more 
impulsive  and  separating  than  he  could  ever  be.  While  demand- 
ing the  largest  liberty  of  his  own  views  and  actions,  he  conceded 
the  largest  freedom  to  those  to  whom  he  stood  opposed,  and  the 
utmost  toleration  could  alone  command  his  sympathy  and  approval. 
His  frequent  assertion  of  his  life-long  devotion  to  the  Church  and 
its  Prayer-book  caused  it  to  be  once  satiricallv  remarked  of  him  in 


484  R^'^'  Stephen  Higginson    Tyngy  D.D, 

a  pamphlet  of  the  time,  "  that  Dr.  Tyng  would  have  it  believed 
that  he  came  into  the  world  with  a  Prayer-book  in  his  hands. "  No 
suggestion  of  separation  from  the  Church  would  ever  be  counte- 
nanced or  considered  by  him,  however  great  might  appear  the 
errors  with  which  he  might  be  obhged  to  contend,  and  he  main- 
tained in  this  whole  controversy  the  same  inflexible  and  independ- 
ent course  by  which  he  was  distinguished  in  all  questions. 

In  his  sermon,  "  The  True  Christ  and  the  False  Christs,"  which 
he  delivered  at  the  opening  of  St.  Peter's  Church,  in  Baltimore,  on 
the  9th  of  October,  1870,  occurs  the  following  clear  proclamation 
of  the  truth,  as  it  stood  in  his  view,  opposed  by  all  these  systems 
of  innovation  and  error,  and  no  words  can  be  required  in  addition 

thereto : 

"  Then  if  any  man  shall   say]  unto  you,  Lo,  here  is  Christ,  or 

there,  believe  it  not. 

"  For  there  shall  arise  false  Christs  and  false  prophets,  and  shall 
show  great  signs  and  wonders;  insomuch  that,  if  it  were  possible, 
they  shall  deceive  the  very  elect.  Behold  I  have  told  you  before." 
St.  Matthew  xxiv.  23-25. 

"  Jesus  is  thus  personally  the  true  Christ  Beside  Him  there  can 
be  no  other.  In  His  work  there  can  be  no  adjunct.  In  His  offices 
there  can  be  no  assistant.  In  His  gracious  ministrations  there  is 
no  defect.  In  all  appointed  relations  to  mankind  He  is  alone,  and 
there  is  none  with  Him.  To  Him  every  knee  shall  bow.  Him,  in 
His  supreme  glory,  every  tongue  shall  confess,  and  to  Him  dkectly 
and  only,  for  all  they  need  forever,  must  all  flesh  come. 

"  This  is  a  personal  privilege,  obligation  and  responsibility  for 
all  mankind.  Whosoever  shall  present  to  me  another  Christ,  or 
call  me  to  another  rest  for  my  soul,  or  offer  to  me  any  substitute 
or  adjunct  for  Him,  I  am  to  renounce  in  absolute  decision,  and  from 
such  to  turn  away.  Whosoever  shall  preach  to  me  another  gospel 
than  that  which  simply  and  always  represents  Him  in  His  perfect 
and  finished  work  as  my  whole  salvation;  even  though  such  an  one 
should  be  an  '  angel  from  heaven,'  I  am  to  turn  from  and  reject. 
With  whatever  wonderful  works  such  agents  may  come  to  me,  with 
whatever  pride,  or  power  of  intellect,  with  whatever  pomp  of 
earthly  display,  with  whatever  aspect  of  personal  holiness  or  self- 
renunciation,  '  deceiving,  if  it  were  possible,  even  the  elect  of  God,* 
if  they  shall  profess  to  fulfil  offices  or  to  accomplish  works,  or  to 
besitow  gifts  which  this  true  Christ  alone  can  fulfil,  or  to  assume 
authority  which  belongs  to  Him  alone;  leading  me  away  from  Him 


Relation  to   Contiwersies,  4^^ 

to  trust,  however  partially,  in  them;  or  to  derogate  from  His  suprem- 
acy, His  infinite  perfection  and  fulness;  whatever  sigos  they  may 
give,  or  wonders  they  may  accomplish,  I  am  commanded  to  avoid 
them,  to  beware  of  them,  to  turn  away  from  them  us  false  Christs, 
false  apostles,  deceitful  workers,  transforming  themselves  into  the 
Apostles  of  Christ,  as  ministers  of  Satan,  who  may  himself  be 
'  transformed  into  an  angel  of  Light.'  Of  all  the  varied  prepara- 
tions of  error  I  am  thoroughly  warned,  and  I  am  not  to  be  '  igno- 
rant of  his  devices.' 

"  To  proclaim  the  fulness  and  to  maintain  the  dignity  A  this 
tri(e  Christ,  is  the  one  great  employment  and  purpose  of  all  truly 
Evangelical  ministration.  Following  the  Apostles,  we  are  not  to 
cease  to  teach  and  preach  Jesus  Christ  the  Lord,  to  unfold  His  ex- 
cellence, to  describe  His  power,  to  expound  His  word,  to  utter  His 
invitations,  to  press  upon  all  the  acceptance  of  His  love  and  His 
salvation ;  and  to  make  known  to  man  '  what  is  the  hope  of  His 
calling,  and  what  are  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  His  inheritance  in 
the  saints,  and  what  is  the  exceeding  greatness  of  His  power  toward 
us  who  believe,'  that  '  in  Him  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  god- 
head bodily,'  and  '  we  are  complete  in  Him.' 

*'  Against  this  simi^licity  and  fulness  of  the  true  Christ,  all  false 
Christs  unceasingly  contend.  In  this  one  point  of  warfare  they 
continually  unite.  Their  purpose,  and  their  operation  and  influ- 
ence are  to  supersede  this  truv^  Christ,  either  by  denying  His  claims 
to  human  reverence,  or  by  assuming  to  discharge  by  other  agen- 
cies the  offices  which  He  alone  is  authorized  to  fulfil.  Their  whole 
influence  and  power,  as  well  as  their  purpose,  are  false  Christs,  so 
far  as  the  work  and  the  person  of  Christ  are  concerned,  and  ruin- 
ous to  the  souls  and  hope  of  men,  if  their  authority  be  adopted  and 
received.  The  aspect  of  the  counterfeit  is  often  so  accurate  and  so 
attractive,  that  our  Lord  has  declared  '  they  would  deceive  the 
very  elect.'  And  he  as  solemnly  and  distinctly  commanded  His 
disciples,  'Believe  them  not;  go  not  after  them,  nor  follow 
them. 

"  IIL  Some  of  these  false  Christs,  as  we  meet  with  them  in  the 
relations  of  our  own  time,  wo  will  separately  consider.  They  are 
all  combined  in  the  one  fact  of  hostility  to  this  simplicity  and 
fulness  of  the  true  Christ;  and  to  the  great  truth  that  all  the 
provisions  for  human  salvation  are  to  be  found  in  Him.  Their 
common  purpose  is  to  supersede  this  true  revelation  from  God 
which  directs  every  human  soul  to  *  Jesus  only,'  and  binds  the 
faith,  the  hope,  the  afi'ections  of  redeemed  men  entirely  upon   Him. 


486  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyngy  D,D, 

But  their  anti-Christian  warfare  is  with  varied  weapons,  and  from 
differing  points  of  assault. 

"  I.  There  is  the  False  Christ  of  Theistical  Rationalism. 

"  This  scheme  of  human  hostility  to  the  gospel  of  Jesus  denies 
the  fulness  of  that  divine  inspiration  which  has  been  known  to 
man,  the  person  of  this  glorious  Saviour,  as  well  as  the  complete- 
ness for  man  of  His  amazing  work  of  love  and  power.  It  throws 
man,  deprived  of  this  infallible  guide  in  the  divine  word,  ministered 
and  applied  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God,  upon  the  mere  authority 
and  conclusions  of  his  own  reason,  and,  separated  from  a  finished 
and  justifying  Saviour  revealed  in  that  inspired  word,  upon  the 
sufficiency  and  merit  of  his  own  goodness  and  virtue.  That  pre- 
cious written  word  of  God,  which  the  true  Christ  says  is  sanctifying, 
eternal  truth,  '  written  by  holy  men  as  they  were  moved  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,'  '  given  by  inspiration  from  God,'  this  false  Christ 
openly  rejects.  It  treats  them  simply  as  ancient,  anonymous, 
childish  writings,  abounding  with  errors  in  statement,  and  inevit- 
ably consumed  in  the  flames  of  an  enlarging,  searching,  analyzing 
human  criticism.  Perhaps  it  coldly  acknowledges  Jesus  as  an 
actual  person  in  history;  as  a  mere  mortal,  fallible  teacher,  remark- 
able, in  the  darkness  of  His  own  age,  as  an  example,  perhaps,  of 
individual  excellence  in  human  character;  as  a  guide,  it  may  be, 
to  be  followed  in  some'  degree  in  the  discharge  of  habitual  moral 
obligations  in  human  life.  But  it  resolutely  denies  His  absolute 
divine  authority;  His  claim  as  the  only  divine  revealer  of  God  to 
man;  and  His  right  in  any  sense  to  be  considered  as  personally  the 
one  divinely  authorized  Saviour  for  man,  the  one  atoning  sacrifice 
for  the  guilty,  the  only  ransom  for  the  soul  condemned;  the  fuU 
propitiation  in  behalf  of  the  guilty;  and  the  actual  Redeemer  for  the 
captive  sinner. 

"  In  this  open  denial  of  the  true  Christ  and  great  God  and  Sa- 
viour manifest  in  the  flash,  believed  on  in  the  world,  received  up 
again  to  glory;  what  is  the/aZse  Christ  which  such  a  scheme  pro- 
poses as  the  alternative  to  my  acceptance  and  trust  ?  My  own 
fallible,  feeble,  darkened  understanding  as  my  only  guide;  mere 
human  goodness,  with  all  its  frailties;  ^  works  of  righteouness 
which  I  have  done,'  with  all  their  defects.  These  are  my  only 
basis  of  acceptance  before  tha  spotless  throne  of  God,  and  the  sin- 
gle foundation  of  my  hope  at  the  judgment  seat  of  His  everlast- 
ing law.  Divine  authority,  absolute  truth,  complete  salvation, 
abounding  grace,  a  sanctifying  redemption,  all  trodden  in  the  dust 
of  human  presumption  and  the  creature's  pride.     Their  sure,  sus- 


Relatio7i  to   Controversies,  487 

taining  provisions  for  human  hope, — the  very  garden  of  the  Lord, — 
exchanged  for  the  barren  wilderness  of  human  goodness,  man's 
discovery,  and  the  feeble  power  and  attainments  of  his  invention. 

"  These  are  the  offerings  of  the  false  Christ,  crying  with  vain 
assumption  '  Lo  here,  and,  lo  there;'  abroad  from  us  in  varied 
shapes  of  human  unbelief  and  self-confident  dependence;  occupy- 
in"- large  assemblies  of  men;  filling  much  of  the  literature  of  the 
day;  claiming  all  the  authority  of  breadth  of  view,  of  intellectual 
exaltation,  of  rational  conceptions  of  religious  truth  and  duty; 
that  they  may  tread  beneath  their  feet  the  claims  of  divine 
inspiration  and  pure  Evangelical  truth. 

"  My  gracious  Lord  says  lo  me,  'Believe  them  not;'  '  go  not 
after  them  nor  follow  them.  They  will  deceive,  if  it  were  possible, 
the  very  elect.'  They  will  bring  upon  all  whom  they  do  deceive  a 
sure  destruction.  Oh,  cling  to  the  glorious  deity  of  your  Saviour  ! 
Grasp  with  unshrinking  confidence  and  tenacity  the  divine  ful- 
ness of  His  unalterable  word.  Lay  hold  with  a  firm  hope,  upon  His 
unlimited  and  unsearchable  redemption.  Stand  strong  and  com- 
plete, in  His  infinite  fulness.  Hold  fast  to  the  perfect  imputed 
righteouness  of  Christ,  your  only  merit  before  God.  Yield  not 
these  inestimable  principles  of  gospel  truth.  Let  no  man  take 
from  you  your  blood-bought  crown. 

"II.    There  is  the  False    Christ  of  Impertinent   Traditionalism, 

"  Rationalism  destroys  the  gospel  by  deiDletion;  traditionalism,  by 
inhumation.  It  sets  aside,  rejects  the  full  and  complete  authority  for 
human  faith  in  the  inspired  word  of  the  true  Christ;  and  presents, 
in  its  stead,  the  accumulating  inherited  comments  and  judg- 
ments of  men,  in  their  successive  generations,  as  of  co-ordinate 
control. 

"  The  true  Christ  is  the  one  great  prophet  and  teacher  in  His 
Church.  His  word  is  truth.  His  word  is  perfect — forever  set- 
tled in  Heaven,  unchangeable,  authoritative  upon  earth.  That 
word  alone  man  is  everywhere  bound  to  believe  and  obey.  It 
was  'given  by  the  divine  breathing.'  It  is  '  able  to  make  men  wise 
unto  salvation.'  It  will  guide  those  who  receive  it  with  assurance, 
unto  eternal  life,  through  grace  to  glory.  It  will  make  the  man  of 
God  who  thus  receives  it  '  perfect,  thoroughly  furnished  unto  all 
good  works.'  It  gives  to  the  simple,  when  believing,  divine  under- 
standing. It  is  to  bo  interpreted,  impressed,  made  effective  and 
sanctifying  upon  every  humble,  believing  soul  by  the  same  Holy 
Spirit  who  gave  it  to  man,  and  who  speaks  of  it  in  the  fulness  and 
glory  of  the  finished  work  of  Jesus  the  Lord  of  all.     This  inspired 


488  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

word,  stands  related  to  all  human  judgment  as  Heaven  stands  to 
earth;  exalted  and  supreme.  Between  it  and  the  ^highest  human 
authority,  there  is  a  distance,  a  chasm,  deep,  wide,  absolute  and  in- 
delible. 

*'  No  principle  of  divine  teaching  which  the  Lord's  Church  has 
received,  is  more  important  to  the  glory  and  the  authority  of  the 
true  Christ  than  this.  *  The  word  of  the  Lord  is  perfect,  converting 
the  soul,'  or  that  immortal  cry  of  the  glorious  Beformation,  '  the 
Bible  alone  is  the  religion  of  Protestants.' 

"  But  this  false  Christ  hbels  this  sacred  word  of  the  true  Christ, 
to  magnify  and  exalt  its  own  idol  of  human  authority  and  of  man's 
tradition  in  its  interpretation.  It  constantly  says  :  The  Bible  is 
dark,  unintelligible;  tradition  must  explain  it.  The  Bible  is  frag- 
mentary, tradition  must  consohdate  and  systematize  it.  The  Bible 
in  a  free  private  interpretation,  promotes  individualism  and  sepa- 
ration; tradition  establishes  a  Church  authority,  which  must  inter- 
pose to  limit  and  dispense  its  communications.  The  Bible  is  not 
safe  in  a  free  bestowal  of  itself  upon  man.  Thus  the  ministers  of 
this  false  Christ  set  aside  the  commandments  of  God  to  give  place 
to  their  boasted  tradition.  In  reality,  Church  interpretation  is  ex- 
alted above  Scripture  assertion.  The  Word  of  God  is  made  of  no 
effect,  by  the  authority  of  man;  and  the  books  of  man's  invention 
are  made  to  supersede  the  unspeakable  gift  of  God  in  His  own  in- 
spired communications  for  the  instruction  and  salvation  of  man. 

"  In  this  traditional  system  that  is  true  which  certain  councils  of 
men  have  established,  which  Christians  of  an  earlier  day  professed 
to  have  inherited  from  the  Apostles.  It  is  true,  not  because  it  is 
the  Word  of  God  and  may  be  surely  proved  by  the  Word  of  God, 
but  because  it  has  been  declared  and  transmitted  by  the  concur- 
rent tradition  of  men;  as  if  the  inaccessible  and  often  doubtful 
writings  of  half-enlightened  men,  were  more  easily  understood 
and  could  be  more  practically  followed,  than  the  simple,  unerring 
word  of  the  living  God,  which  is  light  and  in  which  there  is  no 
darkness  at  all. 

"  This  impertinent  traditionalism  is  indeed  a  false  Christ,  for 
which  men  point  me  to  some  assumed  imagined  Church  authority, 
and  say,  '  Lo,  He  is  here;  or,  lo  He  is  there.'  And  for  the  alleged 
value  of  which,  they  would  persuade  me  to  give  up  the  one  true 
Christ.  This  sole  prophet  and  teacher  of  His  redeemed  Church, 
this  pure  gold  of  an  infallible  Saviour,  God  manifest  in  the  flesh, 
revealed  in  His  word,  accepted  and  believed  in  my  grateful  heart, 
dwelling  within  me  by  His  own  Spirit,  my  hope  of  glory,  I  am 


Relation  to  Controversies,  489 

asked  lo   exchange  for  the  miserable  amalgam  of  a  human  fabri- 
cation. 

"  Shall  we  follow  such  teachers  ?  Shall  we  listen  to  them  ? 
Shall  we  go  after  them?  Shall  we  receive  them  when  they  come 
to  us  ?  Our  gracious  Lord  says;  '  Believe  them  not,  they  will  de- 
ceive, if  it  were  possible,  even  the  elect.' 

"  The  real  question  at  issue  with  them  for  us,  is  the  great  pro- 
phetic office,  the  living  word  of  God  s  anointed  Saviour.  Shall  this 
be  supreme  or  not  ?  Shall  Jesus  only  be  the  light  of  the  world,  an 
all-sufficient  guide,  an  all-prevailing  Redeemer?  This  we  cannot 
yield,  without  adopting  the  profanity  of  Esau,  and  in  sacrificing 
the  truo  Christ,  the  only -begotten  of  the  Father,  sell  our  immortal 
birthright  for  that  which  yields  us  nothing.  Well  did  the  martyrs 
of  the  Reformation,  dying  by  the  violence  of  these  servants  of  man's 
tradition,  cry  out,  even  in  the  flames,  '  None  but  Christ,  none  but 
Ohrist.'  May  God  give  us  the  grace  to  imitate  their  fidelity,  to 
maintain  their  testimony,  and  to  prolong  and  perpetuate  their  un- 
shrinking choice  and  decision. 

"  III.  There  is  the  False  Christ  of  a  B.oUoio  Ceremonialism. 
"  The  true  Christ  is  the  one  finished,  all-sufficient  sacrifice  for  hu- 
man sin,  once  offered  forever.  The  one  obedience,  as  the  righteous- 
ness for  man,  forever  accomplished.  The  one  great  High  Priest 
within  the  veil,  who  hath  magnified  the  unchanging  law  and  made  it 
honorable;  who  hath  by  His  own  obedience  and  death  in  their  stead, 
become  the  eternal  salvation  of  His  people.  They  are  clothed  with 
Him,  by  His  own  Spirit.  He  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for  them. 
Thpy  are  justified,  accepted  through  a  living  faith  in  their  hearts  in 
this  completed  work  of  grace,  given  to  them  freely;  made  theirs  by 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

"  Thus  God  has  become  their  salvation.  Believing  in  Him  as 
their  justifying  God,  they  trust  and  are  not  afraid.  In  this  great 
work  of  divine  wisdom,  love  and  power,  freely  and  forever  justified, 
they  live.  They  are  kept  by  the  power  of  God,  in  perfect  peace, 
because  their  hearts  arc  stayed  on  Him.  This  is  the  true  Christ;  the 
true  God;  to  them,  for  them,  eternal  Ufe.  In  Him  believing,  His 
people  are  at  rest,  are  kept  from  idols,  and  rejoice,  with  joy  un- 
Hpeakiible  and  full  of  glory,  in  Him  who  is  all  their  salvation  and  all 
their  desire. 

"  But  this  whole  schemo  of  complete  divine  salvation,  in  a  fin- 
ished, triumphant  Saviour,  the  false  Christ  of  hoUow  ccrcmonialLsm 
rejects.  Its  deceiving  agents  tell  us  of  *  a  salvable  state,'  as  the 
portion   of  the  Lord's  redeemed  ones,  in  which,  though  bclieviDg 


490  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyngy  D.D, 

in  a  Saviour,  man  has  not  salvation,  but  the  contingent  possibility 
of  attaining  it,  through  Christ  indeed,  but  in  reality,  by  his  own 
observances  and  works,  and  in  submission  to  the  priesthoods  and 
ordinances  of  man,  claiming  the  appointment  of  the  Saviour  Himself. 
They  tell  us  of  a  justification,  which  is  not  complete  in  this  only- 
begotten  Son,  for  the  believing  soul,  but  is  to  be  progressive  and 
increasing,  dependent  upon  the  inwrought  righteousness  of  man, 
made  up,  in  part  at  least,  by  sacraments  and  ordinances  of  his  own 
observance  and  celebration. 

"  They  set  aside,  the  one  great  offering,  of  a  Kedeemer's  fulness, 
once  for  all;  and  tell  us  of  a  continued  and  perpetually  repeated  of- 
fering of  the  Saviour's  body  and  blood  in  a  commemorative  sacrifice 
which  human  priests  must  offer,  and  in  which  submissive  commun- 
icants must  assist  and  co-operate.  They  lift  up  the  emblems  of 
their  assumption,  in  a  superstitious  exaltation,  and  demand  the 
lowly  prostration  of  worshippers  before  the  token  of  man's  device, 
saying  of  this:  *Lo,  Christ  is  here.'  They  call  the  communion  table 
of  the  gathered  disciples,  'the  Lord's  board,'  as  the  Reformers 
styled  it  ^  the  throne  of  ^Jesus,'  the  altar  of  God,  and  ^demand  the 
reverence  which  is  due  to  Christ  alone,  to  be  presented  there. 

"  They  transform  the  pure  and  spiritual  worship  of  an  Evangel- 
ical Church,  a  household  of  believing,  intelligent  servants  of  the 
Lord,  who  asks  a  reasonable  service,  into  a  routine  of  bowings  and 
prostrations,  of  chantings  and  processions,  of  decorations  and  va- 
ried robes,  of  albs,  dalmatics,  chasubles  and  maniples,  of  variegated 
altar  cloths,  and  frontals  and  super-frontals,  until  the  whole  of  that 
which  our  fathers  established,  as  a  pure,  dignified  and  spiritual 
worship,  becomes  a  confused  and  shifting  scene  of  debasing  and 
ridiculous  superstition,  far,  in  aspect  and  influence,  from  that  '  wor- 
ship of  the  Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth,'  which  our  glorious  Lord 
appointed  and  our  reformed  and  Evangelical  Church  received. 

"If  this  were  mere  ceremony,  it  might  be  judged  and  consid- 
ered as  an  external  thing,  but  its  wickedness  and  injury  are,  in 
making  it  a  false  Christ;  a  substitution  of  ceremony  for  a  Saviour; 
the  setting  aside  the  true  Christ  and  His  perfect  and  completed  work 
of  salvation,  for  the  believing  soul,  as  unfinished  and  incomplete, 
for  a  false  Christ  of  empty  and  debasing  ritualism. 

'  The  one  exalted  and  jDerfected  priesthood  of  the  Son  of  God, 
is  exchanged  for  a  mere  mimetic  scheme,  of  vain  and  self-righteous 
conformity.  *  Bodily  exercise,'  wdll  be  substituted  for  the  faith  of 
the  heart,  and  solemn  pretension  of  aspect,  for  the  holiness  and 
beauty  of  a  spiritual  life,   of  loving  communion  with  Jesus,   and 


Relation  to  Controversies,  491 

peaceful  and  trustful  satisfaction  with  His  work  and  will.  Here 
the  one  great  thing  at  stake  is  the  glory  of  the  Saviour,  the  fulness 
and  sufficiency  of  His  priesthood  and  His  sacrifice.  And  when  such 
interests  are  involved,  much  as  we  may  willingly  concede  the  sin- 
cerity of  those  engaged,  we  cannot  compromise  with  error,  so  fataL 
We  dare  not  be  silent  and  acquiescing,  when  such  deceitful  working 
is  corrupting  and  destroying  the  Church.  The  more  personally 
exemplary  in  conduct  and  attractive  in  aspect  are  the  persons  and 
af^encies  concerned,  the  more  dangerous  is  the  counterfeit  issued 
and  certified  by  them. 

"  Shall  we  then  be  silent?  Shall  we  follow  such  teachers  with- 
out a  protest,  without  a  declaration  of  the  precious  truths  of  the  Sa- 
viour's gospel,  while  they  thus  exalt  the  false  Christ  of  empty  cere- 
mony, and  cry :  '  Lo,  Christ  is  here  '  ?  Shall  we  sacrifice  the  one  great, 
all-sufficient  priesthood  and  sacrifice  of  Jesus,  to  be  by  us  received 
with  the  heart  in  a  living  faith,  through  the  inward  teaching  and 
power  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  for  all  the  trifling  debasing  mummery  of 
men  ?  Shall  we  adopt  their  false  Christmas  our  Christ  ?  Or  shall  we 
not  rather  obey  our  gracious  Lord's  command:  'Believe  them  not, 
go  not  after  them  nor  follow  them.'  From  such  turn  away.  You 
cannot,  must  not  hesitate  in  your  path  Oi  duty  in  connection  with 
this  great  subject.  Cling  to  your  glorious  exalted  Saviour  as  the 
one  true  Christ.  Strive  to  enlarge  His  dominion,  in  the  spiritual 
gathering  of  souls,  in  a  true  conversion  to  Him  by  the  Holy  Ghost, 
in  a  faithful  conformity  to  His  spiritual  teaching,  and  His  separating 
sanctifying  work.    There  is  security,  there  is  life  for  you,  and  there  alone. 

"IV.  There  is  the  False  Christ  of  an  Assuming  Ucdesiasticism, 
claiming  exclusive  divine  authority,  and  denouncing  all  who  do  not 
submit  to  its  demand.  The  true  Christ,  the  one  true  anointed 
Ruler  of  the  Church  of  God,  is  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  Himself.  The 
kingdom,  the  power  and  the  glory  are  His.  That  power  and  glory 
He  will  not  give  to  another.  His  own  word  is  the  one  standard  and. 
law  for  His  kingdom.  His  people  are  those  who  love  Him  in  sin- 
cerity and  truth.  His  Spirit  ruling  in  the  hearts  of  His  chosen, 
peoj^le  is  the  one  representative  and  agent  of  His  will  and  power. 
By  that  Spirit  they  are  created  anew  after  His  image  and  live  accord- 
ing to  His  will  and  for  His  honor.  Through  that  Spirit,  by  a  true 
and  living  faith,  they  embrace  His  promises,  are  conformed  to  His 
will,  are  justified  iu  His  obedience  for  them  ;  ai*e  made  to  love  Him 
with  a  grateful  affection  ;  and  have  all  grace  from  Him  through  the 
power  of  His  Spirit  abounding  in  and  upon  them  forever.  Thus 
our  Church  describes  the  members  of  this   true  and  spiritual  llock 


492  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng^  D,D, 

of  Jesus  :  Article  XVII.,  '  They  which  be  endued  with  so  excellent  a 
benefit  of  God,  be  called  according  to  God's  purpose  ;  by  His  Spirit 
working  in  due  season,  they  through  grace  obey  the  calling,  they  be 
justified  freely  ;  they  be  made  the  Sons  of  God  by  adojDtion  ;  they 
be  made  like  the  image  of  His  only-begotten  Son  Jesus  Christ;  they 
walk  religiously  in  good  works  ;  and  at  length,  by  God's  mercy, 
they  attain  to  everlasting  felicity.' 

*'  The  false  Christ    of  which  I  now  speak,  overturns  and  denies 
this  exalted    scheme  of  the  Saviour's  grace  and   wisdom,   and  in  a 
series  of  propositions,   fundamentally  destructive  of  it,  announces  : 
The  only  trae    Church  of  Christ  is  an  outward,  visible  organization 
of  men,  under  an    Episcopal   government  and   ministry,  personally 
transmitted  from  His  Apostles :  all     other   professed   ministers   of 
iTesus  are  but  the   agents  of  a  schism  ;  salvation  for  man  is  only  to 
be  surely  found   in  a    Church  and  under  a  ministry  thus   apostoli- 
i^ally  transmitted  ;  all  other  professed  followers  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Jira  left  with  possible  holy  persons    among  the  heathen,  to  the  un- 
fiovenanted  mercies  of  God.      Salvation  is  dispensed  in  this  Church 
through  the    outward  sacraments    which  are   ministered  by  its  au- 
thority.     The  efficiency  of  sacraments  depends    upon  the  authority 
f)f  the  person    who  ministers  them.     Thus  only  can  men  habitually 
be  brought  to  Christ  and  be  edified  in  Him. 

*•'  The  perfection  of  this  scheme  which  Cecil  calls,  *  the  master- 
piece of  Satan,'  is  to  be  found  in  the  Church  of  Eome.  Ambitious, 
arrogant,  paltry  imitations  of  it  are  thrusting  themselves  far  more 
widely  upon  professedly  Protestant  Churches.  Their  advocates 
call  the  glorious  Eeformation  '  a  hideous  blunder.'  They  bring 
their  schemes  of  error  before  us  as  a  false  Christ,  assuming  divine 
authority,  demanding  concession  and  subjection.  But  how  fearful 
would  be  this  issue  !  They  would  destroy  the  liberty,  wherewith 
Christ  hath  made  us  free,  and  lay  us  bound  and  helpless  beneath 
the  feet  of  an  arrogant  priesthood,  claiming  to  be  the  only  lawful 
Tepresentation  of  Jesus,  and  the  sole  dispensers  of  His  mercy  and 
His  wrath.  They  bless  those  whom  the  Lord  hath  not  blessed. 
They  call  those  whom  the  Lord  hath  graciously  cleansed  common 
and  unclean.  They  refuse  personal  holiness  of  life,  the  love  of 
God  shining  in  the  character  of  men,  the  work  of  the  Spirit  of  God 
in  the  human  soul,  as  insufficient  for  the  Christian  life,  and  exalt 
ordinances  and  forms  into  the  place  of  practical  goodness  and  liv- 
ing, personal  conformity  to  Christ.  And  pointing  to  this  enclosure, 
walled  by  human  skill  9,nd  human  purpose,  they  cry  aloud,  '  Lo..  here 
is  Christ.' 


Relation  to  Controversies,  .  493 

"  Shall  we  adopt  this  false  Christ  ?  Shall  we  willingly  or  su- 
pinely yield  to  such  assumptions,  and  submit  to  such  authority  ? 
Our  Lord  says  :  *  Believe  them  not  Go  not  with  them  nor  follow 
them.'  In  personal  relations,  we  would  live  peaceably  with  all 
men.  In  religious  association  we  are  to  abhor  that  which  is  evil, 
and  cleave  to  that  which  is  good.  In  our  homes  and  habitations  we 
would  avoid  divisions.  In  the  Church  of  God,  this  false  Christ  of 
assuming  ecclesiasticism  we  utterly  renounce. 

"  In  carrj'ing  out  this  series  of  illustrations,  I  have  simply  described 
what  are  and  have  been  our  peculiar  antagonisms,  the  false  Christs 
with  whom  we  have  had  to  contend  in  our  personal  work  for 
Christ  in  His  Church.  With  these /oz^r  false  Christs  we  are  to  con- 
tend ;  we  are  set  for  the  defence  of  the  gospel,  the  maintenance'of 
the  authority  of  the  true  Christ,  and  to  each  of  us  He  says,  '  Be  thou 
faithful  unto  death  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life.'  Faithful- 
ness to  our  own  souls  requires  the  most  earnest  and  constant  watch- 
fulness over  principles  so  separating  and  so  important.  Steadfast- 
ness in  true  principles  and  in  an  earnest  support  of  them  is  the 
distinguishing  attribute  of  true  Christianity.  Let  us  be  alive  and 
earnest  in  this  one,  chosen  and  determined  purpose;  gathering  for 
Christ,  gathering  with  Christ,  and  giving  Him  all  the  glory.  To 
preach  the  glad  tidings  of  divine  grace,  we  are  to  proclaim  this 
glorious,  anointed  Saviour.  I  urge  you  to  adhere  to  this  simplicity 
of  divine  teaching  and  be  not  carried  about  by  varying  winds  of  doc- 
trine, by  the  deceitfulness  of  men.  Learn  more  perfectly,  adopt 
more  distinctly,  maintain  more  earnestly  this  one  great  j^rivilege  of 
a  redeemed  life,  having  all  riches  of  grace  and  hope  laid  \\^  for  you 
in  this  one  gracious  Being,  in  whom  all  fulness  dwells,  and  from 
whom  the  treasures  of  love,  of  mercy,  and  of  full  acceptance  with 
God  are  imparted  to  all  who  live  by  faith  in  Him." 


CHAPTER  XT. 

MINISTRY,  1870    to    1875. 

The  completion  of  the  seventieth  year  of  his  age  and  a  quarter 
of  a  century  as  the  Rector  of  St.  George's  Church  marks  an  inter- 
esting period  in  Dr.  Tyng's  life.  The  years  which  follow  bear  a 
retrospective  character  which  makes  them  peculiarly  distinct  from 
any  that  precede,  and,  in  consonance  with  their  events,  are  filled 
with  reminiscences  which  clearly  indicate  the  tendency  of  his  mind 
to  go  back  and  *  gather  up  the  fragments '  which  remained,  that 
nothinof  mi^ifht  be  lost. 

More  than  forty  years  had  been  spent  in  an  unbroken  city  min- 
istry, amid  the  trials,  the  difficulties  and  cares  which  such  a  minis- 
try involve.  In  all  this  time  he  had  walked  among  men,  in  the 
constant  view  of  a  multitude,  with  a  reputation  unimpeached,  and, 
though  opposed  by  many,  with  a  character,  honored  and  respected 
by  all.  His  whole  ministry  had  been  a  constant  example  of  the 
great  principles,  he  had  taught  :  in  public,  an  unceasing  proclama- 
tion of  the  one  great  message  of  salvation  ;  in  private,  a  contin- 
ued exercise  of  pastoral  watchfulness  and  personal  sympathy  ;  in 
all  its  influence  a  pattern  of  holiness  and  love. 

Marvellous  would  be  the  record,  could  it  be  made  in  detail,  of 
his  personal  ministry  to  his  people  during  all  these  years.  With 
unfailing  interest  and  concern,  seeking  the  welfare  of  all  to  whom 
he  was  sent,  he  had  ministered  to  them  in  their  hours  of  trial  and 
seasons  of  distress  with  a  fidelity  which  could  never  be  surpassed. 
Most  truly  might  the  afflicted  and  the  needy  say  of  him,  '  I  was 
an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  meat  ;  I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me 
drink  ;  I  was  a  stranger  and  ye  took  me  in  ;  naked  and  ye  clothed 
me.  I  was  sick  and  ye  visited  me ;  I  was  in  prison  and  ye  came  unto 
me.'  No  form  of  need  or  circumstances  of  distress  failed  to  enlist 
his  earnest  sympathy  or  was  passed  by  unheeded  or  unrelieved. 
'  Turn  not  thy  face  from  any  poor  man,'  was,  he  often  said,  the 
injunction  which  had  been  laid  upon  him,  and  rigidly  adhering  to  the 

494 


Ministry,  i8jo  to  iSj^.  495 

scriptural  rule  of  setting  apart  at  least  a  tenth  of  all  that  he  re- 
ceived, the  amount  of  his  personal  benefactions,  incessant  and  un- 
recorded, it  would  be  impossible  to  compute.  Great  though  his  in- 
fluence among  men,  and  his  opportunities  of  gain,  he  would  never 
allow  them  to  be  used  either  for  his  own  self-aggrandizement  or  the 
benefit  of  any  one  connected  with  him  ;  yet,  while  simple  and  even 
abstemious  in  his  personal  taste  and  habit,  there  was  with  him  a 
largeness  and  generosity  of  dispensation  for  others  which  took  no 
thought  and  gave  no  opportunity  for  the  accumulation  of  even  so 
much  as  would  have  been  justified  as  provision  for  his  own  future 
needs. 

In  surveying  the  period  which  he  had  thus  passed,  he  recalled 
the  many  blessings  which  he  had  enjoyed  and  the  unbroken  peace 
which  had  existed  in  all  the  relations  in  which  he  had  stood. 

"Not  one  dissension  with  a  vestry,"  he  says,  "not  one  disturb- 
ance in  a  Sunday-school  ;  not  one  schism  or  controversy  in  a  con- 
gregation, has  marred  the  peace  of  these  forty  years.  Individual 
men  have  sometimes  opposed  me  ;  not  one  woman  persecutor  have 
I  ever  met.  Dissatisfaction  has  quietly  departed  from  me,  silenc- 
ing its  complaints,  by  selecting  a  ministry  more  congenial  and 
gratifying,  and  I  have  been  left  in  peace  ;  not  the  mere  quietness 
of  desertion  in  a  wilderness,  but  the  harmony  of  united  satisfaction 
and  mutual  respect  and  confidence  in  a  community.  I  have  lived 
in  the  midst  of  the  most  tender  and  unchanging  affection,  which 
has  made  me  a  debtor  to  thousands  for  the  kindness  of  feeling 
which  has  [welcomed  me  ;  the  generosity  of  co-operation  and  as- 
sistance which  has  cheered  me  ;  the  sympathy  and  tenderness 
which  have  soothed  and  encouraged  me  ;  the  language  and  deeds 
of  hospitable  mindfulness  of  my  wants  which  have  materially  aided 
*ne.  I  have  been  permitted  to  dwell  among  my  people,  loving  and 
^eloved,  with  mutual  confidence  and  reciprocal  interest,  as  a  father 
and  brother  to  them  all.  No  man  could  justly  ask  for  more.  I 
have  been  j^ermitted  to  see  the  personal  influence  of  my  ministry 
acceptably  continued  even  to  old  age.  How  few  are  allowed  in 
our  time  to  keep  the  willing  ear  of  men  for  forty  years ! 

"  I  have  seen,  in  this  period,  scores  of  valued  and  faithful  ministers, 
sinking  in  sickness  and  death,  their  appointed  labors  early  finished  ; 
forced  from  the  active  ministry  in  bodily  or  mental  decay  ;  left  in  the 
corner  with  a  little  Hock,  from  the  weariness  and  love  of  change 
among  their  people  ;  compelled  to  change  their  locations  and  fields 
of  labor  from  the  discontent  which  assumed  to  reign  around  them  ; 
shelved   without    em2:)loymcnt,  'the   attractions    of    their    ministry 


496        "'  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tvng,  D.D, 

exhausted  ;  persecuted  under  most  unreasonable  hostility.  Amidst 
all  these,  God  has  been  pleased  to  spare  me  in  the  continuance  of 
my  work,  and  my  fortieth  year  of  city  ministry  has  been  as  numer- 
ously attended  and  apparently  as  satisfactorily  received  as  my  first. 
This  to  the  declining  years  of  life  is  a  great  and  pecuhar  comfort, 
the  mercy  of  which  I  desire  most  humbly  and  thankfully  to  ac- 
knowledge." 

In  a  sermon  commemorating  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of 
his  rectorship  of  St.  George's,  and  his  seventieth  birthday,  almost 
simultaneous  in  their  occurrence,  he  reviewed  in  a  similar  spirit 
the  years  which  his  life  had  spanned. 

The  text— Psalm  Ixxi.  17,  18,  19,  "O  God,  thou  hast  taught  me 
from  my  youth  :  and  hitherto  have  I  declared  thy  wondrous  works. 
Now  also  when  I  am  old  and  gray-headed,  O  God,  forsake  me  not; 
until  I  have  showed  thy  strength  unto  this  generation,  and  thy 
power  to  every  one  that  is  to  come.  Thy  righteousness  also,  O  God, 
is  very  high,  who  hast  done  great  things  :  0  God,  who  is  like  unto 

thee  ?" was  taken  as  presenting  four  distinct  yet  entirely  combined 

points  for  thought. 

A  glorious  scheme  of  divine  grace  and  truth  ;  the  privilege  of 
having  been  taught  it  in  youth  ;  the  blessedness  of  a  life  expended 
in  ministering  it  to  others  ;  the  retrospect  and  desire  of  age  con- 
cerning it. 

'^  These,"  he  said,  "  are  the  four  topics  which  are  manifest  in  the 
text  before  us.  I  do  not  feel  it  presuming  or  presumptuous,  to 
apply  them  to  the  pecaliar  circumstances  of  my  present  anniver- 
sary.    I  may  justly  apply  and  adopt  them  all. 

"  I  have  been  permitted  to  finish  the  period  of  life  divinely 
appointed  for  man.  Of  these  threescore  years  and  ten,  twenty^five 
have  been  passed  with  you.  The  two  anniversaries  come  for  me  in 
close  contiguity  to  each  other.  I  survey  them  both  as  parts  of  the 
same  perspective.  And  I  look  back  upon  them  as  including  a  period 
for  myself  over  which  divine  forbearance  has  spread  an  unchanging 
protection,  in  which  the  divine  bounty  has  opened  a  thousand 
springs  of  comfort;  and  through  the  whole  of  which,  divine  patience 
has  endured  with  ten  thousand  errors  in  personal  life. 

*'In  my  personal  relations,  I  look  back  upon  threescore  years 
and  ten  of  habitual  health,  of  unbroken  prosperity,  of  a  full  enjoy- 
ment of  all  the  advantages  of  social  and  personal  life.  In  reference 
to  that  gracious  providence  of  an  exalted  Saviour,  which  orders  all 
our  outward  condition,  I  have  come  behind  in  no  gift.  From  my 
earliest  childhood  nourished  in  tender  affection,  encompassed  with 


Ministry,  i8yo  to  i8yj,  407 

friends,  surrounded  with  kindness,  gentleness,  and  care,  I  ought  to 
acknowledge  the  goodnesss  of  my  redeeming  God, — in  His  own 
house  and  in  the  presence  of  His  own  people.  I  have  been  spared 
to  old  age,  with  few  bodily  infirmities.  I  have  been  favored  with 
a  reputation  among  men  far  beyond  any  rightful  claims  of  man.  I 
have  been  preserved  from  a  multitude  of  afflictions,  to  which  in 
others  I  have  been  permitted  to  minister.  I  have  suffered  but  few 
sorrows.      I  have  enjoyed  ten  thousand  gifts  of  peculiar  mercy. 

"  Upon  these  seventy  years  in  the  world  abroad,  I  look  back,  as 
perhaps  the  most  important  septennial  decade  which  has  passed  in 
the  history  of  man.     The   aspect  of  the  whole  population  of  the 
earth  has  been  in  various  illustrations  changed  in  its  progress.     It 
has  contained  most  important  conflicts  and  revolutions  in  modern 
Europe.     It  has  put  Asia  and  Africa  not  only  within  the  arms  of  the 
active   commerce  of  men,  but  under    the   practical  dominion  and. 
authority  of  European  civilization.     It  has  left  not   one   essential 
single  spot  of  territorial  discovery,  to  be  made  known  to  civilized 
man  on  the  surface  of  the  globe.     It  has   colonized   and  controlled 
by  the  same  wide-spreading  influence   all  the  islands  of  the  ocean. 
It  has  changed  the  land  in  which  we  dwell  from  a  mere  cultivated 
border  upon  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  a  dense  and  spreading  activity 
and  labor  from  one  sea  to  the  other.     It  has  raulti23lied  this  nation 
from  less  than  four  million  to  more  than  forty  million  of  responsi- 
ble  people.     It   has  revolutionized  commerce,  and  created  every 
variety  of  mechanical  art,  in  the  discovery  and  application  of  the 
powers  of  steam,  and  has  joined  the  iDtelligence  of  persons  and  of 
nations,  in  simultaneous  thought  and  action  by  the  wonderful  un- 
veiling and  application  of  electric  power,  as  if  the  mind  of  one  man. 
Could  you  put  this  world  back  again  in  its   outward  social   aspects 
where  it  stood  seventy  years  ago,  it  would  appear  to  you  but  in  its 
period  of  infancy. 

"  In  the  moral  aspect  of  the  world,  the  practical  influence  of  the 
Christian  Church  has  been  extended  as  widely  as  the  progress  of 
modern  civilization  and  practical  science.  Every  Missionary  society 
on  earth,  with  two  or  three  exceptions,  every  Bible  society,  every 
association  f(ir  religious  advancement  among  men,  every  useful  plan 
for  such  advancement  has  been  broup^lit  into  being  durinc^  this 
period,  and  uncounted  millions  of  the  children  of  men,  in  all  na- 
tions and  languages  of  earth,  have  received  the  Saviour's  truth  in  its 
living  power,  and  been  partakers  of  all  the  hopes  and  joys  which 
His  gospel  brings.  This  period  of  man  has  witnessed  the  abolition 
of  human  slavery,  the  extension  of  the  privileges  of  education,  and 


49 3  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyiigy  D.D, 

the  multiplying  of  the  opportunities  of  general  human  advancement, 
— in  personal  condition,  and  individual  responsibility, — as  the  un~ 
limited,  conceded  right  and  the  acknowledged  privilege  of  all  the 
children  of  man.  I  cannot  dwell  upon  farther  details  in  the  history 
of  this  wonderful  period  of  the  earth  and  man.  To  have  been  born 
and  lived  in  a  history  like  this  is  to  have  enjoyed  a  privilege,  and 
to  have  incurred  a  responsibility  of  equal  importance  and  influence. 
It  has  given  a  worth  to  individual  life  which  it  never  had. 

*'  Of  this  period  of  life,  I  have  passed  twenty-five  years  among 
you  as  the  rector  of  this  church,  and  the  appointed  pastor  of  this 
people.  I  have  preached  among  you  with  the  utmost  simphcity 
and  plainness  that  glorious  gospel  which  God  taught  me  in  my 
youth,  and  sent  me  forth  to  proclaim.  I  have  not  shunned  to  de- 
clare to  you,  so  far  as  He  has  been  pleased  to  teach  it  to  me,  '  the 
whole  counsel  of  God.'  Of  the  influence  and  character  of  this  min- 
istry, you  are  witnesses.  Of  some  of  its  results,  I  shall  speak  to 
you  this  day. 

"  By  the  goodness  of  God,  I  have  lost  but  two  Sundays,  in  sick- 
ness during    these   twenty-five   years.     Through  them   all    I  have 
met  with  a  liberality  of  provision,  a  personal  reverence  and  esteem, 
an   unvarying    exhibition    of    sympathy    and   kindness    from    the 
great  majority  of  those  with  whom  I  have  dwelt,  which  call  for  a 
public  acknowledgment  of  thankfulness   to  God,  and   of  grateful 
emotions  towards  a  faithful  and  beloved  people, — both  of  which  I 
desire  most  sincerely  to  render  this  day.     This  whole  period  of  my 
personal   ministry,  embracing  half  the  years  in  which  I  have  been 
allowed  to  preach  the   unsearchable  riches  of  Jesus  my  Lord,  has 
been  a  continuance  of  unbroken  prosperity.     It  has  been  a  minis- 
try which  has  been  familiar  to  some  of  you  during  its  whole  period. 
Barely   has  such  a   field    of  labor,  for  so  protracted  continuance, 
been  granted  to  the  ministry  of  man.     Why  it  has  been  granted  to 
me, — can  be  only  described  in  our  Lord's  own  words  :     *  Even  so. 
Father,  for  so  it  seemed    good  in  thy  sight.'     The  review  of  it  pros- 
trates me  with  the  spirit  of  unfeigned    thankfulness,  and  humbles 
me  with  a  sense  of  the   deepest   unworthiness,  before  His  heavenly 
throne  :  '  O  God,  thou  hast  taught  me  from  my  youth,  and  hitherto 
I  have  declared  thy  wondrous   works.' 

"And  now,  whatever  may  remain  of  this  ministry  among  you  by 
my  Lord's  appomtment  and  your  own  wish,  I  would  simply  and 
humbly  consecrate  to  the  same  glorious  Lord.  That  which  remains 
must  be  marked  by  increasing  infirmities.  But  it  may  be  accompa- 
nied with  a  deeper  and  more  useful  experience,  and  in  private,  if  not 


Ministry,  i8jo  to  i8y^,  499 

in  public,  be  still  useful  to  many,  ad  any  rate,  I  trust  I  shall  be 
allowed  to  lay  myself  down  to  rest  among  my  people,  in  God's  own 
time,  and  to  finish,  in  the  midst  of  those  who  still  remain  around  me, 
my  course  with  joy  and  my  Master's  work  with  patience.  By  His 
grace  strengthening  me,  I  desire  to  preach  His  precious  word,  as 
long  as  He  shall  open  a  door  before  me.  '  While  I  live,  will  I  praise 
Him.  I  will  go  on  in  His  strength  and  show  forth  His  righteousness 
and  His  salvation,  for  I  know  no  end  thereof.'  Ma}"  His  blessing  rest 
upon  you, — for  all  your  fidelity  to  me,  and  give  to  your  precious 
souls  forever  the  blessings  which  His  gospel  brings,  and  which 
the  days  in  which  [you  live  make  so  important  and  so  responsible 
for  you." 

In  this  spirit  he  entered  upon  the  future  of  his  ministry  with 
little  anticipation  that  many  years  would  be  added  to  a  life  already 
RO  prolonged.  No  failure  of  strength  was  apparent  in  either  body 
or  mind,  but,  unsparing  of  self,  unwearied  in  labors  for  others,  he 
worked  on  day  by  day  in  the  same  system  of  personal  ministry 
which  had  characterized  him  in  all  the  years  past. 

In  the  spring  of  187.'^,  having  projected  another  visit  to  England 
for  the  purpose  of  visiting  many  valued  friends,  the  Tract  and 
other  societies  requested  him  to  again  act  as  their  delegate  to  the 
anniversaries  of  the  kindred  societies  in  London.  On  his  first  visit 
in  1842,  he  had  gone  in  a  similar  capacity,  and  taken  an  active  part 
in  these  assemblies,  and  now  thirty  years  later,  in  old  age  again 
carrying  the  greetings  of  his  American  brethren,  engaged  not  less 
actively  in  all  their  proceedings.  The  notes  of  this  visit,  as  contained 
in  his  letters,  are  of  interest  chiefly  as  exhibiting  the  energy 
and  strength  with  which  he  was  thus  constantly  engaged,  and 
which  even  age  with  all  its  infirmities  could  not  restrain.  During 
a  fortnight  which  he  spent  in  London,  scarcely  a  day  passed  on 
which  he  did  not  speak  once,  and  frequently  he  addressed  as  many 
as  three  meetings  in  one  day,  without  perceptible  efi'ort  or  weari- 
ness.    Thus  he  writes  in  several  letters  : 

"  May  3rd.  I  am  here  going  on  in  my  meeting  with  friends,  and 
attending  the  anniversaries.  Wednesday  was  the  Bible  society.  A 
grand  and  crowded  meeting  in  Exeter  Hall.  Everything  on  the 
grandest  scale.  I  was  received  with  great  kindness  and  welcome, 
and  spoke  much  to  their  acceptance  Yesterday  morning  I  was  at 
a  conference  of  Sunday-school  teachers,  and  spoke  to  them.  In 
the  afternoon  I  spoke  at  the  Church  Pastoral  Aid  Society  at  St. 
James*  Hall.  In  the  evening  I  was  at  a  very  crowded  meeting  of  the 
Sunday-school  Union  at  Exeter  Hall.     Lord  Shaftesbury  presided. 


5oo  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

There  is  now  a  great  question  about  using  the  Bible  in  public 
schools.  It  was  referred  to  at  the  Bible  Society.  But  here 
the  committee  requested  Lord  Shaftesbury  not  to  refer  to  it.  It 
Wcis  a  great  insult.  He  agreed  to  it,  but  stated  the  fact  and  re- 
fused to  speak  in  consequence  : 

"  When  I  was  called  upon  to  address  the  meetmg,  I  took  the 
ground  that  I  could  not  be  fettered,  and  distinctly  refused  to  speak 
unless  the  restriction  was  withdrawn.  The  meeting  unanimously 
with  a  great  shout  ordered  it  so.  And  I  went  on  unembarrassed 
and  determined.  I  succeeded  in  carrying  the  meeting  with  me, 
and  was  made  triumphant.  It  is  curious  that  it  was  at  the  same 
anniversary  thirty  years  ago  that  they  made  a  row  with  me  about 
Slavery,  and  I  referred  to  it  to-day.  We  got  through  the  meeting 
well.     Thus  you  see  that  I  am  not  idle. 

"  Saturday,  May  4th.  At  eleven,  attended  the  anniversary  of 
the  Jews  Society.  Lord  Shaftesbury  presided.  I  went  after  the  ex- 
ercises had  commenced,  but  was  discovered,  and  made  to  sit  on  the 
platform.  Was  called  upon  to  speak,  which  I  cheerfully  did.  The 
meeting  was  unusually  large.  The  evening  was  the  annual  meet- 
ing of  the  Religious  Tract  Society.  A  very  united  and  pleasant 
meeting.  Here  I  was  a  delegate  from  the  American  Tract  Society, 
presenting  our  common  ground  and  labors.  I  spoke  to  them  with 
apparently  much  satisfaction.  This  morning  I  am  going  out  with 
Mr.  Seeley  to  his  country  home  to  dine,  and  then  to  Edward 
Bickersteth's  to  pass  Sunday.  I  am  not  much  "^ fatigued  with  what 
I  have  done,  and  feel  much  improved  and  strengthened.  Have 
many  invitations  to  make  country  visits.  AVhere  I  shall  go,  I  have 
not  yet  decided.  I  am  truly  grateful  for  all  the  mercies  thus  sur- 
rounding me. 

"  May  7th.  I  went  out  on  Saturday  to  pass  Sunday  with  Bick- 
ersteth  at  Hampstead.  Returned  yesterday  morning  to  London, 
and  spoke  at  the  Continental  and  Colonial  Missionary  Society  in 
the  afternoon,  and  at  the  London  Ragged  School  Union  in  the  even- 
ing ;  the  last,  one  of  Lord  Shaftesbury's  works :  a  wonderful  in- 
stitution. Fifty  thousand  of  the  poor  and  outcast  children  are  in 
their  schools,  under  the  care  of  Christian  teachers  and  friends,  to  be 
raised  to  usefulness  and  self-dependence.  It  was  a  wonderful 
meeting. 

"  Tuesday,  7th.  Irish  Church  Missionary  Society  at  11  A.  M. 
Delivered  an  address,  called  on  in  the  meeting  most  unexpectedly. 
In  the  evening,  Church  Sunday  School  Institute  at  Exeter  Hall. 
A  magnificent  meeting.     The  finest  I  have  seen.    Was  called  upon  to 


Ministry,  i8yo  to  18J5.  5oi 

speak,  and  received  with  great  attention.  The  Bishop  of  Gloucester 
presided.  I  think  no  man  ever  valued  or  prized  his  home  more  than  I 
have  And  God  has  graciously  given  me  a  very  prosperous  life  and 
a  happy  home.  If  I  should  never  see  it  again,  I  trust  my  memory 
will  be  cherished  in  love,  and  my  multiiDlied  infirmities  and  errors  will 
be  forgotten.  May  the  gracious  Lord  bless  and  keep  you  all  in  His 
own  abounding  love  and  faithfulness. 

"  May  13th.  I  am  getting  on  pretty  well,  though  I  quite  long 
to  be  back  in  my  own  dear  home  and  amidst  the  comforts  which  I 
never  find  equalled  in  any  other  place.  I  wrote  you  up  to  the  first 
of  last  week.  The  week  was  a  very  busy  one,  in  attending  the 
public  meetings  and  visiting  many  friends. 

"  Sunday  19th.     Went  in  the  morning  to  Belgrave  Chapel.    In 
the   evenino-   went  to    Spurgeon's  Tabernacle   late,    and  found  the 
street  gates   locked,  and    a  crowd    around    and  within    the  yard. 
The  house  had   no    standing  room  left.     Persuaded  an  official  to 
take   me  to  Mr.  Spurgeon,  and  was  led  around   to  the  rear    and 
then  up   into  the   pulpit,  where  I   sat.     Wonderful    sight,    seven 
thousand  people   intently    engaged,  gathered    to  hear  the  Word. 
Spurgeon  preached  admirably,  without  one  element  of    pretence  or 
assumption.     Faithful,  solid  and  simple.     Spoke  to   him  afterward, 
and  went  with  him  to  the  vestry.     Had  much  conversation.      At- 
tended  him  to  his    communion  in  the    basement,  nine     hundred 
present  there  ;  a  very  simple  but  impressive  service.     Invited    me 
to  his  prayer-meeting  on  Monday  evening.     This  evening  has  been 
most  edifying  to  me.     Spurgeon's  is  a  wonderful  work. 

"  Monday,  20th.  Holiday,  Whit  Monday.  Went  with  Seeley 
to  see  the  new  church  in  Kensington.  Considered  the  grandest 
new  church  in  London.  Very  inferior  in  interior  to  St.  George's, 
and  not  larger.  Called  on  my  dear  friend,  Henry  Venn.  He  is 
quite  laid  up  and  has  retired  from  work.  Lovely  visit,  a  true  man 
of  God.  AVe  conversed  about  the  whole  past  and  present  of  the 
Lord's  work.  Returned  to  London  gratified  and  thankful.  Went 
to  prayer-meeting  at  Mr.  Spurgeon's.  The  whole  floor  of  the 
Tal^ernacle  filled.  Serious  and  appropriate  prayers  from  six  lay- 
men.    Enjoyed  it  much.     I  made  an  address  to  the  congregation. 

"Tuesday,  21st.  Passed  the  morning  in  various  calls  on 
sociefioR   and  friends.     In  the  evening  at  a  prayer-meeting    at  Mr. 

Spurgeon's." 

Thus  was  ho  constantly  occupied  during  these  several  weeks. 
Of  the  friends  who  had  added  so  greatly  to  the  pleasure  of  his  for- 
mer visits  not  many  remained  alive,  but  with  these  few  he  greatly  en- 


5o2  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

joyed  tliis  opportunity  of  communion,  and  Lis  visits  to  Dean  Cams 
at  Bournemouth  and  Bishop  Anderson  at  Clifton  were  occasions  of 
special  pleasure.  After  leaving  London,  about  a  fortnight  was 
spent  in  such  visits,  and  then  on  the  15th  of  June  he  sailed  from 
Liverpool  and  gladly  arrived  at  his  home  once  more. 

Soon  after  his  return  a  very  cordial  invitation  was  received, 
urging  him  to  deliver  a  course  of  lectures  on  The  Work  of  the  Min- 
istry, to  the  students  of  the  Theological  School  of  the  Boston  Uni- 
versity. Unwilling  to  decline  an  invitation  of  such  a  character,  and 
especially  from  those  of  another  communion  than  his  own,  or  to 
lose  an  opportunity  for  usefulness  in  such  an  effort,  he  prepared  a 
course  of  five  lectures  on  the  subject  desired.  These  lectures,  in 
general  outhne  identical  with  those  previously  prepared,  were  nec- 
essarily, however,  much  condensed;  the  omission  of  much  of  interest 
being  required  to  compress  the  subject  into  the  time  allowed. 
They  were  delivered  in  Boston  during  September,  1873,  and,  in  sep- 
arate communications,  both  the  Faculty  and  Students  expressed 
their  grateful  acknowledgments  for  the  effort  thus  undertaken  for 
their  gratification  and  improvement.  At  their  particular  request, 
the  lectures  were  subsequently  pubHshed,  under  the  title,  "The 
Office  and  Duty  of  a  Christian  Pastor."  In  this  form  they  present 
the  principal  points  contained  in  his  former  lectures,  though  not  in 
the  same  fulness  of  detail  or  illustration. 

In  the  varied  associations  for  united  Christian  labor,  to  which 
Ms  efforts  had  been  so  largely  devoted,  he  still  retained  his  earnest 
and  abiding  interest.  The  responsibility  of  their  work,  he  felt, 
should  properly  devolve  on  younger  men,  but  he  still  was  ready  on 
every  occasion  to  render  them  any  assistance  which  they  might 
need,  and  seemed  to  remain  the  last  of  a  generation  gone,  to  give 
encouragement  in  the  present  by  his  recollections  of  the  past. 

Several  of  his  speeches  within  these  years  are  noteworthy  and 
interesting  in  their  reminiscences  of  the  men  and  events  with 
which  he  had  been  familiar  and  whom  he  was  thus  permitted  to 
recall  to  the  minds  of  a  succeeding  generation.  At  the  Anniver- 
sary of  the  American  Tract  Society  in  May,  1871,  the  President, 
Bishop  Mcllvaine,  being  unavoidabl;^  absent,  Dr.  Tyng,  as  the  old- 
est Vice-President,  was  called  to  preside,  and  in  his  address  on 
taking  the  chair  thus  reviewed  the  Society's  work  during  the  forty- 
six  years  then  past. 

"  The  necessary  absence  of  our  venerable  friend,  the  president 
of  this  society,"  he  said,  "  has  devolved  upon  me  the  duty  of  pre- 
siding-, and  I  stand  in  the  name  of  the  President  and  officers  of  the 


Ministry,  i8yo  to  i8j^,  5o3 

society,  to  extend  a  grateful  welcome  to  the  Cliristian  brethren 
around  us,  who  are  gathered  to  consider  its  interests,  and  unite 
our  efforts  for  its  future,  we  trust,  increasing  prosperity.  I  can- 
not but  call  to  mind  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  its  early  institu- 
tion, and  the  very  striking  fact  to  me  in  this  its  Forty-Sixth  anniver- 
sary is  that  I  look  back  upon  forty- four  years  since  I  first  spoke  upon 
its  platform,  at  its  Second  annual  meeting  in  the  old  City  Hotel  on 
Broadway.  I  was  then  a  remote  country  minister,  and  when 
permitted  for  the  first  time  to  plead  its  cause  in  public,  my  mind 
was  impressed  with  extreme  thankfulness  and  reverence,  surveying 
that  large  room,  crowded  to  its  greatest  extent,  and  the  platform 
crowded  with  men  arrayed  in  all  the  dignity  of  advanced  years, 
and  the  elegance  and  influence  of  a  generation  which  has  now 
passed  away  before  we  have  succeeded  in  becoming  old.  I  look 
back  upon  that  evening  and  upon  the  morning  of  the  next  day,  when 
the  American  Bible  Societ}  met,  as  presenting  two  of  the  grandest 
spectacles  which  to  me  had  ever  been  exhibited,  beyond  which  I 
have  seen  nothing  to  command  mj  attention  since. 

"  Nine  years  before  the  formation  of  this  society  the  American 
Bible  Society  had  been  formed  to  proclaim  the  unity  of  those  con- 
nected with  it,  and  the  acknowledgment  of  the  supreme  authority 
of  the  sacred  Scriptures  as  the  word  of  God.  But  it  hardly  took  the 
nine  years  to  elapse  before  there  grew  out  of  that  root  another 
unity,  a  unity  in  acknowledging  its  true  interpretation  ;  that 
there  was  a  doctrine  in  that  book  in  which  all  who  confessed  its 
authority  might  reasonably  and  justly  unite  ;  that  there  was  a  faith 
proclaimed  in  the  testimonies  of  that  book,  in  words  so  simple, 
so  plain,  so  manifest,  so  distinct  that  we  might  really  unite  upon 
a  platform  which  should  proclaim  the  doctrine  as  well  as  the 
authority  of  the  book.  We  fully  beheved  that  there  was  a  Church 
wider  than  any  of  the  Churches  ;  that  there  was  a  platform  of 
divine  truth,  on  which  persons  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
upon  the  earth  could  thoroughly  coincide  and  co-operate.  It 
was  the  conception  of  that  great  fact  that  led  the  men  who  were 
engaged  in  the  formation  of  this  society  to  enter  upon  this  experi- 
ment, which  was  then  considered  a  new  one;  to  carry  it  forward 
with  distinct  determination,  and,  as  the  result  proved,  with  tho 
most  entire  and  transcendent  success. 

"  We  believed  that  in  the  midst  of  the  Churches  around  us 
there  was  a  Church  wider  than  them  all,  more  comprehensive  than 
them  all;  that  Zion  contained  in  itself  glories  more  beautiful  than 
all  its  palaces;  and  instead,  therefore,  of  simply  inviting  the  Chris- 


5o4  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyiig,  D.D. 

tian  to  go  around  about  and  mark  its  towers,  bulwarks  and  palaces, 
it  was  in  our  heart  to  open  wide  its  portals  for  him  to  enter  in  and 
taste  all  the  divine  and  heavenly  provision  which  offered  an  open 
welcome  and  everlasting  support  to  all,  if  he  could  be  persuaded  to 
receive  its  invitation.  So  on  that  truth  we  proceeded  in  this  great 
work,  and  we  have  not  the  slightest  reason  or  intention  relin- 
quishing it.  We  present  in  this  society  the  body  of  saving  truth, 
and  come  before  those  who  are  called  denominations  with  the 
glory  of  the  Saviour's  work  as  forever  new,  the  fulness  of  the  Sa- 
viour's redemption  as  forever  free  and  flowing.  The  fountain  of 
the  Saviour's  pardoning,  [absolving,  saving  love  is  as  rich  and 
aboundin^^  to-dav  as  when  the  sacrifice  on  the  cross  attained  its 
work,  and  the  triumph  of  the  resurrection  proclaimed  its  comple- 
tion and  its  reign. 

''  In  this  society  we  have  in  reality  a  most  decided  exhibition  of 
that  real  spiritual  abiding  Church  for  which  the  Lord  gave  Himself 
and  was  content  to  die;  in  which,  over  which,  by  the  ruling  power 
of  His  Spirit,  He  abides,  to  govern,  to  control,  to  sanctify,  and  to 
save  the  nations  of  the  earth.  I  cannot  personally  allow  myself  to 
say  that  there  is  one  single  truth  to  be  pressed  upon  the  human 
mind  as  indispensable  for  the  soul's  salvation,  other  than  what  the 
Society  teaches.  You  may  bring  the  weary  sinner  to  the  Saviour's 
feet ;  you  may  be  permitted  to  guide  the  suffering  pilgrim  to  the 
Saviour's  bosom;  you  may  be  a  herald  of  the  love  of  Jesus  to  a 
lost  world,  but  it  is  not  until  there  is  a  realization  of  the  infinite 
fulness  and  atoning  power  in  His  death,  and  the  infinite  reality  of 
the  damnation  pardoned  on  the  cross,  that  there  is  any  hope  for  the 
sinner.  ]^  shall  leave  the  Churches  to  be  regulated  by  the  whims  of 
those  who  love  the  schemes  and  plans  of  their  invention.  For  me 
the  one  Church  of  God  is  that  Hving  body,  chosen  in  love  before 
the  foundation  of  the  world,  redeemed  by  Christ's  atoning  power 
in  the  fulness  of  time,  justified  in  the  perfect  accomplishment  of  the 
Saviour's  work,  ascension  and  occupation  of  the  eternal  throne. 

"  Upon  this  basis  this  society  carries  out  its  exalted,  triumphant 
work,  ceasing  not  day  nor  night  to  teach  and  preach  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  the  wisdom,  the  righteousness,  the  sanctification  of 
every  man  whose  heart  is  turned  to  accept  the  testimony',  and 
whose  soul  feeds  upon  the  provision  of  love  which  that  testimony 

brings. 

"My  friends,  to  me  at  this  end  of  life  everything  is  less  impor- 
tant than  the  glorious,  abiding  fulness  of  the  infinite  Saviour. 
There,  there  is  all  the  foundation  of  hope;  there  the  whole  of  the 


Ministry,  iSyo  to  i8j^,  5o5 

edifice  and  the  crowning  turret  of  glory;  there  the  home  which 
hope  promises  through  infinite  grace,  my  own  possession  and 
dwelhng  place  forever.  I  am  not  disposed  to  break  down  one  of 
the  towers  of  Zion;  but  I  must  be  permitted  to  say  Zion  is  Zion 
still,  without  one  turret  pointing  to  the  sky,  without  one  bulwark 
of  man's  wisdom  or  man's  inheritance.  Within  its  walls  I  desire 
to  have  my  dwelling  forever.  To  the  throne  of  that  King  of  Zion 
I  desire  to  press  forward,  in  scenes  of  everlasting  joy,  to  partake  of 
its  rest  and  glory  for  eternity. 

"  I  have  seen  workmen  die,  but  the  work  remains.  What  work- 
men of  exalted  character  has  the  Lord  been  pleased  to  employ  in 
this  society  !  I  cannot  but  recall  the  dignified  personages,  by  per- 
manent appointment,   in  the   position  which  I  occupy  to-night. 

"I  remember  well,  for  I  knew  him  from  my  boyhood,  the 
princely  and  munificent  Wilder,  who  was  like  a  plate  of  French  glass 
without  an  imperfect  vein,  a  perfect  exhibition  of  uprightness  and 
integrity  among  men,  as  well  as  of  exalted  devotion  to  the  glory  of 
the  Saviour,  whom  he  earnestly  loved.  May  I  be  permitted  to 
refer  to  some  personal  recollections  of  him  ?  He  habitually  spent 
his  Christmas  in  St.  George's  Church,  and  the  last  time  I  ever  saw 
him  at  our  communion,  he  said  to  me,  '  My  dear  doctor,  I  believe  I 
am  the  only  man  in  the  city  of  New  York  who  held  you  on  my 
knees  when  you  were  a  little  one.'  I  was  familiar  with  him  from 
childhood. 

"  I  remember  well  his  successor,  the  calm,  dignified  philosophic 
Williams,  a  man  who  came  to  us  literally  as  the  cream  of  a  Connect- 
icut dairy,  bringing  his  wisdom  and  earnestness  of  spirit  to  adorn 
his  position  as  our  president,  and  to  exalt  our  character,  in  the  ful- 
filment of  his  duties. 

"  Then  I  call  to  mind  that  eminently  spiritual  man  who  is  now 
in  our  society  as  its  president.  I  do  not  believe  there  is  a  single 
man  in  the  nation  more  spiritual,  more  heaven-taught  than  the 
present  President  of  the  American  Tract  Society. 

"In  recurring  to  those  who  have  passed  from  us  during  the  year, 
I  notice,  first,  John  Tappan,  one  of  the  oldest  vice-presidents  of 
our  societ}'.  I  may  speak  of  liim  from  an  intimacy  of  more  tlian 
sixty  years.  He  had  wonderful  sincerity  of  manner,  and  dignity  of 
character.  From  my  boyhood,  wlicn  he  was  a  young  merchant  in 
the  city  of  Boston,  I  have  traced  him  through  the  whole  period  of 
his  life.  In  the  peculiar  brightness  of  an  age,  unsulhed  by  re- 
proach, he  was  gathered  to  his  fathers,  in  the  joyful  hope  of  a 
glorious  inheritance  to  come.     Singularly,  in  my  last  visit  to  that 


5o6  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyngy  D,D, 

venerable  man,  I  said  to  him,  '  My  dear  friend,  that  glorious  crown 
for  which  you  have  been  looking  must  appear  brightly  to  you 
now.'  Tears  came  into  his  eyes,  as  he  said,  '  My  dear  doctor,  I  feel 
the  burden  of  sin  so  heavy,  that  if  I  live  much  longer  I  fear  I  will 
never  get  there.'  If  we  had  been  asked  to  point  out  a  man  most 
free  from  taint  of  sin,  we  should  not  have  hesitated  to  sa}^  John 
Tappan  was  that  man. 

"  I  call  to  mind  the  beautifully  spiritually  minded  Skinner, 
who  walked  among  us  in  Philadelphia  as  the  earnest,  sublime 
Christian,  who  held  the  torch  of  divine  testimony  so  firmly  before 
us  that  none  of  us  failed  to  witness  it  shining  upon  the  glorious 
countenance  of  the  Saviour,  which  we  had  to  preach  and  still  have 
to  preach.  Purity  of  character  and  suavity  of  manner  were  the 
charm  of  his  life. 

"  Why  shall  I  recount  the  particular  histories  of  all — the  exalted 
Mr.  Haines,  the  inflexible  Dr.  Pressly,  the  saintly  Dr.  Weed,  men 
of  high  distinction  and  influence  in  the  churches  which  they  occu- 
pied and  enlightened.  Last  of  all,  that  excellent  man  and  vener- 
able example  of  spiritual  character  in  the  ministry,  though  strained 
through  selves  of  ecclesiastical  wires,  through  six  months  suspen- 
sion. It  seemed  in  Philadelphia  at  the  time  that  the  Angel  Gabriel 
could  not  have  borne  more  meekly  the  constraint  than  did  Albert 
Barnes.  He  walked  among  us  as  the  gleaming  of  the  light  of  the 
moon  in  an  evening  without  clouds.  A  man  who  was  certainly 
right  in  the  spirit  of  his  calling,  if  he  might  be  technically  wrong 
in  the  theories  of  its  enunciation.  They  have  gone,  yet  the  Society 
remains. 

"  But  never  has  it  come  to  an  anniversary  when  its  work  was 
more  important  than  amid  the  atheism  and  materialism  of  this  day, 
amid  what  St.  Paul  calls  '  science,  falsely  so-called.'  These  are  the 
times  for  the  preaching  of  Jesus  as  the  only  sufficient  Saviour,  the 
authority  of  the  Word  of  God  as  the  only  all-sufficient  guide,  and 
the  Divine  Spirit  as  the  only  all-sufficient  sanctifier  and  teacher. 
There  is  no  cause  more  precious,  more  important,  more  influential, 
more  adapted  for  effective  work,  more  certainly  right,  more  sub- 
stantial, and  true,  and  sure  in  its  triumphs  than  that  of  this  Society. 
And  the  very  thing  which  is  wanted,  especially  at  this  time,  is  an 
overflowing,  overwhelming  circulation  of  just  such  knowledge,  in 
just  such  shapes  of  teaching  as  the  American  Tract  Society  is  pre- 
pared alone  to  give  to  the  people  in  the  publications  it  issues.  I 
therefore  call  upon  those  who  have  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  in  their 
souls,  to  establish  our  designs,  to  elevate  our  conceptions,  to  under- 


Ministry,  1870  to  187 S-  ^^7 

stand  our  plans,  which  in  contrast  with  all  we  have  ever  done  may- 
be styled  majestic  and  triumphant,  in  reference  to  the  works  they 
shall  produce." 

Many  of  these  organizations  with  which  Dr.  Tyng  had  been 
connected  in  their  origin,  as  through  all  their  subsequent  history, 
now  celebrated  the  completion  of  their  first  half  century  of  labor. 
On  many  of  these  jubilee  festivals  it  was  his  privilege  to  pay  his 
tribute  to  the  memory  of  associates,  so  many  of  whom  he  had  sur- 
vived, and  recount  the  difficulties  with  which  they  had  struggled  in 
the  foundation  of  institutions   now  established  in   usefulness  and 

power. 

It  was  with  peculiar  pleasure  that  he  thus  stood  at  the  Semi- 
centennial of  the  Theological  Seminary  of  Virginia  at  Alexandria 
on  the  25th  of  September,  1873.  Identified  as  he  had  been  with  its 
establishment  during  the  years  of  his  ministry  in  Maryland,  it  had 
remained  a  favorite  object  of  his  efforts  through  all  the  intervening 
years;  and  now  joining  with  its  Alumni  and  assembled  friends 
on  its  Fiftieth  Anniversary,  he  spoke  to  them  of  its  history  and  the 
principles  upon  which  it  was  founded,  in  an  address  of  which  the 
following  imperfect  outline  alone  remains: 

"  After  the  solemn  services  in  which  we  have  just  engaged," 
he  said,  "  bringing  that  dear  dying  Lam))  so  prominently  before  us, 
it  would  be  out  of  place  to  step  back  and  speak  of  any  thing  but 
the  gospel.  I  accepted  with  great  pleasure  the  invitation  to  be 
present  and  to  commune  in  spirit  with  those  that  are  here  and 
those  who  have  departed  from  us.  It  is  an  occasion  of  great  in- 
terest. I  can  remember  when  I  first  stood  upon  this  hill,  and  saw 
it  crowned  with  forests,  and  now  behold  it   as   it  is   this    day  I 

"  I  could  say  much  of  the  origin  and  progress  of  the  Seminary,  but 
it  is  rendered  unnecessary  by  what  my  revered  brother,  Dr.Packard, 
said  yesterday.  My  knowledge  agrees  with  his;  one  only  fact  he 
omitted  to  mention,  and  that  was  the  *  Maryland'  side  of  the 
history.  My  entrance  here  was  peculiar.  I  felt  interest  in  Vir- 
ginia in  1819,  when  I  first  shook  hands  with  Bishop  Meade,  and 
heard  him  preach.  Never  before,  in  an  Episcopal  pulpit,  had  I 
heard  such  a  sermon.  He  stood  in  the  pulpit  as  a  man ;  and  the 
first  time  I  ever  heard  the  hymn,  *  Sinners,  turn,  why  will  ye  die,' 
he  read  it.  Just  then  I  was  deeply  interested  in  religious  matters, 
had  just  been  converted,  and  my  youthful  heart  was  alive  and 
awake,  and  I  longed  to  licar  something  that  would  satisfy  my  long- 
ings, but  scarce  knew  where  to  look.  At  that  time  Boston  had 
nothing  to  give  in  the  way  of  the  gospel;  there  was  no  Evangelical 


5o8  Rev,  Stephen  Higgi7ison   Tyng,  D,D, 

preaching  there;  jel  even  then,  and  that  wiinoui  any  apparent 
means,  Cutler,  and  Parker  and  Edson  and  Hubbard  were  converted 
to  Christ,  of  whom  only  Edson  remains. 

"  At  this  time  there  were  three  schools  or  parties  in  the  Episcopal 
Church.  I  can  only  describe  them  as  they  appeared  to  my  mind. 
First,  was  the  Moderate  party,  with  Bishop  White  as  the  leader; 
then  the  extreme  High  Church  party,  led  by  Bishop  Hobart;  and 
last,  the  decided  Evangelical  party,  with  such  men  as  Griswold  and 
Moore.  It  was  a  time  of  great  excitement;  fierce  pamphlet  wars 
were  waged,  one  of  the  most  denunciatory  I  ever  read  was  against 
Bishop  Moore.  The  first  two  schools  were  about  equal  in  number; 
the  latter  was  very  feeble,  except  in  Virginia.  The  old  men  were 
followers  of  Bishop  White,  the  young  and  ambitious  clergy  followed 
Bishop  Hobart.  Of  the  five  hundred  ministers  then  in  the  Episcopal 
church,  there  were  about  fifty  who  were  willing  to  take  a  stand 
with  Bishop  Griswold.  The  only  place  I  knew,  where  there  were 
two  Evangelical  men  was  the  District  of  Columbia;  here  were 
Hawley  and  Mcllvaine.  Just  consider  my  condition,  when  I  came 
to  Hawley,  in  Washington,  and  joined  with  Mcllvaine,  in  George- 
town, and  lodged  with  Norris  in  Alexandria,  and  with  Dr.  Wilmer, 
whose  whole  life  was  an  illustration  of  truth  and  righteouness  and 
goodness.  I  believe  I  would  have  taken  the  poorest  worldly  rec- 
ompense to  sit  down   at  their  feet. 

"  In  the  Convention  of  Maryland,  in  1822,  the  Evangelical  party 
had  a  majority;  taking  advantage  of  it,  they  determined  to  establish 
a  Theological  Seminary  of  distinctive  Evangelical  principles.  Then 
Virginia  started,  then  they  in  Maryland  gave  up  their  plans,  and 
determined  to  unite  with  Virginia,  only  the  Seminary  must  be  within 
the  District.  God  be  praised  for  what  was  done.  Dear  young 
friends,  all  of  Evangelical  truth  in  the  United  States,  and  of  any 
Evangelical  ministry,  is  connected  immediately,  or  has  resulted 
from  this  one  Institution. 

"  We  have  been  brought  to  a  crisis  in  the  history  of  the  Church; 
but  it  is  nothing  new.  The  old  High  Church  party  has  gone  over  to 
Ritualism,  the  Moderates  to  Robertsonianism,  or,  as  they  call  it  in 
New  England,  Bushnellism.  Where  stands  the  Evangelical  party  ? 
The  same  now  as  then.  It  takes  the  hands  of  the  Apostles,  and 
joins  with  the  Reformers  of  the  British  Reformation.  I  see  noth- 
ing more  dangerous  now  than  fifty  years  ago.  Nay,  the  present 
time  has  its  advantages.  I  never  knew  a  time  when  the  gospel 
was  more  desired.  With  what  joy  a  congregation  will  welcome  a 
young  man   who   understands   and  preaches   Evangelical  truth  ! 


Ministry,  i8jo  to  187 5^  5o9 

Some  no  doubt  liave  turned  aside,  tliey  went  out  from  us  because 
they  were  not  of  us.  They  nad  no  vital  knowledge  of  the  Saviour; 
you  miss  no  one  wno  ever  had  his  foot  firmly  pressed  upon  the 
Rock  of  ^ges;  no  one  ever   goes  from  that. 

"  This  is  the  purpose  we  have  in  view,  the  maintenance  of  these 
great  pnnciples  ruin  oy  sin,  redemption  by  Christ;  full  justification 
of  man  by  simple  faith;  the  introduction  of  man  into  all  these  by  the 
conversion  of  his  soul  to  Christ.  What  glorious  results  will  follow 
such  a  ministry !  When  we  take  our  stand  on  such  themes,  what  is 
the  Apostohc  Succession?  Bishop  Reynolds  well  said,  no  man  was 
fit  to  preach  the  gospel  who  did  not  feel  he  was  once  dead  but  now 
alive.  I  beg  you  young  men  to  listen  to  the  testimony  of  one  who 
has  been  in  the  ministry  for  fifty-four  years.  I  give  my  testimony. 
I  care  for  nothing  else.  I  do  conform  to  11  the  regulations  of 
the  Church;  I  am  conservative  by  nature;  I  believe  I  am  the  only 
clergyman  in  the  city  of  New  York  who  retains  all  the  old  customs 
and  forms  of  the  Church.  Some  one  told  the  Bishop  of  New  York 
not  long  since  if  Bishop  Hobart  could  return,  the  only  church  in 
the  city  where  every  thing  was  as  he  left  it,  was  St.  George's 
Church. 

"  What  a  glorious  object  is  before  you,  the  preaching  of  a 
glorious  Saviour,  in  public  and  in  private,  preaching  a  dying  and 
living  Saviour.  You  are  taught  here  to  leave  all  ritualism  in  the 
shade,  all  self-righteousness  and  vain  philosophies.  You  must  be 
men  who  can  say,  '  I  have  seen  the  Saviour  and  must  bring  Him  to 
my  fellow-men.'  It  is  not  the  proprieties  of  millinery  you  need, 
but,  coming  from  Christ,  you  must  preach  Christ.  These  are  the 
young  men  we  need  ;  men  who  can  tell  us  of  a  Saviour.  Nothing 
iDut  a  Saviour's  fulness.  What  triumphs  have  I  witnessed  in  con- 
nection with  such  preaching!  Do  this  and  your  ministry  will  suc- 
ceed. Never  be  afraid  of  mortal  man  ;  but  tell  the  story  to  rich 
and  poor  alike.  If  you  will  do  this,  this  institution  will  be  honored, 
and  the  peoi)le  will  be  glad  to  listen  to  you;  you  will  be  rejected 
sometimes,  but  it  is  not  you  that  is  rejected,  but  Christ.  '  I  go  to 
preach  Thee,'  you  must  say  to  yourselves  ;  let  every  question  be 
dead  but  this.  Do  it  boldly  and  faithfully  ;  the  young  man  who 
does  this,  is  a  hero.  Forgive  me  these  desultory  remarks.  God 
make  me  a  more  simple  preacher  of  this  truth.  Having  been  re- 
centlv  sick,  I  felt  this  then  ;  I  feel  it  now  and  speak  thus  to  you." 

At  the  Forty-ninth  Anniversary  of  the  American  Tract  Society 
in  May,  1874,  Dr.  Tyng  was  again  called  to  preside,  and  cordially 
welcomed  the  newly-elected  President,  Mr.  Justice  Strong  of  the 


5io  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

United  States  Supreme  Court,  congratulating  him  upon  his  election, 
and  briefly  sketching  the  illustrious  men  who  had  preceded  him  in 
office.  "We  commence,"  he  said,  ''•  our  jubilee  year  and  are  called 
to  sound  our  jubilee  trumpet  and  to  gather  the  people  of  God 
throughout  this  land,  on  the  very  basis  of  God's  blessing  in  times 
past  ;  to  take  hold  of  another  year  and  another  century  of  years,  it 
may  be,  with  greater  energy,  with  more  entire  confidence,  more  ab- 
solute affection,  and  with  more  complete  satisfaction  m  the  work 
than  we  have  been  permitted  to  enjoy  in  any  previous  year.  I  re- 
joice to  work  with  you,  I  rejoice  at  the  close  of  life  that  such  has 
been  the  work.  I  rejoice  at  the  prospect  that  from  a  higher  field, 
from  another  atmosphere  and  a  more  glorious  elevation  we  may  take 
a  more  satisfactory  basis  still.  Then  you  and  I  may  hereafter  meet 
around  the  throne  of  God  and  the  Lamb,  to  sing  a  song  of  thanks- 
giving and  j)raise  for  the  realities  of  which  earthly  results  were  only 
typical." 

But  a  still  more  notable  address  of  this  character  and  time 
was  that  delivered  at  the  Academy  of  Music,  in  Philadelphia,  on  the 
26th  of  May,  1874,  at  the  Semi-Centennial  Anniversary  of  the  Amer- 
ican Sunday  School  Union. 

It  was  a  memorable  occasion;  an  immense  audience  filled  the 
building  in  every  part,  while  the  platform  was  crowded  with  the 
officers  and  managers  of  the  Union,  veteran  missionaries  and  prom- 
inent clergymen,  while  still  behind  these,  on  ascending  tiers  of  seats, 
was  a  large  company  of  teachers  and  children,  gathered  from  various 
schools.  After  addresses  had  been  made  by  the  Kev.  Dr.  John  Hall 
of  New  York  and  the  Eev.  John  Peddie  of  the  Fourth  Baptist 
Church  of  Louisville,  Kentucky,  the  chairman,  Mr.  George  H.  Stuart, 
introduced  Dr.  Tyng  as  "  the  early,  eloquent  and  steadfast  friend  of 
the  institution  ;  the  lieutenant  general  of  the  great  invading  army 
of  the  Sunday-school  hosts  of  Israel  ;  still  full  of  the  fire  and  vigor 
of  his  early  days."  When  he  advanced  to  speak,  the  vast  audience 
rose  as  one  to  receive  him,  and  listened  in  close  attention  to  his 
words,  of  which  the  following  is  but  a  partial  report  : 

"  There  is  such  a  thing  as  too  much  of  a  good  thing,  and  whether 
the  thing  be  a  good  speech,  or  a  good  chairman,  or  good  patience 
of  the  audience,  or  a  good  subject  for  an  address,  still  we  are  lim- 
ited vessels,  we  can  hold  no  more  than  we  can  hold,  we  want  no 
more  than  we  do  want.  Now  I  take  it  for  granted  that  enough  has 
been  said,  and  well  said,  upon  our  subject.  Enough  has  been  said 
by  our  chairman  illustrating  the  spirit  and  character  of  the  indi- 
vidual speaker  to  smash  any  speaker  on  the  face  of  the  earth.     And 


Ministry,  i8jo  to  i8y^,  5 1  i 

under  sucli  circumstances  I  am  expected  to  rise,  as  Herodotus  says 
he  found  the  frogs  to  rise  out  of  the  mud  and  shme  of  Egypt,  with 
simply  their  heads  up  and  the  rest  of  their  bodies  entirely  un- 
formed. 

"  But  I  am  glad  to  be  with  you  ;  that  I  should  retain  the  atten- 
tion of  this  assembly  long,  is  beyond  my  expectation  or  my  right. 
But  to  be  here,  to  celebrate  with  you  the  Fiftieth  Anniversary  of 
this  Union  is  certainly  one  of  the  grandest  and  happiest  of  my  per- 
sonal experiences.  Four  years  before  this  Union  was  started  I  be- 
gan my  first  Sabbath  school  in  a  country  town  of  Massachusetts, 
where  there  had  never  been  a  Sabbath  school  before.  On  the  first 
morning  twelve  boys  came  together  ;  of  these  twelve,  one  died  as 
a»missionary  of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign 
Missions,  in  Ceylon.  One  died  before  he  had  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  Theological  Seminary  of  New  Haven,  and  one  has  with- 
in the  last  few  weeks  departed,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Pratt,  a  faithful  and 
beloved  minister  of  your  city.  These  three  boys  came  together  in 
a  class  of  twelve.  What  had  God  wrought  by  the  simple  teaching 
in  that  ministry  of  a  boy!  When  we  come  to  consider  what  God 
hath  wrought  by  this  grand  union  of  effort  and  what  He  is  pre- 
paring to  accomplish  in  the  fulfilment  of  its  future  destiny,  design 
and  experience,  it  is  beyond  the  contemplation  of  man.  Amidst 
all  the  Christian  associations  of  this  age,  there  is  not  one  manifest- 
ing itself,  more  apostolical  in  character,  more  effective  in  influence, 
grander  in  comprehension,  more  personal,  direct  and  spiritual  in 
its  broad  designs,  than  this  American  Sunday-school  Union. 

*'  To  have  lived  as  one  of  its  original  friends  to  see  its  Fiftieth 
Anniversary,  and  to  be  permitted  to  meet  here,  men  whom  they 
call  '  Father  Martin  '  and  '  Father  Dulles,'  and  you  may  well  call 
them  so,  for  certainly  tbey  look  as  young  as  I  do,  and  to  remem- 
ber while  we  meet  these  in  the  flesh,  the  noble  ones  who  have  gone 
before  ;  to  think  of  the  character  of  Frederick  A.  Packard,  so  deep, 
so  spiritual,  so  grand,  so  holy  ;  to  think  of  all  the  agencies  that 
this  society  has  been  permitted  to  employ  and  to  see  them 
crowned  with  success  ;  to  bring  it  all  back  and  to  say  to  myself. 
'Thou  hast  seen  it  all  ;  thou  hast  had  the  hands  of  these  breth- 
ren in  thine  hands  ;  thou  hast  looked  into  these  countenances 
beaming  with  brotherly  affection  ;  thou  hast  bowed  together  in 
prayer  at  the  mercy  seat  of  Him  who  says,  '  Lo,  I  am  with  you 
ahvay,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world  ;'  to  have  had  all  this  be- 
stowed upon  me,  to-night,  is  surely  one  of  the  greatest  privileges 
of  my  life.     And  I  bless  God  thr.t  I  am  permitted  to  come  back  to 


5i2  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

the  city  of  my  fondest  affection,  this  city  of  my  earliest  and  most 
widely  extended  labors  and  share  in  such  a  manifestation  of  ma- 
jesty, of  union,  of  strength,  of  determination  and  of  experimental  ef- 
fort as  I  see  exhibited  here  to-night. 

"  As  I  have  sat  and  looked  at  this  wonderful  survey,  the  thought 
has  come  to  my  mind  ;  it  is  but  a  specimen  of  what  the  Lord  Jesus 
means  yet  to  do.  The  time  is  coming  when  all  this  grand  prophecy 
shall  be  fulfilled,  when  earthly  joy  and  earthly  greatness  shall  bring 
their  treasures  and  lay  them  at  the  Saviour's  feet  ;  the  time  is  com- 
ing when  assemblies  more  vast  and  wonderful  than  this  shall  be 
gathered  together,  with  intense  delight,  to  lay  the  trophies  of  their 
victories  down  before  Him  who  hath  bought  them  with  His  blood  ; 
who  rules  them  by  His  Spirit  ;  who  reigns  over  them  in  His  love, 
and  who  will  fill  them  with  the  glory  of  His  presence  forever. 

"  I  look  back  on  these  fifty  years  with  unspeakable  delight  ; 
first  when  I  consider  what  was  the  real  purpose  of  this  Union.  I 
have  an  intense  delight  in  that  term  '  Union.'  I  love  to  grasp  the  hand 
of  a  Christian  brother.  I  love  to  unite  in  Spirit  aud  in  truth  with 
those  who  are  working  for  the  glory  of  the  Lord.  I  realize  that  in 
this  Institution,  its  'Union'  was  its  first  grand  element.  There 
were  Sunday-schools  before.  But  this  society  was  started  to  bring 
into  harmonious  co-operation  all  these  scattered  efforts,  to  concen- 
trate, to  unify — if  I  may  adopt  a  word  which  I  now  sometimes 
hear — the  labors  of  a  multitude  in  one  grand  single  institution. 
And  when  I  consider  the  whole  Church  of  God  under  the  title  by 
which  our  Lord  Himself  dignifies  it,  a  building  of  God,  I  look  ujDon 
a  Union  like  this  as  a  grand  roof,  that  extends  over  all,  binding  to- 
gether the  walls  and  columns  and  partitions,  covering  the  inhabi- 
tants with  a  canopy  of  security  and  peace  and  making  altogether 
one  grand  edifice  of  comfort,  of  joy,  of  privilege  for  all  who  dwell 
beneath.  I  bless  God  for  this  Union  of  Christian  people  and  of 
Christian  hearts. 

*'  I  love  the  grand  Christian  bodies  of  our  day.  I  love  to  see 
them  united  under  the  canopy  of  divine  acknowledgment  and  the 
divine  blessings  as  one  family.  I  take  the  hand  of  this  glorious 
minister  of  Christ,  my  beloved  brother,  whom  old  Dublin  gave  to 
New  York,  and  say  '  my  brother,'  with  as  hearty  an  emphasis  and 
as  ardent  affection  as  for  any  other.  You  have  heard  him  to-night, 
and  I  partake  of  the  pride  with  which  all  New  York  is  looking  at 
him  in  his  efforts  to  do  good  among  us.  When  he  speaks,  his 
voice  is  the  mingled  power  of  wisdom  and  tenderness,  of  influence, 
of  authority  and  of  persuasion,  among  all  to  whom  he  is  sent. 


Ministry,  iSjo  to  iSy^,  5 1 3 

"lu  this  grand  Union  which  we  have' projected,  we  have  the 
two-fold  object  of  spreading  still  further  the  influence  of  this  enter- 
prise in  the  principle  and  unity  it  upholds  and  of  gathering  still 
more   multiplied  numbers   under  its   control." 

Dr.  Tyng  then  drew  a  strong  contrast  between  the  efforts  to  im- 
part religious  instruction  to  children  through  set  formulas  of  truth, 
framed  by  men,  which  was  so  common  when  this  society  was  or- 
ganized, and  the  more  recent  efforts  to  teach  the  children  by  using 
the  Bible  as  God  gave  it,  and  warmly  commended  the  American 
Sunday  School  Union,  because  of  its  exaltation  of  the  study  of 
God's  word,  and  continued  : 

"  Let  us  believe  that  the  book  God  has  made  for  the  little  ones 
is  peculiarly  appropriate  to  their  wants.  And  let  this  Union  stand 
in  our  land  as  the  solemn  guardian  of  an  open  Bible,  as  the  solemn 
guardian  of  the  children's  Bible,  as  the  solemn  guardian  of  the 
most  direct  and  distinct  teaching  of  that  Bible  to  the  little  ones  of 
the  flock  of  Christ. 

"  We  have  come  to  a  day  when  there  is  an  exceeding  disposi- 
tion to  set  up  human  inventions,  in  the  place  of  God's  word,  to  take 
the  children  away   from  the   precious  institutions  of  this  divine 
word  and  to  put  them  upon  human  schemes,  human  books,  human 
substitutes,  in   ignorance  of  the  divine  adaptability  of  the  word  to 
e^ery  human  creature's  needs— that,  as  some  one  has  well  said,  it  is 
a  sea  in  which  an  elephant  may  swim  or  a  lamb   may  wade,  that  it 
is  higher  than  man  can  reach  and  deeper  than  human  wisdom  can 
investigate,  and  yet   near  and   open  to   us  all  as   the  very  door   of 
heaven  !    It  is  an  immensely  important  thing  to  maintain  this  fun- 
damental principle  of  the  Union.     We  have   banded  ourselves  to- 
gether to  maintain  the   teaching  of  the  Bible,  and  that  alone.     If 
there  are  any  improvements  on  that  book,  if  any  prefer  to  cook  it 
over  again,  or  to  serve  up  in  their  own  shop  thj  blessed  mysteries 
of  the   household  of  God,  we  cannot  forbid  them,  but  we  can  say 
as  an  American  Sunday-school  Union,  '  As  for  me,  and  my  house, 
we   will  serve   the  Lord,'  our   purpose  is   to  maintain  that   stand 
simply  and  truly. 

"  Let  this  institution  think,  on  this  its  Fiftieth  Anniversary  to- 
night, of  the  glorious  dispensation  that  is  before  it!  Think  of  the 
children  whom  it  is  to  teach  and  to  save !  Friends,  I  solemnly  be- 
lieve in  the  conversion  of  children.  I  cannot  say  how  young  they 
shall  be  brought  to  make  an  open  profession  of  their  faith  and  love 
for  Christ,  but  I  have  seen  as  manifest  evidence  of  the  new  birth  in 
children  of  six  and  eight  years  of  age,  as  I  have  ever  seen  in  any 


y 


5 14  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

adult !     Shall  1  turn  back  those  whom  God  Himself  hath  brought  ? 

Shall  I  refuse  those  whom  God  Himself  hath  accepted ?  Never! 
We    are  in  an  age  when  the   Church  is  to  take  the  children,  nurse 

them,   train   them,  educate  them,  protect  them  and  prepare  them 

for  the  work  appointed  for  them,  and  under  no  circumstances  to 
repel  from  the  highest  expressions  of  Christian  communion,  the 
highest  form  of  a  Christian  profession,  the  child  that  can  give  a 
fair  account  of  the  faith  of  its  httle  heart  in  a  divine  Saviour,  and 
manifest  clearly  and  continuously  the  power  of  the  love  of  Jesus 
shed  abroad  in  that  heart  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 

"  This  Union  is  to  guard  that  right  of  the  children.  Let  it 
maintain  the  name  by  which  it  has  so  often  been  called,  '  The  So- 
ciety that  takes  care  of  the  children,'  and  feel  that  this  is  the  highest 
mission  with  which  it  can  be  clothed.  Burke  said,  '  Let  me  make 
the  ballads  of  a  nation,  and  I  care  not  who  makes  its  laws/  Give 
me  the  little  ones  of  my  flock,  and  I  will  not  say  I  shall  not  care  for 
the  old  ones,  but  I  will  frankly  say,  '  Give  me  to-day  as  a  necessary 
choice,  the  question,  will  you  take  these  children  and  teach  and 
preach  to  them,  or  will  you  take  these  intelligent,  active,  busy 
adults  and  preach  to  them  ?  '  I  should  say,  '  Let  the  men  and  women 
go,  and  give  m3  the  boys  and  girls.'  This  is  the  result  of  my  ex- 
perience. The  conversion  of  children  comes  every  year  under  m)^ 
observation.  The  conversion  of  men  and  women  that  have  been 
hardened  beneath  the  tramplings  of  earth,  that  have  been  indurated 
by  the  effects  of  human  pride,  and  turned  aside  by  the  schemes 
and  speculations  of  men — the  conversion  of  such  persons  is  ex- 
tremely rare.  They  sit  before  me  regularly.  They  pay  the  civil 
respect  that  is  due  from  them  to  the  place  and  the  day  and  the 
worship  of  the  Lord's  house.  But  any  evidence  of  God's  power 
upon  their  hearts  I  habitually  fail  to  see.  While,  as  years  go  by, 
scores  of  little  ones  are  gathered  into  the  Christian  fold  in  solid 
profession  ;  and  dear  boys  and  girls  just  opening  upon  the  pros- 
pect of  maturity  delight  me  in  the  manifestation  of  the  Christian 
character  and  Christian  spirit  and  Christian  power,  which  make  the 
whole  salvation  of  the  man  and  the  whole  comfort  of  the  pastor. 

"  I  have  gona  over  this  again  and  again  in  the  fifty-three  years  of 
a  pastor's  life,  and  my  deliberate  conviction  is  that  the  whole  hope  of 
the  Christian  Church  is  in  the  simple,  plain,  practical  teaching  of 
the  gospel  of  a  Saviour  to  the  young,  the  feeble  and  the  ignorant 
of  the  flock.  Let  the  man  or  the  woman  who  would  save  souls  be 
sim->le.  Let  him  tell  the  old,  old  story  simply,  plainly,  gently. 
Let   the   man  who  would  save  souls  be  sympathizing,  tender,  true. 


Ministry,  i8jo  to  i8j^.  5i5 

Let  him  have  a  heart  that  shall  be  the  home  of  every  child,  a  mind 
that  shall  be  the  guide  of  every  little  mind,  a  presence  and  manner 
that  shall  attract,  a  language  that  shall  interpret  itself,  and  a  life 
and  character  that  shall  lead  all  who  follow  him  to  come  to  the 
Great  Shepherd  for  the  divine  blessing. 

"  Then  shall  we  look  for  a  divine  revival  in  the  work;  for  God's 
own  power  manifest  in  it,  till  every  house  shall  be  a  mansion  for  the 
divine  praise,  and  every  family  brought  together  under  the  divine 
providence  shall  be  a  temple  in  which  the  Spirit  of  God  shall  dwell, 
and  every  youth  born  within  the  precincts  of  Christian  teaching, 
shall  be  a  child  dedicated  to  God,  sanctified  by  His  power  and  filled 
with  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ. 

"  Let  it  be  the  next  step  of  this  society  in  the  unceasing  opera- 
tions of  its  principles,  to  attain  the  conversion  of  the  children  to 
Jesus.  Bring  them  in.  Let  the  missionaries  be  instructed  to  this 
end.  Let  the  pastors  labor  for  it.  Bring  the  little  ones  to  Christ. 
Lead  them  into  His  fold.  Make  them  the  subjects  of  special,  ear- 
nest intercession.  Teach  them  in  a  way  that  shall  be  simple  and 
effective.  Bind  them  together  in  the  spirit  of  intense  and  glowing 
love.  Gather  them,  O  ye  men  and  women  of  the  Lord  !  Gather 
them  in  private  prayer,  in  earnest  prayer,  where  every  name  shall 
be  uttered,  and  every  want  be  pleaded  before  the  throne  of  the 
divine  mercy  and  our  children  will  be  saved,  to  the  praise  and  glory 
of  His  grace,  and  the  honor  of  His  Church  and  the  blessing  of  the 
world." 

Another  very  interesting  occasion  upon  which  Dr.  Tyng  spoke 
at  this  time  was  tlie  anniversary  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  in 
May,  1875,  when  it  was  held  for  the  first  time  in  the  West.  At  the 
request  of  the  Board  of  Managers,  he  made  a  special  visit  to  Chicago 
for  this  purpose,  and  thus  closed  his  long  service  as  an  advocate  of 
the  society's  work.  His  address  was  placed  last  upon  a  very  long 
programme  of  anniversary  exercises,  and  though  he  had  become 
very  wearied,  the  audience  waited  with  eagerness  to  hear  him,  as 
he  closed  the  meeting  with  this  simple  testimony: 

"  Mr.  President  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  my  Christian 
friends  and  hearers:  Amidst  all  the  immense  varieties  of  thought 
which  have  been  spread  before  us  so  beautifully  and  so  c-Tectively 
to-night,  we  must  not  forget  there  is  another  King,  one  Jesus;  nor 
RufTer  the  great  fact  to  bo  turned  at  all  from  our  view,  tliat  the 
creed  of  the  Bible  Society  is,  simply,  entirely,  and  only,  the  creed 
of  Jesua 

"  It  was  not  to  gather  around  the  consideration  of  systems  of 


5i6  Rev,  Stephen  Higgifison   Tyng,  D.D, 

previous  morality;  it  was  not  to  enter  into  the  discussion  of  possible 
discoveries  of  future  investigation  in  the  things  of  nature  or  matter ; 
that  sixty  venerable  men,  fifty-nine  years  ago,  assembled  in  the  3ity 
of  New  York,  and  there,  with  earnest  prayer  and  solemn  purpose, 
considered  what  was  the  duty  of  the  hour  for  American  Christians, 
and  what  was  the  obligation  of  God's  redeemed  in  these  United 
States  to  the  fulness  of  the  grace  and  glory  of  the  Redeemer. 
Their  purpose  and  object  was  not  to  consider  whence  this  Bible 
came,  by  whom  this  Bible  was  given,  from  whom  this  Bible  had 
been  delivered,  to  whom  it  was  to  be  transmitted.  They  laid  down 
as  the  very  basis  of  their  work,  '  The  Bible  is  God's  book,  and  every 
word  in  it  is  a  word  of  the  living  God. '  They  laid  down  as  the 
very  basis  of  their  work,  '  This  Bible,  as  God's  book,  is  man's  book, 
and  every  living  man  has  the  right  to  have  it,  read  it,  own  it,  and 
enjoy  it  for  himself.'  They  laid  down  as  the  third  principle  in  the 
basis  of  that  work,  '  God  has  given  this  revelation  of  infinite  per- 
fection and  grace  to  man,  and  man  is  commanded  to  receive  it,  and 
read  it,  and  embrace  it  for  himself;  then  to  distribute  that  book  and 
send  it  far  abroad  everywhere  to  every  man.' 

"This  is  the  part  and  duty  of  God's  Church;  and  wherever 
there  is  a  living  man  on  earth  that  has  a  Bible,  there  is  God's 
preacher ;  and  wherever  there  is  the  power  of  a  divine  Spirit  within, 
leading  guilty  men  to  the  blood  of  Jesus,  clothing  naked  men  with 
the  perfect  righteousness  of  an  infinite  Saviour,  and  writing  upon 
the  grateful  hearts  of  those  men,  forgiven  and  redeemed,  the  glad 
tidings  of  a  full  salvation;  there,  in  every  language  of  the  earth, 
there  is  a  consecrated  messenger  direct  from  heaven,  with  all  the 
energy  of  the  Spirit  upon  his  head — with  all  the  ointment  of  the 
sanctuary  marking  his  forehead,  with  the  living  power  of  light,  and 
fire,  and  love,  burning  in  his  very  soul;  there  is  the  man  whose 
duty  it  is  to  carry  out  that  Bible,  to  dehver  that  Bible,  and  to  pro- 
claim its  character  and  results. 

"  Now,  upon  that  foundation  this  Bible  Society  takes  its  stand. 
Its  creed  is  the  creed  of  Jesus.  When  Jews  around  Him  doubted 
the  authority  of  His  word,  He  said  to  them,  'Search  the  Scriptures; 
they  are  they  that  testify  of  me.'  He  went  to  the  very  foundation 
of  human  investigation,  when  He  put  the  minds  and  consciences  of 
men  in  the  line  of  discovering  what  God  had  said  to  man.  When 
Jesus  took  these  sacred  books  in  His  hand,  without  the  slightest 
hesitation,  He  declared  they  are  divine,  and  every  word  they  teach 
is  a  word  from  God.  Bold  and  faithful  in  the  fulfilment  of  His  mis- 
sion to  men,  He  did  not  fear  to  criticise  their  errors,  to  speak  to 


Ministry,  iSyo  to  i8js.  Si; 

them  of  their  defects,  to  point  out  what  things  in  them  were  to  be 
amended.  When  He  talked  with  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  He 
charged  them  boldly,  with  setting  the  word  of  God  aside  by  their 
own  traditions.  There  was  no  want  of  boldness  there ;  there  was 
no  want  of  fidelity  there. 

"  But  when  He  took  these  sacred  books,  that  !^is  fathers  accord- 
ing to  the  flesh  venerated,  and  loved,  and  fed  upon,  and  lived  after, 
He  laid  His  sacred  hands  upon  them  and  said,  '  These  are  divine — 
the  word  of  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven;'  or  in  the  still  more  effect- 
ive utterance  of  Paul,  *  All  Scripture  has  been  breathed  from  the 
very  heart  of  God; '  and  to  every  man  receiving  the  word  there  is  a 
reception  of  the  mind  of  God  who  gave  it.  What  then  ?  We  have 
nothing  to  say  to  men  that  dare  to  stand  upon  Mount  Sinai  and  say 
there  is  no  lightning  from  heaven.  Let  such  men  talk  to 
the  bats  and  to  the  moles,  and  pass  with  them  to  the  oblivion 
which   has   buried   myriads    before    them,    and    will    bury    them 

there. 

"  My  friends,  we  are  to  take  care  lest  the  grand  theme  of  our 
authority  degenerate  into  a  mere  discussion  of  humanity.  We  are 
to  take  care  lest,  standing  with  Moses  and  receiving  the  tablets 
from  the  hand  of  God  Himself,  or  standing  with  John  and  looking 
with  open  countenance  into  the  very  bosom  of  the  Heavenly  Glory, 
as  it  flames  and  revels  around  him — we  are  to  take  care  lest,  even 
there  we  interpose  some  worldly  objection,  some  difficulty,  some 
question — something  to  be  settled,  something  to  be  discussed.  My 
friends,  there  is  nothing  to  be  discussed  when  the  soul  of  man  comes 
in  contact  with  God's  word.  There  is  nothing  to  be  settled  when 
the  sinner  comes  within  the  sound  of  the  voice  of  the  Saviour. 
The  one  point  that  is  then  to  be  considered  is  simply  this:  Will 
you  have  this  Saviour  to  be  your  Saviour  ?  will  you  have  this  book 
to  be  your  guide,  in  whatever  language,  by  whomsoever  rendered, 
by  whomsoever  transmitted,  by  whomsoever  handed  forth  ?  It  is 
not  the  person  that  gives  authority  to  the  book;  it  is  the  book  that 
gives  authority  to  the  person.  It  is  not  the  constituting  of  persons 
within  a  certain  regime,  making  them  what  you  call  the  Church, 
that  gives  them  the  right  to  transmit  and  teach  this  sacred  book. 
It  is  the  giving  of  that  very  book  to  men  that  confers  the  right  to 
teach.  Now  then,  this  book  of  God  the  Bible  Society  adopts, 
with  the  simple  declaration,  Credo;  and  we  go  not  beneath  or  be- 
yond it.  Wo  lay  our  hand  on  that  wondrous  book  and  say,  It  is 
God's  book,  and  divine:  it  comes  fn^n  Heaven  to  man — with  just 
as  much  confidence  as  if  we  were  standing  with  Moses  on  Sinai,  or 


5i8  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng^  D.D. 

having  our  arms  locked  with  John  as  he  looked  from  Patmos  "U.p 
into  the  cave  of  eternal  light  and  glory. 

"  No,  my  friends,  we  cannot  go  outside  of  our  great  purpose  and 
plan,  to  attend  to  those  mere  questions  of  external  difficulties. 
There  are  no  difficulties  in  the  way  of  the  man  that  seeks  the  Sa- 
viour, and  seeks  him  in  his  Bible.  He  finds  there  salvation,  saying, 
like  the  poor  woman  of  Samaria,  '  Come,  see  a  man  which  told  me 
all  things  that  ever  I  did,  is  not  this  the  Christ  ?  '  I  say,  then,  very 
frankl}",  that  we  cannot  let  our  view  of  Bible  truth  and  beauty  be 
in  the  least  degree  disturbed.  What  care  we  for  all  the  oppro- 
brious, tantalizing  objections  of  men  of  every  description  upon  the 
whole  face  of  the  earth  ?  What  are  they  but  the  mere  insects  upon 
the  floor  of  the  Lord's  compassion  and  forbearance  ?  the  dust 
which  the  Divine  breathing  may  have  permitted  to  fall  upon  the 
floor  of  the  tabernacle  ?     We  sweep  them  out. 

"  If  a  man  says,  '  I  cannot  believe  your  Bible,  sir ' — so  much  the 
worse  for  you,  sir.  If  a  man  says,  '  I  cannot  receive  your  Bible 
upon  any  testimony  that  you  have  given  me,  sir,'  I  say,  '  Then  go 
to  the  Holy  Ghost  who  inspired  it,  and  ask  humbly,  simply,  thank- 
fully of  Him,  and  He  will  write  it  upon  the  record  of  your  heart,  in 
letters  that  will  never  fade  beneath  the  power  of  persecution,  nor 
be  washed  away  by  all  the  rivers  and  streams  of  sorrow  and  distress. 
Bind  it  there,  sir,  and  you  will  bind  it  as  j'our  companion  for  an  eternal 
home  and  for  an  everlasting  recompense.'  Oar  fathers  understood 
this.  The  men  of  other  generations  were  Bible  men.  We  had  not 
sunk  into  those  quagmires  of  discussion.  We  had  not  gone  down 
into  those  miserable  partisan  questions  about  Churches.  I  do  not 
care  for  all  the  Churches  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  in  comparison 
with  the  importance  of  the  Bible,  the  Word  of  God.  The  Church 
is  but  the  garment  with  which  I  am  clothed;  the  Bible  is  the  heart 
and  soul  that  lives  for  ever  within  me ;  and  the  difference  is  im- 
mense and  most  important. 

"  Now,  our  fathers  sent  us  out  into  this  great  Bible  work  with 
these  three  great  facts:  We  give  you  the  word  of  the  living  God. 
God  gave  it.  We  tell  you  to  carry  it  to  every  living  man.  Every 
living  man  has  a  right  to  it  and  to  his  own  interpretation  of  it 
We  tell  you  to  associate  yourselves  with  all  the  power  and  ability 
that  you  can  combine  and  create,  and  carry  it  forth  until  the  whole 
earth  shall  feel  its  power,  the  whole  world  shall  rejoice  in  its  ful- 
ness, and  all  the  angels  in  heaven  shall  sing,  '  Amen,  glory  to  God 
on  high;  glory,  glory  to  God  for  ever.'  This  is  our  simple  work, 
and  with  the  fulfilment  of  this  work  we  go  forward. 


Ministry,  i8jo  to  i8j§,  5 19 

"  Mr.  President,  I  congratulate  the  West  that  this  glorious  work 
of  ours  has  been  brought  for  its  anniversary  upon  their  soil. 
Never  did  so  noble  a  visitor  cross  the  mountains.  Never  did  so 
grand  an  opportunity  and  occasion  occur  to  the  people  in  these 
vast  basins  of  the  Mississippi.  I  congratulate  you,  brethren,  that 
you  have  lived  to  see  it.  The  American  Bible  Society,  coming  in 
all  the  regality  of  a  divine  message,  in  all  the  glory  of  the  divine 
presence,  in  all  the  fulness  of  the  divine  love;  not  asking  you, 
*  May  we  hold  our  anniversary  here  ? '  but  telling  you  that  the  King 
of  the  whole  eai-th  has  come,  and  requiring  you  to  do  Him  homage. 
I  rejoice  that  you  have  the  privilege.  If  you  could  go  back  and 
remember  the  time  when  there  were  no  Bible  societies,  you  would 
remember  a  world  of  difficulties  in  this  land. 

"  I  have  a  sweet  remembrance  of  something  connected  with  it. 
More  than  sixty-five  years  ago,  when  I  was  a  little  boy  at  the 
academy  of  Andover,  I  had' no  Bible — no  Bible  was  to  be  had.  It 
was  impossible  to  get  a  Bible,  in  any  common  methods  of  com- 
munication. I  saved  all  the  pocket  money  that  was  given  me  by 
my  beloved  parent,  until  it  came  up  to  a  dollar  and  twenty-five 
cents;  that  bought  me  the  first  little  Bible  I  ever  owned,  and  I 
clasped  it  to  my  bosom  as  if  it  had  descended  from  heaven  upon 
my  shoulders.  I  learned  to  say,  ' BibloSj  my  Bible.'  God  gave  it 
to  me.  You  never  know  what  that  Bible  is  until  you  take  it  as 
your  own,  coming  direct  from  God  to  you. 

"  I  was  once  called  to  visit  a  dying  lady,  in  the  city  of  Philadel- 
phia, of  an  English  family.  She  and  her  husband  were  in  a  board- 
ing-house there.  I  spent  much  time  with  her,  knelt  often  in  prayer 
with  her,  and  with  great  delight.  Her  husband  was  an  atheist,  an 
English  atheist — a  cold-hearted,  bloated  English  atheist.  There 
is  no  such  being  beside  him  on  the  face  of  the  globe.  That  was 
her  husband.  On  the  day  in  which  that  sweet  Christian  woman 
died,  she  put  her  hand  under  the  pillow  and  pulled  out  a  little 
beautiful,  well-worn  English  Bible.  She  brought  out  that  sweet 
little  Bible,  worn,  thumbed,  and  moistened  with  tears.  She  called 
her  husband  and  he  came,  and  she  said,  '  Do  you  know  this  little 
book?'  and  he  answered,  '  It  is  your  Bible;  '  and  she  replied,  '  It  is 
my  Bible;  it  has  been  everything  to  me;  it  has  converted, 
strengthened,  cheered,  and  saved  me.  Now  I  am  going  to  Him 
that  gave  it  to  me,  and  I  shall  want  it  no  more;  open  your  hands  ' — 
and  she  put  it  in  between  his  hands  and  pressed  his  two  hands  to- 
gether: '  My  dear  husband,  do  you  know  what  I  am  doing  ?  '  '  Yes, 
dear,  you  are  giving  mo  your  Bible.'     *  No,  darhng,  I  am   giving 


52 o  Rev,  Stephe7i  Higginson    Tyng^  D.D, 

you  your  Bible,  and  God  has  sent  me  to  give  you  this  sweet  book 
before  I  die;  put  it  in  your  hands;  now  put  it  in  your  bosom — 
will  you  keep  it  there  ?  Will  you  read  it  for  me  ?  '  *  I  will,  my 
dear.' 

"  I  placed  this  dear  lady,  dead,  in  the  tomb  behind  my  church. 
Perhaps  three  weeks  afterward,  that  big,  bloated  Englishman  came 
to  my  study,  weeping  profusely.  '  Oh  my  friend,'  said  he,  '  my 
friend!  I  have  found  what  she  meant — I  have  found  what  she 
ineant — it  is  ^2/  Bible;  oh!  it  is  my  Bible;  every  word  in  it  was 
written  for  me.  I  read  it  over  day  by  day;  1  read  it  over  night  by 
night;  I  bless  God  it  is  my  Bible.  Will  you  take  me  into  your 
church,  where  she  was?'  'With  all  my  heart' — and  that  proud, 
worldly,  hostile  man,  hating  this  blessed  Bible,  came,  with  no  ar- 
guments, with  no  objections,  with  no  difficulties  suggested,  with  no 
questions  to  unravel,  but  binding  it  upon  his  heart  of  memory  and 
love.  It  was  God's  message  of  direct  salvation  to  his  soul,  as  if 
there  were  not  another  Bible  in  Philadelphia,  and  an  angel  from 
heaven  had  brought  him  this. 

"  There  we  stand.  The  Bible  is  God's  Bible,  given  to  man,  pro- 
claiming full  salvation.  The  Bible  is  man's  Bible,  the  moment  that 
he  thus  receives  it  from  God.  The  giving  of  that  Bible  is  the  duty 
of  the  Church  of  God,  and  the  Church  of  God  has,  comparatively, 
no  other  duty  until  that  duty  is  done.  Go  into  all  the  world, 
preach  the  gospel,  carry  it  with  you,  give  it  to  everybody  on  the 
face  of  the  whole  world,  until  the  harvest  of  the  earth  shall  be 
reaped,  and  the  Lord  God  Omnipotent  shall  reign,  King  of  kings, 
and  Lord  of  lords." 

One  other  speech  of  this  time  remains  to  be  noted  and  has 
special  interest,  not  only  from  the  occasion  upon  which  it  was  de- 
livered and  its  wholly  impromptu  character,  but  for  its  reminis- 
cences of  his  early  ministry  and  its  extremely  characteristic  manner 
and  tone.  In  the  fall  of  1875,  Dr.  Tyng  chanced  to  be  in  Phila- 
delphia while  the  second  annual  session  of  the  Church  Congress 
in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  was  in  progress,  and  at  one  of 
its  meetings  he  was  seen  in  the  audience.  When  the  discussion 
of  the  subject  for  the  day,  "the  Parochial  system  and  Free  preach- 
ing," had  been  concluded,  the  President,  Bishop  Stevens,  called 
upon  him  for  a  few  words  of  address,  alluding  to  him  as  "  one  who 
for  over  fifty  years  had  illustrated  the  fidehty  of  the  pastor  and  the 
eloquence  of  the  preacher."  Thus  cordially  and  unexpectedly 
summoned,  he  came  forward,  and  in  the  follomng  familiar  way  spoke 
of  the  memories  and  experiences  of  the  early  days: 


Ministry,  i8jo  to  i8j^,  521 

I 

*'  Mr.  President  and  brethren  :  I  don't  know  whether  I  am  en- 
tirely before  my  time  in  the  ages,  or  whether  I  have  entirely  out- 
lived it.  This  is  the  first  occasion  in  my  fifty- six  and  upwards 
years  of  preaching,  that  I  have  ever  heard  of  the  subject  of  free 
preaching  requiring  to  be  discussed  or  enforced  in  an  assembly  of 
Episcopal  clergymen.  I  never  knew  a  minister  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  that  was  not  a  free  preacher,  just  as  he  pleased,  having  an 
open  door  before  him,  having  every  ear  prepared  to  hear  him,  and, 
if  he  behaved  himself,  every  heart  prepared  to  receive  and  respect 
him.  I  have  never  known  a  man  with  simple  faith,  truly  preaching 
the  utterances  of  his  Master  and  the  teachings  of  his  Bible,  who 
was  not  a  welcomed  man,  and  who  was  not  welcomed  by  rich  and 
poor,  in  the  country  and  in  the  city  ;  so  that  wherever  I  have  seen 
our  ministry  extended  through  our  country,  the  most  popular  man 
was  he  that  preached  most  to  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and  the  most 
efi'ectual  man  was  he  that  was  most  faithful  in  the  ministrations  of 
the  truth  of  Christ  to  the  souls  of  men. 

"  As  for  preaching  in  its  mere  matter  and  form,  we  are  a  Church 
of  liberty.  There  has  never  been  the  slightest  reservation  ;  there 
has  never  been  the  slightest  imposition  of  restraint.  Episcopal 
ministers  are  acknowledged  in  their  ministrations  by  all  classes,  and 
angels  sent  from  heaven  would  hardly  be  considered  on  earth  more 
entitled  to  speak  to  man  than  are  the  ministers  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  of  this  land.  They  need  no  certificate  of  their  mission. 
They  need  no  certificate  from  men.  They  are  entitled  to  public 
respect,  and  to  public  reverence  and  to  public  welcome,  and  if  they 
go  forth  with  the  truth  of  God  in  their  minds  and  consciences,  the 
power  of  God  upon  their  hearts,  and  the  manifestation  of  God's  truth 
in  their  daily  lives,  they  are,  everywhere,  more  received,  more  wel- 
comed, more  useful,  more  blessed,  and  they  habitually  become,  by 
God's  gracious  blessing,  revival  men. 

"  Fifty-six  years  ago  this  month,  I  went  to  the  parish  of  Bishop 
Griswold,  in  Bristol,  to  be  a  student  under  his  care.  On  the  first 
Thursday  evening  I  was  there,  he  took  me  out  two  miles  from  home 
to  go  to  one  of  the  meetings  which  he  was  holding  in  that  parish, 
and  wo  went  to  a  farmer's  house  where  a  dip  candle  stood  beside 
the  Bible.  There  was  a  chair  for  the  Bishop,  and  he  led  that  meet- 
ing, and  I  sat  down  to  the  freest  sort  of  gospel  preaching  that  I 
ever  listened  to.  Never  did  I  hear  such  preaching  as  that  before, 
and  perhaps  never  again  shall  I  hear  the  equal  of  th:^t  man's 
preaching  upon  earth.  The  services  were  closed,  and  we  walked 
home  two  miles  together  from  that  i)lace  of  meeting  to  the  house  of 


52  2  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

the  Bishop.  He  said,  '  This  meeting  will  be  held  at  such  a  house 
next  Thursday  evening,  and  I  wish  you  to  take  charge  of  it,  and  carry 
it  on  then,  and  on  every  Thursday  evening.'  I  was  fresh  from  the 
city,  and  my  friend.  Bishop  Howe,  will  well  remember  the  state  of 
things  at  that  time.  I  had  been  brought  up  in  the  grand  old  conserv- 
ative system  of  our  Church  that  I  hope  never  to  see  broken  down. 
I  had  been  brought  up  in  a  system  which  recognized  the  unqualified 
and  indubitable  right  of  the  ministry  to  preach  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  in  such  a  ministry  I  was  then  to  be  admitted  by  the 
man  of  whom  I  say  that,  next  to  Bishop  White,  he  was  the  wisest 
man  I  ever  saw,  the  best  man  I  ever  did  see,  and  a  man  of  the  most 
spotless  life  and  character  I  can  ever  expect  to  behold  upon  earth. 

"  This  was  the  beginning  of  my  free  preaching.  I  never  can  for- 
get that  first  summer.  I  was  a  city  youth,  knowing  little  of  country 
uses  and  country  people,  and  yet  I  was  required  to  stand  before  ^ 
country  audience  and  tell  the  people  all  I  knew  of  a  Saviour's  love, 
a  Saviour's  power,  and  a  Saviour's  feeling  for  guilty  man.  It  was  a 
glorious  apotheosis  for  me,  and  it  took  every  bit  of  the  shell  from 
my  head.  I  was  a  living  bird,  and  wherever  I  went  I  was  at  home; 
and  of  the  two  years'  work  which  I  did  under  the  direction  of 
Bishop  Griswold,  at  least  six  months  of  the  entire  work  were  spent 
in  a  revival  of  religion,  in  which  I  was  called  upon  to  preach  three 
times  every  week  for  six  months, — preaching  in  barns,  in  cottages, 
in  school-houses,  and  wherever  opportunity  afforded.  There  was 
no  restraint  in  that  preaching.  Bishop  Griswold  would  have 
as  soon  thought  of  catching  a  cherub  and  putting  him  into  a 
canary  bird^s  cage  as  to  have  restrained  any  of  his  ministers. 

"  The  Episcopal  Church  opposed  to  revivals  !  Why,  it  is  the  only 
Church  in  the  land,  that,  when  dead,  will  revive  again.  What  man 
on  the  face  of  the  earth  can  make  such  a  prayer  as  our  Litany,  and 
what  prayers  are  so  strong  and  effectual  in  their  reviving  influence  ? 
I  cannot  tell  you  of  the  other  revivals  that  I  have  seen  in  my  minis- 
terial life,  but  J  have  seen  many.  We  had  two  in  the  city  of  Phila- 
delphia, where  some  of  the  scenes  were,  beyond  measure,  wonder- 
ful, and  where  no  man  could  look  at  them  without  seeing  that  it 
was  the  work  and  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  yet,  were  there 
ever  churches  so  orderly  and  so  loving  ?  When  were  there  Bish- 
ops so  venerated  and  ministers  so  esteemed  as  in  those  churches  in 
which  we  ministered  at  that  time  ?  And  when  was  there  preaching 
more  free  than  during  those  revivals  ?  The  Episcopal  Church  is 
the  very  Church  that  nurses  the  cradle  of  the  infancy  of  the  re- 
vival. 


Ministry,  iSjo  to  i8/^,  523 

"  When  a  congress  of  Episcopal  bishops,  ministers,  and  laymen 
come  to  discuss  whether  we  may  live  preaching  a  free  gcspel  or 
not,  I  say,  '  Gentlemen,  you  are  a  hundred  years  behind  the  time.* 
So  if  you  come  down  to  us  at  this  time  and  bring  us  a  Prayer-book, 
and  tell  us,  '  You  shall  swallow  it — even  if  it  chokes  you,  you  must 
swallow  it ;  if  you  cannot  digest  it,  you  must,  and  3'ou  shall  not 
have  anything  to  eat  and  drink  until  you  digest  these  lids  and  cov- 
ers,' I  say  to  you,  '  Gentlemen,  you  must  have  been  the  first-born 
of  Noah.'  The  world  has  moved  round  a  peg  since  all  that  took 
place.  There  is  no  church  in  this  land  that  has  such  freedom  as 
the  Episcopal  Church.  Well  was  it  said  in  old  times,  in  our  coun- 
try, that  *  I  would  rather  be  under  my  Lord  Bishop  than  our  own 
presbyters.'     I  have  had  some  trouble  with  bishops  myself. 

"  Our  old  Bishop  Kemp,  of  Maryland,  came  down  to  visit  me  in 
my  country  parish  once,  and  had  been  rebuking  me  a  great  deal 
more  than  I  liked.  I  was  driving  him  in  my  chaise  from  one  ap- 
pointment to  another,  and  I  said,  '  Bishop,  there  is  not  an  old 
woman  in  my  parish  who  can  put  her  pot  on  to  boil,  but  you  must 
lift,the  lid  to  see  what  is  inside  of  it'  Two  dear  brethren  in  Christ, 
Brother  Hawley  and  Brother  Mcllvaine  were  in  the  carriage  with 
us,  and  I  said,  '  My  dear  Bishop,  we  had  better  move  off  and  let  you 
get  another  set  of  preachers.'  He  was  an  honest,  old-fashioned 
kind  of  a  man,  and  a  very  broad  Scotchman,  and  he  said,  '  Ah,  if 
you  go,  I  will  get  a  worse  set  of  preachers.'  Said  I,  '  It  is  not  likely 
that  you  will,  for  a  worse  set  for  a  bishop  to  dragoon  than  the  free 
preachers  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  it  is  hard  to  find.' 

"What  our  people  want  is  a  revival  of  religion  in  every  church. 
And  has  it  really  come  to  pass  that  we  must  look  out  from  the  por- 
tals of  God's  grand  edifice,  and  ask  whether  Moody  and.  Saukey 
are  coming  ?  Is  there  no  Holy  Ghost  without  them  ?  I  do  not 
mean  to  speak  disparagingly  of  them,  for  I  value  them,  I  honor 
them,  I  delight  in  their  work  ;  I  pray  God  upon  my  knees 
for  a  blessing  upon  their  work,  and  I  bless  God  for  it  all  ;  but 
whatever  it  may  require  in  outside  influence  and  relations,  certainly 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  cannot  require  two  men  to  come 
in  from  abroad,  to  wake  its  bishops  up  at  any  rate.  We  have  a 
right  to  say,  'We  are  all  at  work  ;  what  can  you  do  to  aid  us?' 
'  Well,  wo  can  teach  you  better  how  to  sing.'  '  Be  it  so  ;  we  would 
like  to  learn.'  'We  can  teach  you  how  to  pray.'  'Can  you? 
There  is  a  doubt  in  my  mind  as  to  that,  for  give  me  the  prayers  of 
ray  dear  old  Churcli  of  England.  Tliere  are  no  better,  for  in  my 
fifty -six  yearc  of  ministry,  I  have  never  found  one  real,  spiritual, 


524  ^^^-  Stephen  Higginson   Tyiig,  D,D. 

heart-felt  Christian,  tired  and  weary  of  those  blessed  prayers  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church.' 

"  I  will  not  weary  you  with  this  endless  talk.  I  seem  to  appear 
among  you  as  a  spectre  of  somebody  who  has  been  buried  ;  but  I 
wish  }'0U  to  understand  that  some  truths  have  been  perhaps  buried 
and  have  risen  again,  and  some  men  may  be  buried  and  they  may 
come  up  agam.  Oh,  could  I  bring  up  the  man  who  preached  to 
thousands  lust  m  the  ear  of  this  building  ;  the  man  whose  very 
voice  was  the  music  of  Heavens,  the  man  whose  invitation  was  the 
sweetest  utterance  that  fell  from  mortal  tongue  ;  the  man  whose 
eloquence  was  so  effective  even  in  pantomime,  that  I  have  seen 
people  weeping  at  the  door  of  his  church  from  only  looking  at 
him  ;  the  man  who  seemed  to  carry  in  his  free  preaching,  the  will 
and  heart  of  every  man  before  him  ;  the  man  whose  tenderness  was 
the  sweetest,  loving  accent  of  family  affection  ;  the  man  whose 
watchfulness  was  more  than  that  which  the  mother  gives  her  child 
through  all  the  hours  of  darkness  ;  the  man  whose  pulpit  power 
will  never  be  surpassed  again— I  mean  Gregory  Thurston  Bedell ! 
That  man's  church  was  in  a  revival  all  the  time  :  and  just  such  a 
state  of  things  we  might  have  everywhere  in  all  our  churches,  if 
we  only  had  living,  to-day,  preachers  in  whom  the  Lord  had 
His  indwelling  ;  preachers  that  knew  the  value  of  the  Saviour, 
the  preciousness  of  salvation,  and  the  completeness  of  it  ;  but 
we  shall  never  have  any  revival  under  any  other  than  the  sim- 
plest free  preaching  of  the  fulness  and  the  power  of  the  love  of  a 
Divine  Saviour. 

"Three  ways  seem  to  be  laid  out  before  us  in  the  Sacred 
Scripture.  There  is  the  broad  way ;  the  Bible  says  it  leads 
to  death.  There  is  the  narrow  way  ;  the  Bible  says  it  is  straight, 
and  it  goes  up  to  eternal  life.  There  is  the  highway,  the  Bible 
says  it  is  a  fatal  way,  and  the  man  who  goes  on  it  is  Ukely  to 
have  a  sad  fall.  Between  broad,  and  narrow,  and  high,  I  simply 
say  I  am  a  very  narrow-minded  man.  1  stick  to  the  old  line  ;  I 
stick  to  the  old  system.  I  want  nothing — I  ask  nothing  else.  I 
am  in  a  Church  in  which  all  my  fathers  were  before  me.  There 
never  was  a  dissenter  in  my  blood.  I  was  brought  up  with  the 
Prayer-  book.  I  delight  in  it.  I  love  it  as  I  love  the  memory  of 
all  that  have  gone  before  me,  and  there  is  nothing  on  earth  in  the 
Episcopal  Church  that  I  could  ask  for,  but  converted  Bishops,  con- 
verted presbyters,  converted  laymen,  and  the  free  exercise  of  gos- 
pel preaching  in  every  pulpit  to  save  men  who  are  lost.  I  could 
only  ask  for  faithful,  honest,  free  ministers  of  Jesus,  who  would 


Ministry,  i8jo  to  iSjS-  ^^5 

preach  to  the  people  the  full  salvation  of  Christ  :  the  preaching 
that  leads  men  to  throw  themselves  m  absolute  and  entire  trust 
upon  the  infinite  mercies  of  an  infinite  Kedeemer." 

Such  were  the  testimonies  of  ine  simplicity  of  his  faith,  the 
earnestness  of  his  spirit,  the  steadfastness  of  his  principle,  the 
largeness  of  his  sympathies  the  fellowship  of  his  affection  as  they 
were  given  in  these  different  connections  upon  the  occasions  which 
have  been  thus  reviewed. 

Among  the  most  interesting  events  of  this  period  of  Dr.  Tyng's 
life  were  the  several  visits  which  he  made  to  the  scenes  of  his  early 
life  and  ministerial  labors,  at  the  request  of  those  who  had  followed 
him  in  the  ministry  of  each  place,  and  of  the  descendants  of  those 
who  had  been  under  his  ministry  in  the  days  long  past. 

The  first  of  these  visits  was  that  to  Georgetown,  D.  C,  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1870,  of  which  he  writes  so  fully  in  his  Record  of  the  years 
of  his  ministry  there. 

This  was  followed  four  years  later,  in  July,  1874,  by  a  similar 
visit  to  his  old  parish  in  Prince  George's  County,  Md.,  to  be  present 
and  preach  at  the  consecration  of  a  chapel  in  that  parish.  The 
funds  for  its  erection  had  been  chiefly  supplied  through  him  by 
the  liberal  gifts  of  his  friends  in  St.  George's,  and  in  acknowledg- 
ment of  this,  it  had  been  named^St.  George's  Chapel.  The  cordia 
welcome  and  remembrance  with  which  he  was  received  by  the  chil- 
dren, and  grandchildren  of  his  parishioners  of  fifty  years  before, 
made  this  visit  most  gratifying  in  all  its  incidents.  It  brought  be- 
fore him,  however,  the  striking  fact  that  of  all  with  whom  he  had 
been  familiar  in  the  happy  years  which  he  had  spent  there,  there 
remained  but  one  who  had  been  his  cotemporary  in  age. 

A  similar  occasion,  the  consecration  of  Christ  Church,  called 
him  to  Quincy,  Massachusetts,  in  June  of  the  succeeding  year.  It 
was  here  that  he  had  spent  his  first  school  days  in  1806,  and  here 
also,  in  1820,  he  had  first  ministered  and  gathered  his  first  Sunday- 
school.  "Where  he  had  known  an  old  and  deserted  church  he  now 
came  to  unite  in  the  consecration  of  a  new  edifice,  erected  by  a 
thriving  parish,  and  to  tell  the  story  of  its  origin  and  early  life 
For  his  sermon  he  took  the  text  :  "  There  is  hope  of  a  ix^Q,  if  it 
be  cut  down,  that  it  will  sprout  again,  and  that  the  tender  branch 
thereof  will  not  cease.  Though  the  root  thereof  wax  old  in  the 
earth,  and  the  stock  thereof  die  in  the  ground  ;  yot  through  the 
scent  of  water,  it  will  bud  and  bring  forth  boughs  like  a  plant,' 
Job  xiv,  7-9. 

Using  the  figure  in  the  text  in  the  relation  of  encouragement 


526  Rev,  Stephe7i  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

instead  of  the  attitude  of  contrast  in  which  the  Patriarch  used  it, 
he  traced  the  earlj  history  of  the  parish  and  of  the  church  in 
Massachusetts,  with  all  of  which  he  had  been  familiar.  Among 
the  remarkable  facts  mentioned  was  that  of  the  less  than  five  hun- 
dred persons  who  had  been  ordained  to  the  ministry  before  him, 
"  but  seven  remained  in  the  list  of  the  living,  and  still  fewer 
among  the  active  on  the  earth."  This  sermon,  filled  with  interest- 
ing historical  data,  was  subsequently  published  by  order  of  the 
vestry  of  the  church. 

During  this  visit  to  the  vicinity  of  Boston  his  last  visit  was  made 
to  Newburyport,  where  a  Sunday  was  spent,  preaching  in  the  old 
church  hallowed  by  so  many  memories  of  his  childhood  and  youth. 
None  remained  of  his  family  to  welcome  him  there,  but  every  ob- 
ject called  up  recollections  in  which  he  found  delight.  It  was  on 
this  occasion  that  he  first  preached  the  sermon  '  Our  Church  a 
Bible  Church,'  which,  with  some  additions,  was  subsequently  de- 
livered when,  in  1877,  he  was  invited  to  preach  at  the  opening  of 
the  new  edifice  of  Trinity  Church,  Boston. 

As  the  declaration  of  his  firm  and  abiding  faith  in  the  inspiration 
of  Scripture  ;  his  protest  against  the  Bationalistic  theories  arrayed 
for  its  descruction,  it  remains  his  testimony  to  the  Church  of  the 
truths  upon  which  it  is  founded,  and  by  which  it  must  ever  be 
known. 

"  Search  the  Scriptures;  for  in  them,  ye  think  ye  have  eternal 
life,  and  they  are  they  which  testify  of  mo." — St.  John  v.  38. 

"  These  are  the  words  of  Jesus.  They  express  the  precise 
point  of  divine  instruction  which  I  wish  to  illustrate;  that  is — The 
personal  view  and  belief  of  Jesus,  in  reference  to  the  sacred  writ- 
ings of  Israel.  When  this  glorious  Saviour  appeared  among  men, 
he  was,  in  the  human  nature  and  connections  which  He  assumed,  n. 
son  of  Israel — an  Israelite  indeed.  He  personally  conformed  to  all 
the  separating,  distinguishing,  ordinances  of  the  covenant  of  God 
with  Israel.  At  the  time  of  His  appearing  on  the  earth,  in  His 
great  mission  of  salvation  to  man,  certain  peculiar  and  well  known 
religious  writings  and  records  were  in  the  possession  of  this  peo- 
ple. They  claimed  for  these  inherited  writings  a  special  divine 
inspiration;  a  positive,  distinct  and  immediate  personal  authority 
from  God.  They  maintained  for  them  a  position  of  secluded  and 
supreme  reverence  and  acknowledgment.  They  cultivated  a  tra- 
ditional hesitation  even  to  tread  upon  a.  fragment  of  paper  lying 
in  their  path,  lest  even  that  might  be  some  portion  of  these  divine 
and  consecrated  records  of  the  word  of  God.     These  books,  thus 


Ministry,  i8jo  to  iSj^.  52^ 

received  and  regarded  were  familiarly  called  :  The  Scriptures.' 
They  were  habitually  styled,  '  The  word  of  the  Lord,'  clothed  with 
an  authority  which  had  been  conceded  to  no  other  writings,  in  the 
possession  or  knowledge  of  man.  With  equal  discrimination,  they 
were  also  called  '  Moses  and  the  Prophets,'  as  certifying  the  des- 
ignated men,  by  whom,  under  the  divine  inspiration,  they  were  orig- 
inally spoken  and  written,  and  through  whom  the  communications 
and  commands  which  they  contained,  were  uttered  and  conveyed 
from  God  to  men.  This  inherited  estimate  of  these  sacred  Script- 
ures, so  comprehensive  and  so  discriminating,  was  maintained 
as  a  fundamental  principle  and  conviction  in  every  succeeding  gen- 
eration of  the  people  of  Israel. 

"  When  Paul  said  to  Timothy  :  '  From  a  child  thou  hast  known 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  which  are  able  to  make  thee  wise  unto  salva- 
tion, through  the  faith  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus;'  *  All  Scripture 
is  given  by  inspiration  of  God;'  i.  e.,  every  one  of  these  writings 
is  breathed  from  God,  the  word  of  God;  'that  the  man  of  God  may 
be  perfect,  thoroughly  furnished  unto  all  good  works;'  he  spoke 
of  these  ancient  writings  as  an  Israelite,  and  precisely  in  the  lan- 
guage of  this  people.  His  utterance  was  a  statement  of  the  dis- 
tinct, undoubting  opinion  and  faith  of  the  Jewish  people  at  the 
period  of  the  '  manifestation  of  the  Son  of  God,'  among  them. 

"  At  this  time,  among  this  people,  and  midst  such  circumstances 
of  decision  and  discrimination,  Jesus  appeared.  He  assumed  the 
character  and  office  of  a  teacher  sent  from  God.  He  came  as  a 
messenger  of  unprecedented  authority,  of  unlimited  wisdom,  of 
infallible  and  undeniable  truth.  In  uttering  His  personal  commun- 
ications. He  assumed  an  elevation  which  was  supreme  and  unri- 
valled among  men.  He  presented  Himself  as  *  The  Son  of  God, ' 
'  The  only-begotten  of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth,'  who 
could  rightly  say  :  '  I  and  my  Father  are  one,'  and  to  whom  God 
had  *  given  His  Spirit  without  measure.  *  The  chosen  followers  of 
Jesus,  acknowledged  and  accepted  His  claims  to  unquestionable 
knowledge  of  the  subjects  of  which  he  spoke,  to  unlimited  authority 
in  His  utterances  of  the  will  of  God,  and  to  entire  infallibility  in 
the  instructions  which  He  gave.  These  claims'  and  these  conces- 
sions remain — the  unchanged  foundation,  the  universal  estimate  of 
the  personal  authority,  knowledge  and  truth  of  Jesus,  among  all 
classes  of  those  who  are  called  by  His  name,  and  profess  to  be  be- 
lievers in  His  divine  message  and  office. 

"  And  upon  this  unaltered  and  unalterable  basis, — we  stand  this 
day.     The  actual  personal  right  of  Jesus  to  this  assumption   and 


528  Rev,  Stephen  Hi^ginson   Tyngy  D,D. 

concession,  or  any  controversy  concerning  it,  I  do  not  propose 
now  to  consider  or  discuss.  The  facts  which  I  have  stated  remain 
undisputed.  With  these  personal  claims  to  divine  authority  [and 
truth,  Jesus  appeared  among  the  Jewish  people  and  came  into 
personal  contact  and  use,  in  public  and  in  private,  with  these  Script- 
ures, these  holy  writings  of  Israel.  That  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old 
Testament,  as  they  are  called,  which  we  now  have  in  our  possession 
were  these  Holy  Scriptures  of  Israel,  in  the  time  and  use  of  Jesus, 
is  a  fact  undisputed,   unquestioned. 

"  The  questions  which  I  wish  now  to  propose,  for  your  considera- 
tion, are  simply  :  What  was  the  personal  behef  of  Jesus  ?  What 
was  the  actual  estimate  formed  and  maintained  by  Jesus  ?  What 
was  the  habitual  teaching  of  Jesus  concerning  these  well-known 
Scriptures  of  Israel  ? — involving  the  truth  of  their  historical  record 
and  the  claims  of  their  divine  authority  ?  What  were  His  instruc- 
tions concerning  the  measure  of  respect  and  the  spirit  of  confidence 
with  which  they  were  to  be  received  by  men  ? 

*•  There  was  no  hesitation  in  the  personal  boldness  of  Jesus, 
when  dealing  with  the  errors  of  faith,  or  the  wrongs  in  practice 
among  the  people  whom  He  addressed.  There  was  no  reserve  in 
His  language  of  denunciation  of  the  impositions  in  public  teachings 
or  the  crimes  of  individual  habit,  which  He  encountered  among  the 
very  highest,  and  the  most  assuming  of  the  rulers  and  public 
teachers  of  Israel.  Upon  this  very  subject  now  before  us.  He  did 
not  hesitate  to  say  to  them,  "  Ye  hypocrites,  ye  have  made  the  com- 
mandments of  God  of  none  effect,' — by  your  tradition.  We  ask  : 
'  What  stand  did  He  take;  what  course  did  He  pursue  when  com- 
ing into  actual  relation  and  contact  with  these  acknowledged  Script- 
ures of  Israel ? 

"  Did  He  annul  them,  or  did  He  estabHsh  them  ?  Did  He 
amend  or  correct  them  as  defective  and  erroneous  ?  or  did  He  pro- 
fess to  fulfil  them  and  to  certify  them  as  true  and  commanding  ? 
Did  He  also  set  aside  these  Scriptures  by  His  traditions,  which 
He  deHvered  ?  Or  did  He  require  and  command  His  own  state- 
ments of  avowed  Truth  to  be  judged  by  them,  to  be  conformed  to 
their  teaching  and  to  the  word  of  God  in  them  ?  I  simply  ask  you, 
what  was  the  actual  personal  belief  of  Jesus  concerning  these  well- 
defined,  elevated,  separated,  sanctified  writings  of  Israel  ? 

"  You  will  concede  this  to  be  a.  question  of  supreme  importance, 
as  presented  to  us  who  profess  to  believe  the  testimony  of  Jesus,  to 
acknowledge  His  indisputable  authority,  and  to  confess  Him  per- 
sonally to  be — "  The  Way,  the  Truth  and  the  Life  '  from  God  to  us, 


Ministry,  i8yo  to  i8j^.  529 

and  between  ourselves  and  God,  and  as  knowing  all  things,  and 
testifying  upon  all  subjects  in  clear  and  unequivical  words  of  Truth. 
We  cannot  avoid  the  free  acknowledgment — nor  withhold  the  abso- 
lute assertion:  That  which  Jesus  uttered.  He  knew.  That  which 
Jesus  taught.  He  believed.  In  all  that  which  Jesus  asserted,  there 
was  therefore — there  must  have  been — entire  truth,  immovable  fact, 
absolute  certainty,  without  falsehood,  without  reserve,  without  error. 
And  we  boldly  ask,  therefore,  what  was  the  belief,  what  were  the  in- 
structions of  Jesus  in  regard  to  those  Holy  Scriptures  of  Israel  ? 
"  The  Books  of  the  Old  Testament  as  we  now  have  them,  are  an 
indispensable  portion,  an  inseparable  part  of  the  Bible,  the  Word, 
the  Book,  of  God  as  it  now  exists.  You  are  perfectly  aware,  that  we 
enter  here  upon  a  battle-field  well  trodden  and  clearly  marked. 
The  most  vigorous  efforts  of  modern  unbelief  have  been  directed 
against  the  truth  of  the  divine  authority  of  these  ancient  Scriptures 
of  Israel.  Multiplied  objections  from  the  scrutiny  of  historical 
criticism,  from  the  professed  discoveries  and  decisions  which  as- 
sume the  name  of  '  Modern  Science,'  and  from  the  assertions  of  what 
are  called  infallible  conclusions,  in  the  process  of  human  investi- 
gations, have  been  arrayed  against  the  whole  historical  structure 
and  the  statements  of  fact,  which  are  contained  in  these  divine 
writings  :  Objections  combining,  it  is  asserted,  to  prove  them  his- 
torically false,  and  philosophically  absurd. 

"  These  derisive  objections,  uttered  so  often,  with  a  coarse  and 
blustering  ridicule,  have  not  been  confined    to  the  haunts  or  the 
habits  of  the  openly  ungodly  and  profane.     It  is  sad  to  be  obliged 
to  sa}^  that  they  have  been  avowed  in  the  open  pulpit  of  professed 
Scriptural  instruction,  on  the  day  of  the  Lord,  in  our  own  land  and 
time.     I  now  quote  from  a  published  sermon  of  one  of  the   most 
distinguished  and  popular  preachers  of  our  day,  known  throughout 
our  whole  land,  printed  under  his  own  authority,  as  delivered  re- 
cently  in   his  own  well-known  placa   of  public    ministration.     He 
says:  *  Here  and  there  you  will  find  a  man  who  holds  that  the  world 
was  created   in  six  days  by  a  direct  fiat  of  the  divine  will.     Such  a 
man  is  twin  l)rother  to  the  oldest  mummy  in  the  tombs  of  Egypt, 
and  I  think  the    mummy  is   the   better  of  the    two.'     *  It  looks  as 
though  it  were  going  to  be  shown,  that  men  did  not  come,  accord- 
ing to   the  Hteral  statements  concerning  the  Garden  of  Eden,  that 
they  did  not  come   from  the   loins   of  one   man,   Adam.     All   the 
facts  disclosed  by  scientific  investigation  point  to  the  development 
of  man,  from  the  lowest  forms  c^  savage  life;  by  continuous  grada- 
tions,   running  through   all    ages.' 


530  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  B.D. 

"  These  sentences  are  extracted  from  bold  and  published  state- 
ments, kindred  in  their  character  and  influence;  avowals  of  absolute 
unbehef,  in  the  truth  of  Scriptural  assertion,  and  of  unqualified  re- 
jection of  the  authority  of  those  writings  of  the  Old  Testament,  which 
Paul  has  solemnly  declared  to  have  been  '  breathed  from  God.'  I  do 
not  propose  to  enter  into  any  argument  or  discussion  with  such  asser- 
tions, in  themselves;  I  simply  ask  in  relation  to  the  subjects  involved 
in  such  assertions,  what  did  Jesus  personally  believe  ?  What  did 
Jesus  habitually  teach  concerning  the  authority  and  the  truth  of  these 
Scriptures,  as  they  were  acknowledged,  and  in  use,  in  His  earthly 
days,  by  the  Church  of  Israel  ?  It  is  an  undoubted  concession  and 
demand  of  justice  among  men,  that  the  endorser  of  a  note,  assumes 
and  must  bear,  the  responsibility  of  the  one  who  has  signed  and 
given  it.  If  Jesus  certified  the  truth  of  writings,  which  have  been 
proved  to  be  false,  and  which,  if  He  were  really  divine,  He  must  have 
known  to  be  false,  His  whole  edifice  of  personal  truth  must  fall  with 
the  one  which  He  so  falsely  sustained,  and  which  it  is  now  affirmed, 
man's  science  and  discoveries  have  so  completely  overwhelmed  and 
overthrown.  'The  Scriptures  cannot  be  broken,'  or  separated 
part  from  part.  Its  varied  cords  of  authority  and  truth  are  so  com- 
pletely interwoven  that  they  must  meet  the  strain,  whatever  it  may 
be,  in  union.  The  edifice  subsequently  constructed,  is  so  compacted 
upon  the  foundation  on  w^hich  it  has  been  made  to  rest,  that  the 
undermining  of  the  one  cannot  be  separated  from  the  overthrow  of 
the  other.  If  the  Old  Testament  be  in  reahty  a  collection  of  fables, 
falsely  stated  as  facts,  you  cannot  avoid  the  conclusion  that  the  pro- 
fessed Divine  Teacher,  who,  knowing  their  falsehood,  still  affirmed 
the  certainty  of  their  truth,  must  Himself  sink  in  the  inevitable  ruin, 
and  the  just  contempt  of  the  fiction,  to  which  He  has  chosen  to 
bind  Himself  and  His  own  authority  wdth  man.  I  therefore  propose 
to  you  the  simple  inquiry:  'What  did  Jesus  Himself  believe?' 
And  what  did  Jesus  teach,  in  relation  to  the  authority  of  the 
Scriptures  of  Israel,  according  to  His  recorded  personal  estimate 
and  in  necessary  range  of  His  transmitted  personal  instructions  ? 
Were  these  ancient  Scriptures  true  or  false,  a  revelation  from  God, 
or  an  invention  of  man  ? ' 

"  In  the  exhortation  of  our  present  text,  '  Search  the  Scriptures,* 
He  certifies  this  whole  body  of  well-known  writings,  in  a  single 
reference  or  statement.  He  here  acknowledges  the  truth^  of  the 
conception  of  the  Israelites,  that  their  instructions  contain,  and 
would  guide  to  the  possession  of,  '  Eternal  Life.'  He  claims  them 
as  a  united  testimony  and  true  history  of  His  own  appointed  char- 


Ministry,  iSjo  to  iSyj,  531 

acter,  mission  and  work.  "Without  discrimination,  reserve  or  exclu- 
sion, He  affirms  their  truth  and  their  divine  authority.  If,  then,  their 
record  and  assertions  can  be  proved  to  be  unfounded  and  impossi- 
ble; if  their  authority  can  be  overthrown  by  facts,  indisputable 
and  established,  the  whole  foundation  of  the  personal  truth  of  Jesus 
has  gone;  the  whole  scheme  of  His  proposed  salvation  for  man;  the 
whole  authority  of  His  professed  and  admired  instructions,  musl* 
be  buried  in  the  overthrow  and  ruin,  which  have  been  thus  accom- 
plished. Th^  demonstrated  falsehood  of  these  sacred  writings  in 
the  history  and  the  statements  of  facts  which  they  contain,  must  be 
equally  the  destruction  of  their  whole  testimony;  and  in  that  de- 
struction, the  annihilation  of  the  certainty  of  any  hope  which  rests 
upon  this  communication. 

"  But  upon  this  point  of  their  general  authority,  what  did 
Jesus  say  ?  *  Search  the  Scriptures,  for  in  them,  ye  think  ye 
have  eternal  life,  and  they  are  they  which  testify  of  me.'  It  is 
thus  indisputable,  beyond  a  rational  question:  That  Jesus  per- 
sonally believed  those  Scriptures  as  statements  of  certain  and  ab- 
solute truth.  That  He  taught  and  certified  their  truth,  their  price- 
less worth,  their  infinite  importance  as  the  authority,  the  communi- 
cation, the  Word  of  the  living  God.  But  we  may  illustrate  this 
immovable  conclusion  far  more  minutely.  In  this  same  particular 
discourse,  Jeeus  further  presses  the  particular  force  of  this  very 
conclusion.  '  Do  not  think,'  He  says  to  the  Jews  who  listened  to 
Him,  '  do  not  think  that  I  will  accuse  you  to  the  Father;  there  is 
one  that  accuseth  you,  even  Moses,  in  whom  ye  trust.  For  had  ye 
believed  Moses,  ye  would  have  believed  me.  For  he  wrote  of  me. 
If  ye  believe  not  his  writings,  how  shall  ye  believe  my  words  ? ' 
But  they  are  especially  '  the  writings  of  Moses  '  which  are  now  so 
coarsely  derided  and  assailed.  The  man  who  does  believe  them, 
is  declared  to  be  more  stupid  and  senseless  than  *  the  oldest  mum- 
my in  the  tombs  of  Egypt.'  And  it  was  this  very  man — 'the  man 
believing  the  writings  of  Moses ' — to  whom  the  Saviour  Jesus  re- 
fers with  such  distinguishing  approbation.  I  boldly  ask  upon  what 
rational  basis  a  man  can  avow  himself  a  believer  in  Jesus,  yet 
more,  a  minister  of  Jesus,  while  sneering  at  His  testimony  and  com- 
mand with  a  coarseness  and  contempt  like  this  V 

"  The  conclusion  is  absolute  and  indisputable.  The  records  of 
'  The  Old  and  the  New  Testament,'  the  communications  of  '  the  law 
and  the  gospel,'  the  truth  and  authority  of  Moses  and  Jesus,  must 
stand  or  fall  together.  In  ^latthew  v.  17,  Jesus  expressly  affirms 
this  indissoluble  connection,  this  assumi)tion  of  mutual  and  combined 


532  Rev,  Stephe?i  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

responsibility,  as  involved  in  His  whole  purpose  and  bistor}'.  '  Think 
not  that  I  am  come  to  destroy  the  law  or  the  prophets; '  'I  come 
not  to  destroy  but  to  fulfil'  How  decided  is  this  statement!  The 
personal  authority  and  mission  of  Jesus  were  intended  to  establish, 
not  to  overthrow,  the  authority  or  truth  of  these  ancient  writings. 
The  concrete  expression,  '  the  law  ana  the  prophets,'  included  the 
whole  compass  of  these  ancient  Scriptures  with  their  contents 
and  their  claims.  Jesus  not  only  here  affirms  and  endorses  these, 
but  He  carries  still  further  His  testimony  to  their  unchanging  and 
abiding  certainty  For  verily  I  say  unto  you,  till  heaven  and  earth 
pass  away,  not  one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall  pass  from  the  law  till  all  be 
fulfilled.'  From  absolute  truth  nothing  can  ever  pass.  That  which 
is  once  true,  remains  immovably  true  forever.  Ages  of  revolutions 
cannot  affect  the  abiding  certainty  of  a  fact  which  has  been  once  es- 
tablished, as  in  itself  absolute  and  real.  Can  any  one  doubt  that 
Jesus  beheved,  personally,  thoroughly  believed,  statements  of  facts 
which  He  declares  to  be  so  absolute  and  so  immovable '? 

"  But  we  are  by  no  means  left  to  the  force  of  these  general  con- 
clusions, by  themselves.  Jesus  enters  into  very  particular  considera- 
tion of  the  distinctive  elements  which  are  contained  in  such  inclusive 
affirmations.  And  He  selects  some  of  the  very  facts  which  have  been 
made  the  objects  of  human  derision  and  unbelief.  Let  us  follow 
Him  in  some  of  these. 

"  Mark  ii.  27,  He  affirms   the  precise  history  of   the  creation 
which  these  Scriptures  contain   and  which  has  been  so  contempt- 
uously  ridiculed   in   the  language   which  I  have    quoted.     He   is 
drawn  to  this  by  a  particular  consideration  of  '  the  Sabbath,'  and 
in   answer   to  the  objections  of  the  Jews,  He   utters  the  solemn, 
positive  affirmation,  '  the  Sabbath  was  made  for  man.'    His  assertion 
of  the  divine  appointment  of  the  Sabbath,  of  necessity  includes  the 
truth  of  the  history  of  the  preceding  creation,  of  which  the  Sabbath 
was  made  the  express  memorial  and  witness.     The  sacred  record  of 
the  history  to  which  He  refers  is,  '  Thus  the  heavens  and  the  earth 
were  finished.     And   on  the    Seventh   day   God   ended  His  work 
which  He  had  made;  and  God  blessed  the  Seventh  day  and  sancti- 
fied it,  because  that  in  it,  God  had  rested  from  all  His  work  which 
He  had  made.'     This  was  the  history  of  the  origin  and  appointment 
of  the  Sabbath  which  these  ancient  Scriptures  gave.     Jesus  affirms 
its  truth.     He  also  declares   His  own  personal  connection  with  it. 
'  The  Son  of  Man  is  the  Lord  of  the  Sabbath.'     Jesus  believed  this 
record.     He  knew  its  truth  by  His  own  personal  connection  with  it. 
'  He  was  Himself  the  Creator.     By  Him  the  worlds  were  made.* 


Ministry,  iSjo  to  i8j§,  533 

Heb.  i.  2,  '  All  things  were  made  by  Him.'  John  i.  3,  '  Without 
Him  was  not  anything  made,  that  was  made.'  Thus  Jesus  taught  this 
history  as  indisputably  true.  He  pledged  His  own  authority  and 
truth,  upon  the  reality  and  certainty  of  its  origin  and  its  relative 
importance.  How  then  can  it  be  affirmed  that  this  history  of  the 
creation  is  false,  without  involving  the  actual  falsehood  or  the  per- 
sonal ignorance  of  Jesus,  who  so  solemnly  certified  and  maintained 
it.  How  can  any  one  truly  profess  himself  a  believer  in  Jesus,  and 
vet  deny  and  ridicule  a  divine  history  which  Jesus  has  endorsed  and 
declared  to  be  actually  and  infallibly  true  ?  How  can  one  call  himself 
a  Christain  and  yet  revile  the  personal  authority  and  truth  of  this 
gracious  Lord  in  whom  he  professes  to  believe  ? 

"  Again,  Matthew  xix.  4,  Jesus  enters  into  a  particular  considera- 
tion of  the  institution  of  marriage  and  of  the  origin  of  the  human 
race,  which   divine  records  have  also  been  included  in  this  ridicule 
and  rejection.     Addressing  the  professed  teachers  of  Israel  in  His 
day,  Jesus  says,    referring  to  their  own  acknowledged  Scriptures: 
'  Have  ye  never  read  that  He,  which  made  them  male  and  female,  said. 
For  this  cause,  shall  a  man  leave  his  father  and  his  mother,  and  shall 
cleave  unto  his  wife,  and  they  twain  shall  be  one  flesh.    What  there- 
fore God   hath   joined  together,  let  no   man  pul:  asunder.'     This 
is  the  very  history  of  the  origin  of  the  human  race  which  this 
modern   infidelity   so  ridicules   and  reviles.     But   with  a  general 
discussion  of  open  and  consistent  infidelity,  I  am  not  now  concerned. 
But   I   ask,    Did  not   Jesus   believe    and   teach   the    reaUty    and 
truth  of  this  particular  history  of  the  origin  of  the  race  of  man 
contained  in  the  Scriptures  of  Israel  ?     How  can  any  one  ridicule 
and  revile  this  recorded  history,  and  yet  assume  to   call  himself  a 
believer  in  the  truth,  the  knowledge  and  the  wisdom  of  Jesus  as  a 
divine  teacher  sent  from  God.     The  edifice  of  his  revelation  can- 
not stand  when  the   foundations  of  divine  authority  and  truth  are 
thus  rudely  and  violently  overthrown. 

"  I  will  select  as  another  illustration  of  the  testimony  of  Jesus,  the 
histor}'  of  the  Flood,  as  contained  in  the  Scriptures  of  Israel.  This 
history  has  been  as  much  disputed  and  reviled  as  the  history  of  the 
creation,  and  of  man.  But  Jesus  affirms  this  also,  with  equal  mi- 
nuteness and  decision.  In  describing  His  own  future  coming  and 
its  results.  Matt.  xxiv.  37,  He  says:  'as  the  days  of  Noe  were,  so 
shall  also  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  be.  As  in  the  days  which 
were  before  the  flood — they  were  eating  and  drinking  until  the  day 
that  Noe  entered  into  the  ark,  and  knew  not  until  the  flood  came 
and  took  them  all  away.     So  shall  also  the  coming  of  the  Son  of 


534  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyngy  D.D, 

Man  be.'  Jesus  thus  adopts  and  affirms  the  whole  scripture  history 
of  Noe,  as  in  itself  real  and  true,  and  as  properly  illustrating  His 
own  future  advent,  in  the  certainty  of  the  fact  proclaimed,  and  in 
its  actual  occurrence,  with  all  its  predicted  results,  notwithstanding 
the  attending  unbelief  of  man.  Jesus  certainly  believed  that  his- 
tory ;  He  received  it  as  '  the  word  of  God  which  abideth  forever.* 
He  rested  his  own  credibility  and  truth  in  foretelling  the  future 
advent  of  Himself,  upon  the  indubitable  certainty  of  that  history 
which  He  thus  acknowledged  and  certified.  He  did  this  in  the  most 
solemn  manner  and  in  connection  with  the  most  solemn  of  His  own 
revelations  and  relations  to  men.  I  ask,  did  not  Jesus  Himself  be- 
lieve this  history  in  the  Scriptures  of  Israel  ?  And  if  with  His  un- 
limited knowledge  He  did  believe  it,  must  it  not  have  been  true  ? 

"  I  will  select  one  other  illustration,  as  distinct  and  as  solemn  in  its 
application  as  either  of  these — Matt.  xii.  39;  Luke  xi.  30  :  Jesus 
describes  and  pledges  His  own  approaching  death  and  subsequent 
resurrection,  and  He  selects  a  history  from  the  Scriptures  of  Israel, 
which  has  been  as  much  the  subject  of  human  rejection  and  ridicule 
as  either  of  those  of  which  we  have  already  spoken,  to  be  the  illustra- 
tion of  His  purpose  and  teaching.  He  calls  it  *  The  sign  of  the  prophet 
Jonas.'  He  says,  '  As  Jonas  was  three  days  and  three  nights  in  the 
whale's  belly,  so  shall  the  Son  of  Man  be  three  days  and  three 
nights  in  the  heart  of  the  earth :  for  as  Jonas  was  a  sign  unto  the 
Ninevites,  so  shall  the  Son  of  Man  be  to  this  generation.'  I  ask 
you,  did  not  Jesus  believe  the  reality  and  truth  of  this  history  of 
Jonah  ?  And  if  Jesus  really  believed  it,  and  certified  it  as  true,  was 
it  not  true  ?  And  yet  no  fact  recorded  in  the  Scriptures  of  Israel 
has  been  more  ridiculed  or   reviled  by  unbelieving  men. 

"  We  have  thus  selected  four  separate  narrations  of  thece  ancient 
historical  and  prophetic  '  Scriptures '  from  '  Moses  and  the  Prophets,* 
which  were  adduced  by  Jesus,  as  facts  of  divine  history,  illustrative 
of  most  important  elements  in  His  own  work  and  mission.  No 
statements  of  these  ancient  Scriptures  have  been  more  rejected  and 
ridiculed  by  the  infidelity  of  our  day  than  these  four  accounts 
of  the  creation,  the  origin  of  man,  the  flood  of  Noah,  and  the  re- 
markable deliverance  of  Jonah.  Yet  this  divine  and  infallible 
Teacher  from  God  particularly  selects  and  adduces  these  as  histor- 
ically true.  He  affirms  their  truth.  He  illustrates  and  establishes 
the  certainty  of  His  own  claims  and  promises  upon  the  basis  of  their 
reality  and  truth.  Did  not  Jesus  personally  beheve  them  ?  Did 
He  not  receive  them  as  records  of  truth  which  had  been  '  breathed 
from  God,'  given  by  inspiration  from  God  '  to  believing  men 


V 


Ministry,  i8jo  to  i8j^.  635 

What  shall  we  then  say  ?  If  all  these  avowed  statements  of  facts, 
recorded  and  transmitted  in  the  Scriptures  of  Israel,  were  false, 
fictions,  mere  parables  unworthy  of  credit,  absolutely  irreconcila- 
ble with  facts  discovered  by  man,  and  known  to  man,  what 
alternative  have  we  in  our  conclusion  but  the  confession  that  Jesus 
was  ignorant,  and  therefore  incompetent  to  guide  the  faith  of 
others;  or  that  Jesus  was  conscious  01  the  error,  a  partner  in  the 
deception  and  therefore  wholly  unworthy  of  belief?  How  can 
one  who  assumes  this  whole  alternative  and  reviles  these  divine 
histories  as  fables,  too  riaiculous  for  any  but  a  *  mummy '  to  be- 
lieve, call  himself  with  truth  a  believer  in  that  very  Jesus,  whose 
authority  as  a  tisacher,  and  even  whose  possible  integrity  as  a  man, 
he  has  coarsely  attempted  to  overthrow  and  to  cover  with  con- 
tempt ?  No,  my  brethren  and  friends,  *  the  Scriptures  cannot  be 
broken.'     *  All  Scripture  was  given  by  inspiration  from  God.' 

"  As  we  follow  out  this  line  of  consideration,  we  see  Jesus,  with 
a'still  deeper  solemnity,  if  possible,  repeating  His  testimony  after 
His  resurrection  from  the  dead,  and  in  the  very  closing  of  His 
sojourn  upon  the  earth.  Luke  xxiv.  35 — With  what  earnestness  he 
chides  the  unbelief  and  hesitation  of  His  disciples,  in  regard  to  these 
testimonies  of  the  ancient  Scriptures,  as  illustrative  of  their  folly  and 
their  dulness  of  conscience  and  perception  !  '  O  fools,  and  slow  of 
heart  to  believe  that  which  the  Prophets  have  spoken.  Ought  not 
Christ  to  have  suffered  these  things,  and  to  enter  into  His  glory?  ' 
'  And  beginning  at  Moses  and  all  the  prophets,  He  expounded  to 
them  in  all  the  Scriptures,  the  things  concerning  Himself. '  Thus 
Jesus  as  our  risen  Lord  made  one  of  the  last  acts  of  His  closing  min- 
istry on  earth  an  absolute  endorsement  of  the  certainty  and  truth  of 
all  these  ancient  Scriptures  of  Israel,  of  *  Moses  and  the  Prophets,' 
declared  by  His  apostles  to  have  been  *  given  by  inspiration  of  God.' 

"  And  there  our  Church  takes  her  stand,  and  there  we  take  our 
stand  with  Christ,  our  glorified  and  exalted  Redeemer,  on  whose 
lips  were  only  words  of  truth,  and  in  whose  knowledge  and  percep- 
tion there  was  light  and  no  darkness  at  all.  Jesus  personally  be- 
lieved these  Holy  Scriptures,  this  Word  of  God,  their  divine  in- 
spiration, their  certain  truth,  their  entire  reality,  as  the  infallible 
word  of  the  living  God,  which  must  abide  forever.  That  which 
Jefius  personally  believed  and  taught  must  be  true,  unless  He 
was  ignorant  of  the  material  and  foundation  of  the  question,  and 
therefore  incompetent  to  talk;  or  else,  was  personally  deceitful 
and  untrue,  and  therefore  unworthy  of  man's  belief  and  of  hu- 
man   trust.     That   open,  derisive,  scornful   infidelity  should   grasp 


536  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

these  latter  alternatives,  might  not  surprise  us.  But  that  pro- 
fessed faith  in  Jesus  as  a  Divine  Being,  or  as  an  authorized  and 
qualified  Divine  Teacher,  should  be  deceived  into  an  adoption, 
so  scandalous  and  so  unfeeling,  may  weU  startle  all  confidence  in 
the  sincerity  of  its  own  position,  and  in  the  integrity  of  its  own 

professed  belief. 

"In  such  relations  we   have   no   right  to  be  silent.     We   are 
compelled   to   be    personally   decided.     We    have    no    desire    to 
discredit,  nor  discourage,  nor  controvert  unnecessarily  what  are 
considered  or  assumed  as  the  attainments  or  the  efforts  of  advanc- 
ing science  among  men.     But  we  cannot  hastily  adopt  all  the  con- 
clusions which  others  rashly  draw  from  such  approved  discoveries. 
We  must  not  forget  that   all  these  communications   of   professed 
knowledge  are  to  us,— to  whose  eye  and  ear  they  are  presented  in 
themselves,  mere  additional  appeals  to   our  faith  in  human  testi- 
mony.    One  man  claims  to  have  accomplished  the  successful  exper- 
iment, or  the  triumphant  investigation,  and  millions  are  called  upon 
to  believe  the  absolute  truth  of  his  confident  assertions  and  bold 
conclusions.     To  such  investigations,  I  do  not  object.     I  am  willing 
to  consider.     But  when  I  am  called  upon  to  discard,  with  instant 
submission  to  man's  assumed  authority,  under  the  penalty  of  his 
ridicule,  all  my  previous  connections  and  belief,  founded  upon  still 
higher  and  long-continued  testimony,  I  have  the  right  to  hesitate, 
and  to  hold  myself  in  reserve.     And  still  more,  when  he  demands 
from  me  to  trample  upon  all  my  cherished  and  immortal  hopes,  to 
sacrifice  the  authority  and  the  truth  of  a  Saviour  whose  power  I  feel, 
whose  love  I  know,  in  whose  fidelity  and  infallible  truth  everything 
of  a  moment's  worth  to  me  is  concentred  and  resting,  I  may  well 
do  more  than  hesitate.     My  whole  soul  and  being  cry  aloud  within 
me,  '  Let  God  be  true,  though  every  man  should  be  a  liar.' 

"  That  these  Holy  Scriptures  are  the  divine  inspiration,  the 
word  of  the  living  God,  is  as  completely  demonstrated  as  any 
outward  fact  can  be  to  the  faith  of  believing  man.  That  Jesus 
personally  believed,  adopted  and  endorsed  these  sacred  writings 
divinely  given,  through  Moses  and  the  Prophets,  is  made  clear 
and  beyond  reasonable  dispute.  What  then?  With  Him,  my 
glorious  Lord,  my  gracious  Kedeemer,  my  infinite  Saviour,  my 
eternal  portion,  my  chosen  inheritance,  I  cast  my  lot  freely,  fully, 
thankfully,  and  abide  finally,  quietly  by  the  result.  I  praise  His 
name  that  He  has  placed  me,  from  my  birth,  in  a  Church  whose 
primal  hereditary  glory  has  been  its  faithful  maintenance  of  this 
word  of  the  living  God.      By  that  Church  I  stand.     In  its  fellow- 


Ministry,  i8jo  to  iSy^,  537 

ship  with  Christ  I  desire  to  be  found,  and  to  depart.  The  faith  of 
Jesus  shall  be  my  faith.  The  hope  of  Jesus  shall  be  my  hope. 
The  purpose  of  Jesus  shall  be  my  occupation  and  my  delight.  The 
work  of  Jesus  shall  be  my  chosen  employment  until  I  die.  Truly, 
freely,  would  I  say  with  an  ancient  witness  to  this  faith  :  '  I  would 
rather  fall  with  Christ  than  reign  with  Csesar.' 

"  This  simplicity  of  reverence  and  confidence,  I  would  impress 
upon  those  who  hear  me.  Embrace  the  word  and  the  work  of 
Christ  as  the  one  chosen  treasure  of  your  mind  and  heart.  Live 
in  Christ  with  grateful  faith.  Live  by  Christ,  in  the  power  of  His 
Sjiirit.  Live  for  Christ  in  the  unshrinking  consecration  of  your 
powers,  and  your  life  to  Him  and  His  service.  Glorify  Jesus  by 
the  singleness  of  your  trust,  by  the  joy  of  thanksgiving,  by  the 
calm  reliance  of  a  tranquil,  triumphant  faith  and  hope.  His  favor 
is  life.  His  loving  kindness  is  better  than  life.  Nothing  can  be 
more  happy  on  earth,  nothing  more  satisfying  and  sure  in  depart- 
ure ;  nothing  more  attractive  or  glorious  in  eternity,  than  a  stead- 
fast, unshrinking  trust  in  the  everlasting  truth  and  fulness  of  this 
glorious  and  glorified  Redeemer.  Let  neither  life  nor  death,  nor 
things  present,  nor  things  to  come,  be  allowed  to  separate  you 
from  that  love  of  God  which  is  in  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 

*'  Let  it  be  your  purpose  as  it  is  your  privilege, — to  live  under 
constant  teaching  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  peacefully,  happily,  thank- 
fully ;  in  an  advancing  knowledge  of  this  infinite  [and  inexhaust- 
ible Friend.  Searching  daily  these  Holy  Scriptures,  which  are 
able  to  make  you  wise  unto  salvation  through  the  faith  which  is 
in  Christ  Jesus,  and  to  open  to  you,  by  the  tea^ching  of  that  Spirit, 
who  has  inspired  these  Scriptures,  in  an  unceasing  enlargement, 
the  real  treasures  of  the  life  which  now  is,  and  of  that  which  is  to 
come. 

"  Watch  daily,  constantly  in  this  path,  a  path  divinely  opened, 
divinely  arranged  through  all  your  walks  of  intelligence  or 
emotion,  of  mind  or  feeling,  and  with  increasing  zeal,  that  no  man 
defraud  you  of  your  hope,  or  take  your  crown  ;  that  nothing  be 
allowed  to  unsettle  your  steadfast  trust  in  the  truth  or  authority  of 
an  infinite  revealed  Saviour;  or  to  persuade  you  to  sell  the  birth- 
right of  your  soul,  in  His  complete  redemption,  for  the  miserable 
pottage  of  a  proud  and  scornful  .unbelief,  or  the  low,  degrading 
quietness  of  a  thoughtless,   irrational  iudiiTerence. 

"  This  gracious  Lord  is  our  strong  tower;  His  truth  and  faithful- 
ness our  only  shelter  and  defence,  our  shield  and  buckler.  The 
righteous,  believing,  justified  in  Him  alone,  runneth  into  it,  and  is 


538  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

safe  forever,  kept  in  perfect  peace,  because  his  mind  and  heart  rest, 
abide  in  unchanging  satisfaction,  and  security  in  the  fideHty'  and 
truth  of  Him  who  is  over  all,  God,  blessed  forever.  This  is  the 
teaching  of  our  old  and  noble,  unchanging  Church.  To  this  cleave 
with  tenacity  as  a  people — as  patient  believers  in  Christ,  and  you 
shall  find  your  path  as  the  shining  light,  which  shineth  more  and 
more  unto  the  perfect  day." 


.^'^'^;^^:i: 


l(i:V,   STKIMIKN     11.   TYNCJ,    D.D. 

.*rrAS  71). 
{Friim  a  p/i)iloijruph  by  liogardum.) 


CHAPTER  XII. 

MINISTRY,    1875  to   1878. 

In  the  history  of  St.  George's  Church  there  is  a  very  remark- 
able parallel  between  the  closing  years  of  Dr.  Tyng's  rectorship 
and  that  of  Dr.  Milnor,  his  predecessor.  The  similarity  between 
these  two  periods  is  striking,  not  only  in  the  circumstances  and 
condition  of  the  church  and  in  the  causes  by  which  they  were  pro- 
duced, but  in  the  measures  of  remedy  proposed.  In  each,  a  similar 
necessity  occasioned  similar  action. 

The  church  which  when  originally  located  on  Stuyvesant 
Square  had  been  deemed  so  far  beyond  the  settled  portion  of  the 
city,  that  its  failure  was  by  many  predicted,  had,  in  less  than  thirty 
years,  been  left  far  behind  by  the  city's  growth.  The  tide  of 
population  was  setting  far  away  from  its  vicinity,  and  again  in 
1875,  as  before  in  1845,  St.  George's  Church,  by  the  removal  of 
its  congregation  and  the  loss  of  many  active  and  efficient  agents 
in  its  work,  was  again  left  crippled  in  its  power  and  compelled  to 
consider  a  new  step  forward  in  its  career. 

The  prediction  which  Dr.  Tyng  had  made  when  he  opposed 
the  acceptance  of  Mr.  Stuyvesant's  gift  had  been  proved  prophetic 
in  its  truth, 

"The  choice  and  purchase  of  this  lot,"  it  will  be  remembered  he 
had  then  said,  referring  to  the  property  on  Union  Square,  "  was 
earnestly  pressed  by  me,  but  in  the  circumstances  in  which  we 
were,  other  influences  prevailed.  In  expressing  my  views  at  that 
time,  I  simply  affirmed  that  in  my  opinion  the  ground  oftered  by 
Mr.  Stu}-vesant,  though  a  noble  gift  from  him,  would  be  found,  as 
the  result  of  its  location,  compared  with  the  one  on  Fourth  Avenue, 
by  far  the  most  costly  of  the  two.  That  would  not  grow  old  or  be- 
come unsatisfactory  with  time.  The  other,  I  was  sure,  would  not 
be  found  so  valuable  or  desirable  in  its  future  relation  to  the 
population  which  would  be  gathered  there.  This  would  be  the 
result  of  the  future  experience  of  the  church." 

539 


540  Rev,  Stephen  Higguison    Tyng^  D.D, 

This  had  indeed  proved  the  experience  of  the  church.  Not 
until  now  had  it  been  fully  realized.  In  the  years  which  had 
elapsed  since  the  reconstruction  of  the  church  in  1867,  there  had 
been  constant  changes  in  its  congregation.  Many  valued  mem- 
bers had  been  thus  taken  from  its  work.  Some,  in  the  spirit  of 
change,  had  sought  other  ministries  and  other  church  associations, 
but  these  were  few  and  unimportant  compared  with  the  removal  of 
families  to  residences  distant  from  the  church,  in  the  upper  parts 
of  the  city  and  its  suburbs. 

Among  these  latter,  one,  Mr.  Samuel  Hopkins,  calls  for  special 
mention.  One  of  the  first  fruits  of  Dr.  Tyng's  ministry  in  St. 
George's,  he  had  been  for  twenty-five  years  a  member  of  its  vestry, 
indefatigable  in  his  labors  in  its  Sunday-school  and  in  every  way 
devoted  to  its  interests  and  welfare,  until  on  his  removal  from 
New  York,  in  1873,  he  was  compelled  to  sever  his  connection  with 
the  church  of  which  he  was  then  the  senior  warden.  A  trusted  coun- 
sellor and  faithful  friend  to  Dr.  Tyng,  through  all  this  time,  their 
relations  had  been  peculiarly  intimate  and  confidential.  This  fact 
gives  enduring  value  to  the  following  letter,  in  its  testimony  to  the 
character  which  only  in  such  an  association  could  be  revealed. 

New  York,  A'pril  15th,  1873. 

My  Dear  Friend  and  Pastor  :  I  acknowledge  with  deep  emotion 
your  afi"ectionate  note  of  the  14:th  inst.  Twenty-eight  years  have 
passed  since  I  first  heard  from  j^our  lips  '  the  proclamation  of  the 
gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  ;'  during  all  these  years  that  have  rolled 
by  the  Christian  world  has  borne  witness  to  your  fidelity,  your  zeal, 
your  faithfulness  and  your  earnestness  in  your  Master's  cause.  The 
record  of  all  that  you  have  been  able  to  accomplish  under  tlie  guid- 
ance of  tJie  Divine  Spirit  is  on  high. 

In  the  providence  of  God  I  have  been  permitted  to  see  the 
inner  life  and  to  hold  the  closest  relations,  both  officially  and  per- 
sonally, with  you.  It  is  my  highest  privilege  as  well  as  my  greatest 
delight  not  only  to  bear  witness  to  your  blameless  and  consistent 
walk  as  a  minister  of  God,  but  to  testify  to  your  warm-hearted  and 
affectionate  spirit  in  all  your  intercourse  with  the  lowly  and  the  de- 
pressed of  your  fellow  beings,  and  also  to  that  generous  spirit  which 
has  so  often  prompted  you,  at  a  greaU sacrifice,  to  minister  to  the 
wants  and  necessities  of  those  upon  whom  the  world  has  looked 
with  coldness  and  passed  by  on  the  other  side. 

I  deeply  regret  the  necessity  that  compels  me  to  sever  my 
official  and  hence  my  near  relations  to  you,  but  I  see  no   way  to 


Ministry,  iSy^  to  i8y8>  541 

avoid  it.  The  confidential  relations  which  I  have  held  with  you 
permit  me  to  add,  that  the  last  few  years  of  my  life  have  been 
the  most  depressing  of  all  the  years  that  have  passed,  but  that  I 
have  been  frequently  lifted  up  by  the  glorious  view  of  the  future 
that  you  have  not  only  proclaimed  but  exemplified  in  your  cheerful 
bearing  under  many  trials  and  many  depressing  circumstances. 

For  your  kind  consideration  of  myself  personally  and  your  uni- 
form affection  and  kindness  to  my  wife  and  family,  accept  my 
heartfelt  acknowledgment.     Yours  truly  and  gratefully, 

Samuel   Hopkins. 

Upon  this  retirement  of  Mr.  Hopkins,  Mr.  Charles  Tracy  be- 
came the  senior  warden  of  St.  George's  Church.  Not  less  diligent 
in  its  service,  not  less  devoted  to  its  principles,  not  less  earnest  in 
its  work,  than  were  any  of  his  predecessors,  he  exceeded  them  in 
the  length  of  his  labors,  distinguished  as  a  representative  of  the 
church  in  all  its  affairs. 

These  many  changes  in  its  congregation  brought,  as  their  neces- 
sary consequence,  a  marked  decline  in  the  condition  of  St.  George's, 
and  with  a  diminished  attendance  there  was  a  succeeding  decrease 
in  its  ability  and  resources.  The  wise  forethought  and  persistent 
care  which  had  preserved  its  endowment  fund  through  all  the  years 
past,  was  now  fully  appreciated  and  esteemed.  Thus  had  the  present 
emergencies  been  anticipated  and  provision  for  its  continued  and 
permanent  support  securely  made.  Not  less  remarkable  than  the 
verification  of  Dr.  Tyng's  foresight,  in  respect  to  the  location  of 
the  church,  had  proved  the  confirmation  of  his  judgment  in  ref- 
erence to  its  future  establishment.  Both  these  facts  attest  the 
practical  sagacity  of  his  mind,  and  the  clear  judgment  with  which 
its  conclusions  were  formed. 

St.  George's  Church  had  a  larger  mission,  however,  than  the 
maintenance  of  its  own  ministry  and  services.  In  all  its  history  it 
had  stood  as  a  beacon  in  its  warnings,  aod  as  a  bulwark  in  its  pro- 
tection to  weaker  churches  in  its  communion.  It  had  been  the 
representative  and  standard  bearer  of  Evangelical  principles  in  the 
Church,  committed  to  them  by  its  every  obligation  ;  the  exponent 
of  them  in  all  its  ministry  ;  the  missionary  of  them  in  all  its  influ- 
ence. To  retain  this  liigli  privilege  was  not  less  its  duty  than  to 
maintain  its  own  worship,  and  to  enable  it  to  hold  this  position  with 
undiminished  power  was  the  cherished  wish  and  effort  of  Dr. 
Tyng  and  the  vestry  in  all  their  plans  for  the  future  of  the  church. 

"  This  was  the  purpose  with  which,  in  187-i,  they  entered  upon 


542  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

the  project  of  erecting  a  new  ehurch  in  tlie  upper  part  of  the  city, 
and  in  March  of  that  year_^adopted  the  outline  of  a  plan  on  which 
such  an  enterprise  should  be  carried  forward.  In  its  general  features 
ifc  was  proposed  to  purchase  a  sufficiently  large  site  and  erect  upon 
or  near  it  a  temporary  chapel  to  accommodate  about  one  thousand 
persons,  pending  the  completion  of  a  church  ;  to  call  an  associate 
rector  with  permanent  establishment,  and  maintain  the  services  in 
both  churches.  Dr.  Tyng  officiating,  in  each,  once  on  every  Sunday, 
and  his  associate  taking  the  alternate  place. 

The  necessary  payments  for  the  purchase  of  a  site  and  the  erec- 
tion of  a  chapel  were  to  be  made  with  funds  borrowed  upon  the 
bonds  of  the  corporation  without  mortgage,  but  it  was  expressly 
declared  that  the  invested  fund  of  One  hundred  thousand  dollars  should 
be  preserved  for  the  support  of  the  present  church,  in  accordance 
with  the  resolution  of  the  vestry  adopted  on  March  13th,  1851. 

The  execution  of  this  large  plan  was  immediately  undertaken 
with  much  interest  and  determination.  A  committee  consisting  of 
Mr.  William  T.  Blodgett,  Mr.  J.  Pierpont  Morgan  and  Mr.  Harvey 
Spencer,  appointed  to  negotiate  for  a  site  in  the  vicinity  of  Central 
Park,  soon  recommended  the  purchase  of  the  lots  at  the  northwest 
corner  of  Madison  Avenue,  and  Sixty-ninth  street,  which,  in  dimen- 
sions of  one  hundred  by  two  hundred  and  forty  five  feet,  were  of- 
ered  for  three  hundred  and  two  thousand  dollars. 

The  selection  thus  made  was  fully  approved,  but  in  the  circum- 
stances then  existing  some  delay  was  deemed  expedient  and  the 
purchase  of  the  property  was  not  concluded.  In  the  meantime 
the  undertaking  remained  a  subject  of  very  earnest  consideration, 
one  of  its  most  important  elements  being  the  selection  of  a  suitable 
associate  with  Dr.  Ty  ng  in  the  labor  it  would  involve. 

After  much  consultation  on  the  subject,  a  choice  was  made  of 
the  Rev.  Charles  Dallas  Marston,  M.  A.,  Incumbent  of  St.  Paul's 
Church,  Onslow  Square,  London,  and  in  January,  1875,  the  Execu- 
tive Committee,  composed  of  the  lay  members  of  the  vestry,  pre- 
sented to  Dr.  Tyng  a  memorandum  of  their  views  and  the  result 
of  their  deliberation,  expressing  in  the  following  terms  the  purpose 
and  spirit  in  which  this  effort  was  engaged  in  and  the  end  it  was 
designed  to  attain  : 

"  St.  George's  Church  for  a  long  period  has  stood  forth  as  an 
example  of  Evangelical  life  in  our  communion,  steadily  maintaining 
the  government,  worship  and  faith  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  and  firmly  repelling  influences  at  work  without,  to  turn 
that  government  into  an  exclusive  and  oppressive   ecclesiasticism, 


Ministry,  i8j^  to  iSyS.  543 

to  change  that  worship  by  introducing  novel  and  unscriptural  cer- 
emonies, and  to  corrupt  that  faith  with  dogmas  of  Romish  super- 
stition. The  good  Lord  has  greatly  blessed  this  church  in  giving 
to  its  people  the  means  and  the  will  to  act  liberally  in  supplying  the 
wants  of  the  poor  and  in  helping  to  pubhsh  the  gospel  at  home 
and  abroad.  The  long  ministry  of  its  late  Rector,  Dr.  Milnor,  and 
the  ministry,  little  less  in  duration,  of  its  present  Rector,  together 
cover  a  notable  period  in  the  history  of  religion  in  this  country  ; 
throughout  which  this  church  has  been  a  conspicuous  object,  and 
a  great  centre  of  support  and  encouragement  to  faithful  men,  cler- 
ical and  lay,  within  this  diocese  and  far  beyond  its  bounds.  In 
deahng  now  with  the  affairs  of  this  congregation,  the  vestry  is 
therefore  bound  to  regard  the  general  interest  of  the  Evangelical 
cause,  as  well  as  the  particular  interest  of  the  members  of  our 
parish. 

"  In  this  long  period  the  operations  of  this  congregation  have 
grown  to  large  proportions  ;  and  now  the  maintenance,  by  personal 
services  and  by  material  aid,  of  the  proper  work  of  the  parish 
church  and  chapels,  with  a  generous  support  of  other  objects,  has 
come  to  require  a  congregation  large  in  numbers  and  abundant  in 
means.  It  becomes  those  who  watch  over  the  interests  of  this 
church,  to  obtain  a  just  view  of  the  present  condition  of  its  affairs 
and  a  reasonable  estimate  of  the  tendency  of  things  in  the  future, 
with  reference  to  its  ability  to  maintain  its  position  and  perform  its 
duties  as  in  the  past.  To  this  subject  the  members  of  the  Com- 
mittee have  given  much  thought  and  study. 

"  The  result  is,  that  the  diminished  numbers  of  the  congrega- 
tion, reduced  amount  of  offerings  during  the  year  1874,  and  the  fact 
that  such  falling  off  has  become  rapid  of  late,  compel  us  to  re- 
gard the  church  as  declining  from  its  former  position  at  a  rate, 
which  (if  continued)  will  soon  leave  it  unable  to  do  its  present 
work  or  preserve  its  present  standing. 

"  The  establishment  of  a  new  church  edifice,  at  a  place  conven- 
ient for  our  people  who  move  to  northerly  parts  of  the  city,  and 
for  others  who  probably  would  join  them, — proposed  and  favorably 
considered  some  time  since,  but  hitherto  not  attainable, — would 
seem  to  be  a  promising  remedy  ;  but  such  an  enterprise  cannot  be 
accomplished  without  incurring  an  amount  of  expense  far  beyond 
the  resources  of  this  corporation  justly  applicable  thereto,  and 
therefore  it  must  require,  at  its  initiation,  a  heavy  sum  contributed 
or  assumed  by  individuals. 

"  Can  such  help  be  obtained  ?    It  is  the  impression  of  this  Com- 


544  -^^^*  -5?^/^^;^  Higginson   Tyngy  D,D, 

mittee  that  donors,  in  such  cases,  are  governed  to  a  considerable 
extent  by  definite  expectations  as  to  the  future  ministry  they  are 
to  enjoy,  and  give  with  reference  to  the  person  of  their  choice.  If 
our  present  Rector  were  twenty  years  younger,  the  case  would  be 
a  clear  one.  But  in  the  closing  months  of  his  seventy-fifth  year, 
the  hope  of  his  continued  ability  for  a  great  charge,  could  hardly 
suffice  to  guarantee  success  in  applications  for  the  necessary  funds 
where  givers  are  affected  by  the  considerations  mentioned. 

"  The  tendency  of  these  reflections  is  to  the  point,  that,  in 
order  to  the  new  church  plan,  an  Associate  Rector,  with  right  of 
succession,  should  be  chosen  immediately,  to  commence  at  the  com- 
ing Easter  ;  and  the  call  should  go  to  one  who  seems  to  have  qual- 
ifications for  carrying  on  St.  George's  Church  upon  its  established 
course  and  principles  and  maintaining  its  prestige  and  usefulness. 
Such  a  call  not  only  should  be  made  with  the  full  and  cordial 
consent  of  the  Rector,  but  should  accord  thoroughly  with  his  choice 
and  wishes  ;  and  these  conditions  we  understand  to  be  thoroughly 
fulfilled  in  the  naming  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Marston. 

"  It  seems  to  the  Committee  that  such  a  call,  so  given  and  sup- 
ported, might  be  liable  to  fail,  unless  based  on  a  definite  plan  for 
the  division  of  labor  between  the  Rector  and  Associate  Rector,  with 
independent  action  for  each  of  them,  and  the  fixing  of  a  time  when 
the  general  duties  of  rectorship,  in  regard  to  property,  business 
and  charities,  should  devolve  on  the  Associate  and  the  Rector  be 
relieved  from  all  charge,  except  to  preach  and  celebrate  public 
worship  as  he  might  find  it  convenient. 

"  As  these  suggestions  concern  not  only  the  church  but  also  its 
Rector,  the  Committee  deem  it  proper  to  lay  them  before  him  ;  in 
order  that  his  judgment,  purposes,  and  wishes,  touching  the  mat- 
ters involved,  may  be  known,  and  the  Executive  Committee  may 
have  the  benefit  of  what  he  may  suggest  or  recommend." 

In  these  conclusions  Dr.  Tyng  most  heartily  concurred,  and  at 
the  subsequent  meeting  of  the  vestry,  when  this  report  had  been 
adopted,  desired  that  a  record  should  also  be  made  of  his  cordial 
agreement  and  approval  of  all  its  provisions. 

It  was  a  pleasing  duty  to  communicate  to  Mr.  Marston  the 
unanimity  with  which  this  action  had  been  taken,  and  to  urge  his 
acceptance  of  the  appointment.  The  affectionate  relation  which  had 
long  existed  between  them,  and  their  entire  sympathy  and  accord 
promised  great  comfort  and  pleasure  in  such  an  association,  while 
seeming  to  assure  equal  success  to  their  joint  labors.  Thus,  too, 
would  he  be  enabled  to  commit  the  work  of  St.  George's  Church 


Ministry,  iSj^  to  i8y8,  64^ 

into  the  hands  of  one  by  whom  it  would  be  continued  with  all  the 
fidehty  and  zeal  with  which  it  had  been  prosecuted  in  all  the  years 
past.  From  every  point  of  view  it  appeared  a  prospect  upon  which 
he  might  look  with  confidence  and  joy.  It  was,  therefore,  with 
grievous  disappointment  that  he  received  the  following  letter  from 
Mr.  Marston,  in  explanation  of  his  reasons  for  declining  the  call: 

25  Onslow  Gardens, 
London,  S.  W.,  March  2nd,  1875. 

My  Dear  Dr.  Ttng — I  have  to  thank  you,  as  I  do  most  warmly, 
for  your  very  kind  letter  of  the  12th  of  February,  conveyirg  to  me 
the  wishes  of  yourself  and  the  vestry  of  St.  George's  Church  on  the 
subject  of  my  accepting  the  post  of  associate  rector. 

I  received  your  letter  some  days  ago;  but  it  was  not  until  Sat- 
urday, Feb.  27th,  that  the  official  letter  from  your  church  deputation 
reached  me,  and  I  thought  it  better  to  wait  for  the  receipt  of  that 
document  before  replying. 

You  will  believe  me  when  I  say  that  to  be  associated  with  you 
"  as  a  son  with  a  father,"  and,  if  spared  ^to  survive  you,  to  carry  on 
so  noble  a  work  as  that  which  you  now  superintend  would  be  to  me 
a  matter  of  very  real  happiness.  It  would  be  no  common  link 
which  would  bind  us  together,  when  I  remember  that  my  first 
religious  instruction  was  received  in  your  Sunday-school. 

I  am,  however,  obliged  to  decline  the  offer  so  kindly  and  so 
unanimously  made,  for  indeed  I  do  not  know  how  I  can  accept  it. 

My  position  here  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel  is  one  for  which  I 
have  in  every  respect  to  thank  God.  He  has  been  pleased  to  give 
me  many  doors  of  usefulness,  and  to  employ  me  in  many  ways 
among  the  Evangelical  brotherhood  of  His  peoj^le.  I  feel  that  the 
field  must  be  a  peculiar  one  which  would  call  me  hence,  while 
strength  and  ability  remain  to  work  where  I  am. 

Besides  this,  as  respects  myself  personally,  and  apart  from  my 
ministry,  I  seem  to  be  tied  to  England.  I  have  a  very  large  family 
of  children,  many  of  whom  are  in  the  midst  of  their  education,  and 
some  so  circumstanced  that  to  remove  them  from  their  present 
position  would  materially  affect  them.  In  addition,  my  mother, 
who  is  entirely  dependent  on  me  for  a  home,  is  now  a  helpless  in- 
valid, confined  to  her  bed,  and  my  wife's  parents  are  old  and  by  no 
means  likely  to  bear  the  shock  of  separation  from  lier. 

Moreover,  the  expenses  of  moving  such  a  household  as  mine  to 
America  would  be  quite  out  of  my  power,  while  the  income  which 


546  Rev,  Stephen  Higgtnson   Tyng,  D.D. 

I  now  enjoy  is  at  least  equal  to,  if  not  greater  than,  that  which  your 
Testry  j^ropose  for  the  associate  rector. 

I  write  these  things  very  frankly  to  you,  my  kind  friend,  in 
order  that  you  may  see  that  I  do  not  lightly  conclude  against  the 
projDOsal  which  you  convey  to  me  in  such  affectionate  terms.  As  I 
have  said,  to  be  a  co-worker  with  you  would  be  a  great  pleasure, 
and  it  would  be  a  source  of  deep  interest  to  me  to  be  connected 
with  New  York,  where  my  ancestors  helped  to  lay  the  foundations 
of  Trinity  Church.  But  I  do  not  "  hear  the  voice  behind  me  say- 
ing, this  is  the  way,  walk  in  it,"  and  I  feel  that  certainly  for  the 
l^resent  my  sphere  is  distinctly  assigned  to  me  in  London. 

Let  me  now  assure  you  how  truly  I  desire  that  God  may  bless 
you  in  your  dechning  years.  He  has  indeed  granted  you  a  long 
season  of  honored  service.  May  He  still  have  abundant  favor  on 
you  while  you  remain  here,  and  then  may  there  be  a  very  bright 
crown  for  you  in  *'  that  day." 

With  sincere  regard  and  repeated  thanks,  I  am,  my  dear  Dr. 
Tyng,  yours  affectionately  in  our  Lord, 

C.  D.  Marston. 

The  very  sudden  death  of   Mr.  Marston,  only  a  few  months 
later,  banished  the  hope  that  he  might  be  induced  to  reconsider 
and   change  his  decision.     The  disappointment  thus  encountered 
with  other  concurring   obstacles,  caused   the   abandonment  of  the 
whole  projected  establishment  of  a  new  church. 

It  must  be  deemed  to  have  been  a  great  misfortune  that 
such  an  enterprise  could  not  be  then  successfully  accomplished.  A 
future  career  would  thus  have  been  opened  to  St.  George's  Church 
which,  in  its  influence  and  power,  would  have  exceeded  the  whole 
period  of  its  previous  history,  while  the  maintenance  of  two  such 
churches  as  proposed,  by  individual  means,  would  have  been  an 
unexampled  instance  of  generous  provision  for  the  benefit  and 
blessing  of  the  thousands  gathered  therein. 

In  all  these  circumstances  of  difficulty  and  decline,  the  Thirti- 
eth Anniversary  of  Dr.  Tyng's  rectorship  occurred.  His  sermon 
on  that  occasion  reflected  the  sadness  with  which  he  viewed  such  a 
condition,  appearing  to  preclude  a  continuance  of  the  same  useful- 
ness which  the  review  of  his  past  ministry  so  plainly  exhibited  in 
the  statement  of  its  truly  remarkable  results. 

His  text  was  taken  from  Philippians  iv.  11:  "I  have  learned  in 
whatsoever  state  I  am  therewith  to  be  content.  I  know  both  how 
to  be  abased  and  I  know  how  to  abound.     Everywhere  and  in  all 


Ministry,  i8j^  to  i8y8,  547 

things  I  am  instructed  both  to  be  full  and  to  be  hungry;  both  to 
abound  and  to  suffer  need;  I  can  do  all  things  through  Christ  which 
strengtheneth  me." 

'Such,"  he  said,  "is  Paul's  summary  of  his  personal  attain- 
ments in  the  Christian  ministry  and  experience  at  the  close  di 
thirty  years'  service  in  the  gospsl  of  his  Lord.  It  is  a  calm  and 
satisfying  conclusion,  but  it  is  also  a  noble  and  elevated  view  of 
what  that  gospel  had  accomplished  for  him  and  may  accomplish 
for  others  in  the  experience  of  self-control,  and  in  the  complete 
subjection  of  mind  and  heart  to  the  will,  the  wisdom  and  the  love 
of  this  divine  and  glorious  Saviour.         ..... 

"  This  calm,  satisfied  grateful  spirit,  the  merciful  gift  of  God  his 
Saviour,  he  declares  to  be  the  result  of  his  thirty  years'  experiences 
in  the  ministry  of  the  Saviour's  word.  It  is  certainly  a  ripened 
and  precious  fruit  in  human  character  and  in  the  living  ministry  of 
the  gospel  which  he  discribes,  and  it  was  as  honorable  to  the 
character  of  the  apostle  as  it  was  glorious  to  the  beneficence  of 
Christ. 

"  I  wish  indeed  I  could  adopt  the  apostle's  description,  as  per- 
sonally applicable  and  appropriate  in  a  similar  review.  From  this 
season  of  Easter  I  resurvey  fifty-four  years  of  a  pastor's  life,  un- 
broken and  successive,  thirty  of  which  years  have  been  expended  in 
the  rectorship  of  this  church,  and  have  been  consecrated  to  the 
successive  generations  and  households  which  during  this  period 
have  made  up  the  congregation  connected  with  it. 

"  By  the  Divine  permission  I  j^ropose  this  day  to  take  a  survey 
of  the  history  of  these  thirty  years  in  the  Lord's  work,  and  I  would 
do  this  in  the  spirit  of  the  aj^ostle's  statement,  calmly,  thankfully, 
contentedly  looking  back  over  the  whole,  and  looking  upward  and 
forward  t3  the  glorious  result  approaching,  which  the  apostle  so 
earnestly  describes  in  his  contemporaneous  letter  to  his  son  Tim- 
othy, as  remaining  not  for  him  alone,  but  for  all  them,  also,  who 
love  the  Lord's  appearing  :  *  Henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  nie*^a 
crown  of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  Judge,  shall 
give  me  in  that  day.' 

"  In  the  outward  aspects  of  this  great  enterprise,  as  seen  and 
known  of  men,  and  as  judged  by  human  standards  of  thought  and 
estimation,  we  have  gone  through  the  alternations  which  Paul  de- 
scribes, as  included  in  his  exj^erience  of  thirty  years  in  the  work 
of  the  Lord  in  His  outward  Church.  "We  have  seen  for  many  sue- 
ceeding  years  large  crowds  of  hearers  and  worshippers  completely 
filling  this  glorious  edifice,  silently,  intently  listening  to  the   truth 


548  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

of  God.  We  have  seen  as  large,  regular,  pecuniary,  material  sup- 
port statedly  realized  here,  for  the  maintenance  of  the  ministra- 
tions of  the  gospel,  as  probably  have  ever  been  known  in  any  other 
church  in  this  country.  We  have  seen  established  a  scheme  of 
local  missions  among  the  poor  in  our  own  vicinage,  which  have  been 
an  original  pattern  that  many  others  have  subsequently  gratefully 
imitated,  but  which  in  their  extent  and  outlay  no  other  church  has 
yet  exceeded.  We  have  seen  Sunday-schools  here  gathered  and 
maintained,  which  have  been  gratefully  acknowledged  and  admired 
by  all  the  people  of  God  throughout  the  churches  of  this  nation, 
but  which  in  their  years  of  prosperity  have  been  exceeded  by  none, 
perhaps  equalled  by  few,  of  these  churches,  in  any  ecclesiastical 
connection.  We  have  seen  an  organized  and  consistent  system  of 
pecuniary  beneficence  maintained  with  facility  and  with  unceasing 
success  and  perseverance,  which  bai  been  a  subject  of  wonder  and 
gratitude  among  our  fellow  Christians  around  us.  We  have  be- 
held the  Lord's  gracious  work  of  personal  salvation  among  the 
famihes  and  the  souls  to  whom  we  have  been  permitted  to  minister, 
continually  prospering,  and  to  a  degree  which  has  called  forth  and 
employed  our  unceasing  thanksgiving  and  dehght. 

"  We  have  witnessed  an  unity  of  sentiment,  and  sympathy  of 
taste  and  feeling,  marking  the  action  and  arrangements  of  this 
laro-e  congregation;  as  generally  controlling  and  as  little  violated 
by  individual  purpose  or  conviction  as  has  probably  ever  been 
witnessed  in  any  congregation  of  comparative  size.  This  whole 
concrete  arrangement  may  well  be  distinguished  as  a  line  of  un- 
broken prosperity,  maintained  upon  the  highest  reasonable  level, 
and  as  elevated  and  abiding  as  can  be  wholesome  for  any  commu- 
nity of  Christian  people. 

"  Some  distinguishing  elements  of  this  historical  display  of  that 
which  St.  Paul  calls  '  abounding '  and  '  being  full,*  we  may  justly 
and  gratefully  recall,  as  tokens  of  the  gracious  favor  and  provi- 
dence under  which  we  have  lived  in  this  united  relation.  They  com- 
prise discriminating  facts  of  the  history  of  the  last  thirty  years, 
which  have  made  the  period  of  our  connection  as  a  pastor  and  a  people. 
"  I.  Our  benevolent  dispensations  in  money  in^this  period  have 
amounted  to  'Nine  hundred  and  sixty-two  thousand  four  hundred  and 
six  dollars  and  eighty  cents,  giving  an  average  annual  dispensation 
for  the  whole  period  of  Thirty-two  thousand  and  eighty  dollars  and 
twenty-eight  cents.  There  has  been  in  this  evidence  of  our  advancing 
prosperity  a  very  remarkable  increase  in  the  annual  amount  of  gifts 
bestowed. 


Ministry,  i8j^  to  i8j8,  549 

"  The  aggregate  of  the  First  decade  of  years  was  Seventy-seven 
thousand  and  ninety -seven  dollars,  or  an  annual  average  of  Seven 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  nine  dollars  and  seventy  cents.  The  ag- 
gregate of  the  Second  decade  Avas  Three  Imndred  and  twenty-jive 
thousand  and  twenty  four  dollars,  an  annual  average  of  Thirty-two 
thousand^  five  hundred  and  two  dollars  and  forty  cents.  The  aggregate 
of  the  Third  decade  has  been,  Five  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  tivo 
hundred  and  eighty -four  dollars,  an  annual  average  of  Fifty-six  thou- 
sand and  twenty-eight  dollars  and  forty  cents.  Thus  may  we  be  said, 
in  the  good  providence  of  God,  to  have  abounded  in  our  means  of 
liberal  effort  and  bestowal,  for  the  welfare  of  others,  in  the  vari- 
ous channels  which  the  goodness  of  God  has  laid  open  before  us. 
Other  illustrations  of  beneficent  action  have  also  been  remarkably 
maintained,  independent  of  this  general  dispensation  of  money, 
for  objects  and  calls  which  demanded  pecuniary  aid.  And  of  this 
amount  thus  far  reported,  it  must  be  remembered,  that  it  includes 
no  other  funds  or  expenditures  but  those  which  have  passed  directly 
through  my  hands  and  thus  come  to  a  record  in  the  account  kept 
by  myself.  Besides  these  sums  I  shall  refer  to  others  as  well 
known  to  me  which  are  not  here  included. 

"  The  ladies  of  St.  George's  Church  constituted  a  Dorcas 
Society  among  themselves  soon  after  the  church  was  opened, 
on  this  location,  which  has  been  maintained  through  the  period 
of  more  than  twenty-five  3'ears  past.  And  their  dispensation 
has  been  most  abounding  and  regular,  of  garments  prej^ared 
by  themselves  and  under  their  inspection  for  the  children  of 
the  poor.  They  have  clothed  8,134  children,  with  2G,3G0  gar- 
ments expressly  prepared  for  this  distribution,  and  at  a  cost 
of  $14,063.  They  have  distributed  more  than  10,000  pairs  of 
shoes,  at  an  average  cost  of  more  than  one  dollar  per  pair,  among 
these  children  of  the  poor.  Through  all  these  years  this  merciful 
work  has  gone  patiently  and  kindly  forward,  and  still  proceeds, 
without  pretence  or  display,  like  the  dew  upon  the  grass,  fertilizing 
but  not  disturbing,  blessing  but  with  no  sound. 

"  In  another  most  important  department  of  Christian  work  we 
have  maintained,  for  more  than  fifteen  years.  Three  Mission  Sun- 
day-schools and  their  stated  public  worship  and  pastoral  agencies, 
at  a  cost  never  less,  including  all  the  demands  and  arrangements 
involved,  than  $10,000  a  year,  or  $150,000,  excluding  from  this  cal- 
culation the  erection  of  three  l\Iission  Chai">el  buildings,  demanding 
an  outlay  of  more  than  $80,000. 

"  When  from  these  outward  facts,  known  an<l  seen  by  all  and 


55o  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

measured  by  actual  cost  in  money  expended,  we  turn  our  attention 
to  some  other  results  of  these  thirty  years  of  ministry,  the  evi- 
dences of  that  which  Paul  calls  *  abounding  '  are  not  less  remark- 
able. 

"  Another  most  important  element  of  our  '  abounding  *  has 
been  in  the  record  of  our  Sunday-schools.  They  celebrate  their 
twenty-sixth  anniversary  in  connection  with  this  location  at  this 
"Easter.  They  have  maintained  an  average  of  1500  scholars  and 
125  teachers  during  this  long  period,  and  their  contributions  to 
their  own  fund  of  beneficient  dispensations  have  exceeded  Eighty 
tlwusand  dollars.  Their  fidelity  and  assiduity  in  this  important  work 
and  privilege  have  given  to  these  schools  a  reputation  and  influence 
among  the  churches  of  our  country,  most  honorable  and  valuable;  I 
earnestly  hope  they  may  never  fail  or  come  short  of  such  a  history. 

"  From  these  general  facts  and  results,  involved  in  our  history 
as  a  church  during  these  thirty  years,  I  turn  to  those  recorded  acts 
of  personal  ministry,  which  have  been  especially  my  own.  I  have 
admitted  to  the  Lord's  table  as  communicants  in  this  church  1604 
persons.  I  have  presented  for  confirmation,  to  the  Bishop  suc- 
cessively officiating  among  us,  1256.  I  have  officiated  at  615  mar- 
riages.    I  have  administered  Baptism  to  1061  infants  and  adults. 

"  Of  my  own  public  offices  of  the  ministry  I  need  not  particularly 
to  speak.  It  has  been  a  cause  for  sincere  personal  thanksgiving  to 
myself,  that  my  health  and  strength  for  their  public  labors  have 
been  so  remarkably  preserved  and  prolonged.  With  what  sincerity 
and  truth  I  have  thus  labored  among  you  I  must  leave  you  to  wit- 
ness. Of  your  generous  and  faithful  personal  conduct  to  me,  I 
should  be  most  ungrateful  not  to  bear  the  most  decided  public 
testimony  and  to  offer  the  most  grateful  acknowledgment.  You 
have  abundantly  ministered  to  my  wants  and  in  a  generous  meas- 
ure provided  for  all  my  needs.  Four  times  have  you  assisted  me 
liberally  in  a  summer's  absence  and  journeying  in  Europe,  and  in 
all  res23ects  have  given  yourselves  a  name  and  repute  among  sur- 
rounding churches,  in  your  relations  to  my  person  and  my  office 
as  your  pastor,  which  have  redounded  in  just  honor  upon  your- 
selves. Personally  you  have  allowed  me  to  come  behind  in  no  gift 
which  was  within  your  power  to  supply,  and  collectively  as  a  con- 
gregation you  have  been  in  all  these  relations  a  living  epistle 
known  and  read  of  all  men. 

"  This  has  been  an  '  abounding  '  in  our  past  history,  in  all  its 
branches  of  manifestation.  God  has  been  very  gracious  to  us,  in 
keeping  here,  in  all  the  changing  circumstances  and  tendencies  of  this 


Ministry,  i8j^  to  i8j8,  55 1 

enlarging  city,  a  congregation  of  worshippers  and  hearers,  so  large  in 
numbers,  so  constant  in  attendance,  and  so  uncomplaining  in  habit 
and  character.  For  these  many  successive  years,  we  have  been 
abounding  in  this  gift  also,  and  the  character  and  aspect  of  this  church, 
under  this  peculiar  review  of  it,  have  been  too  well  known,  and  too 
generally  acknowledged,  to  be  doubted  by  any,  or  need  testimony 
from  an}^  to  its  reality  and  worth.  To  bear  prosperity  with  meek- 
ness, to  receive  honor  without  boasting  or  self-esteem,  is  a 
peculiar  and  a  precious  gift.  This  gift  the  apostle  gratefully  says 
he  had  graciously  received.  He  had  been  divinely  instructed  and 
divinely  enabled  to  be  a  pattern  to  others  in  this  most  important 
experience  of  self-control  and  self-abnegation.  '  I  have  learned  in 
whatsoever  state  I  am  therewith  to  be  content.  I  know  how  to  be 
abased  and  I  know  how  to  abound.  Everywhere  and  in  all  things, 
I  am  instructed,  both  to  be  full  and  to  be  hungry,  both  to  abound 
and  to  suffer  need.  I  can  do  all  things  through  Christ  who 
strengtheneth  me.'  Gracious  is  such  a  lesson  in  providence. 
Precious  indeed  is  such  an  attainment  in  grace. 

"  The  trial  of  *  abounding'  we  have  passed.  The  trial  of  being 
'  abased,'  we  may  still  have  to  bear,  to  what  extent,  our  gracious 
Lord  alone  can  tell  us.  But  many  facts  combine,  in  their  stubborn 
witness,  to  testify  of  the  things  which  are  yet  to  come. 

"  The  removal  of  large  numbers  of  families  in  their  residences, 
either  to  distant  and  upper  parts  of  the  city,  or  to  the  surrounding 
towns  and  villages  of  the  country,  has  already  so  reduced  the 
number  of  stated  families,  and  personal  attendants  upon  our 
public  worship,  that  we  have  become  but  a  remnant  of  what  we 
were,  and  there  appears  no  likehhood  of  the  reversal  of  the  cur- 
rent, or  of  a  change  in  this  respect  in  the  future.  Our  attending 
congregation  on  the  Sabbath  or  in  our  week  services,  which  last 
have  indeed  expired,  is  not  likely  to  increase.  Our  collections  for 
benevolent  dispensation,  have  fallen  off  one  half.  Our  local  and 
relative  demands  in  our  public  work  thus  far  assumed,  have,  on 
the  other  hand,  in  no  degree  diminished,  rather  have  manifestly  in- 
creased. That  which  may  be  called  our  attractiveness  to  the  general 
community  around  us  has  been  very  much  lost,  and  we  are  evidently 
floating  upon  an  ebb  tide,  with  but  little  hope,  in  outward  indica- 
tions, of  any  flood  to  succeed  it.  I  speak  of  this  in  our  relative 
condition  as  a  church. 

"  Tlius  we  arc  to  experience  that  which  the  apostle  calls  being 
abased  and  suffering  need.  How  far  tliis  state  of  facts  is  dependent 
upon  and  produced  by  a  personal  failure  in  tho  ministry  here,  it  is 


552  Rev,  Stephen  Higgi7ison   Tyng,  D.D, 

impossible  for  me  to  decide  and  would  not  become  me  to  say.  I 
am  certainly  conscious  that  the  decays  of  age  and  the  natural 
weariness  in  others  in  meeting  a  ministry  so  protracted,  are  most 
important  elements  of  failure  in  actual  results,  and  I  wish  I  may  be 
able  to  take  the  apostle's  ground  of  quiet  and  peaceful  submission  to 
the  gracious  providence  of  my  Lord,  and  say,  *  None  of  these  things 
move  me,  neither  count  I  my  life  dear  unto  myself,  so  that  I  may 
finish  my  course  with  joy  and  the  ministry  which  I  have  received 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  to  testify  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God.' 

"  My  failures  do  not  come  from  idleness,  or  indifference  to  the 
wants  and  feelings  of  others.  That  which  I  can  do,  I  am  willing^ 
and  thankful  to  do,  and  whatever  may  fail,  my  love  for  you  and  for 
the  gracious  Lord  who  sent  me  among  you,  does  not  fail — I  trust 
cannot  fail.  I  can  do  nothing  but  continue  my  work,  with  the  best 
powers  that  shall  be  given  to  me,  till  my  Lord  shall  be  pleased  to 
remove  me,  if  to  no  other  earthly  sphere,  to  His  own  presence  and 
to  my  heavenly  home. 

"  The  social  and  fiscal  prospects  and  the  arrangements  needful 
thereto,  in  reference  to  the  future  prosperity  of  this  eminent  church, 
are  in  the  hands  of  the  wardens  and  vestrymen  chosen  by  the  con- 
gregation, as  their  accredited  agents  and  representatives,  and  I 
shall  in  no  way  interfere  to  obstruct  any  decision  of  theirs,  or  to 
refuse  any  co-operation  which  I  may  be  able  to  give  to  the  plans 
which  they  may  form  and  determine  to  pursue,  esteeming  them  in 
all  things  appertaining  to  the  j)rosperity  of  the  church,  the  fair  and 
proper  representatives  of  the  congregation. 

"But  from  the  responsible  office  of  the  rector  of  this  church, 
to  which  my  Lord  was  pleased  to  appoint  me,  without  any  agency 
of  my  own,  in  a  generation  now  mostly  gone,  I  shall  not  feel  my- 
self at  liberty  officially  to  retire,  without  the  clearest  evidence  of  my 
Saviour's  will  concerning  me.  Then,  whether  the  abounding  or  the 
abasing  shall  be  my  dispensation,  I  trust  I  shall  have  grace  given 
to  me,  to  honor  my  Lord  in  all  the  trials  to  which  He  may  call  me, 
and  herein  I  do  rejoice,  yea,  and  will  rejoice. 

"  But  there  is  a  higher  relation,  in  which,  by  abasing,  we  abound. 
To  the  feet  of  a  gracious  Saviour,  we  go  with  conscious  sinfulness, 
and,  most  unworthy,  we  cast  away  all  imaginations  of  personal 
goodness  in  ourselves  and  tread  our  pride  beneath  our  feet,  to  find 
our  true  exaltation  and  our  all  in  Him.  We  bring  Him  nothing  j 
we  have  nothing  to  bring.  We  come  empty,  helpless,  and  naked 
to  the  infinite  fulness  of  righteousness,  of  joy,  of  hope,  of  peace, 
which  there  is  in  that  infinite  Saviour,  and  we  experience  the  blessed 


Ministry,  iSj^  to  i8j8,  553 

provision  of  His  testimony  of  grace,  *  he  that  abaseth  himself,  shall 
be  exalted.' 

"  Thither  to  bring  you  all,  to  persuade  you  all  to  come,  cheer- 
fully, thankfully,  happily,  have  I  been  permitted  to  labor  these 
thirty  years  in  the  Saviour's  ministry  among  you.  Happy  are  they 
who  have  accepted  His  call,  embraced  His  ofler,  and  been  made 
partakers  of  His  everlasting  love.  But  of  what  worth,  of  what  real 
use,  is  the  ministry  of  the  gospel  if  it  does  not,  cannot,  produce  this 
great  result.  All  our  privileges  must  testify.  For  all  we  must 
render  an  account,  either  for  us  or  against  us.  To  have  heard  this 
gracious  gospel  simply,  truly,  faithfully  proclaimed,  the  way  of  sal- 
vation clearly  taught,  its  glorious  provisions  fully  disj^layed,  is  cer- 
tainly the  highest  j^rivilege  of  the  human  condition.  Let  us  not 
suffer  all  its  mercies  to  testify  against  us.  Let  us  grasp  the  hand 
so  freely  extended,  believe  the  word  so  simply  uttered,  accept  the 
promises  so  freely  displayed,  and  be  partakers  of  the  glory  to  be 
ifovealed  and  of  the  Kingdom  of  the  God  of  holiness,  so  sure,  so 
precious,  and  so  unchangeable. 

"  This  is  the  one  great  purpose  of  the  Christian  ministry  on 
earth.  Every  attainment,  beside,  is  comparatively  worthless. 
Those  of  my  hearers  who  have  been  truly  led  to  Christ  by  the  min- 
istry which  I  have  been  permitted  here  so  long  to  exercise  in  His 
Name,  have  gained  that  blessing  the  value  and  joy  of  which  eter- 
nity alone  can  fully  exi^ound  or  display.  They  to  whom  this  un- 
speakable blessing  has  been  so  freely  and  constantly  presented  in 
vain,  can  only  meet  such  a  ministry  and  such  privileges  as  an 
element  of  solemn  responsibility,  before  the  throne  of  a  God  cf 
holiness,  who  cannot  be  deceived,  and  whose  judgment  must  be 
final  and  absolute.  Blessed  is  the  memory  of  Christian  believers, 
whose  departure  to  a  Saviour's  glory  I  have  witnessed.  Precious 
was  the  testimony  which  they  gave  to  Him,  who  was  all  their  salva- 
tion and  all  their  desire,  and  the  cheerful  and  sufficient  hope  by 
which  they  were  cheered  as  they  arose  to  their  Saviour  and  their 
God.  For  me,  the  journey  to  reach  that  last  abode  will  be  short. 
For  many  of  you,  years  in  this  wilderness  may  be  still  appointed, 
and  others  may  have  the  privilege  of  proclaiming  to  ^'ou  the  fulness 
of  a  Saviour's  love  and  the  glory  of  the  homo  prepared  for  those 
who  l(jve  Him.  O,  brethren  !  make  your  caUing  and  your  election 
sure,  and  see  that  you  stand  upon  a  foundation  which  can  endure 
the  trial  and  secure  for  you  the  glorious  result,  an  inheritance  of 
peace  which  fadeth  not  away.  Let  us  meet  at  last  in  the  blessed- 
ness of  His  abode,  among  that  blood-washed,  sanctitied  multitude 


554  ^^*  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

who  rest  not,  day  or  night,  in  their  song  of  joyful  praise  :  "  Holy, 
Holy,  Holy,  Lord  God  Almighty,  which  was,  and  art,  and  art  to 
come.  Glory  be, to  God  on  high.'  There  is  rest,  joy,  peace  for- 
ever, and  no  more  sin  and  no  more  sorrow.  A  world  of  holiness 
without  a  stain,  a  world  of  happiness  without  a  fear,  a  world  of 
grateful  homage  and  obedience  without  weariness,  without  wander- 
ing, without  decay;  an  inheritance  unfailing,  unfading  and  eternal." 

Within  the  succeeding  year  death  removed  three  of  the  most 
diligent  and  valued  laborers  in  the  work  of  St.  George's  Church, 
men  whose  names  are  ever  to  be  remembered  in  close  identification 
with  its  history.  Two  of  these,  Mr.  William Whitlock,  Jr.,  and  Mr. 
Adolphus  Lane,  were  taken  in  the  ripeness  of  age,  after  a  lifetime 
spent  in  its  service,  and  are  strictly  to  be  classed  among  the  "Fa- 
thers of  St.  George's;"  the  third,  Mr.  William  T.  Blodgett,  may 
justly  be  named  as  one  of  its  most  devoted  sons.  Inscribed  by  Dr. 
Tyng  upon  the  minutes  of  the  vestry  are  these  simple  testimonies, 
recalling  them  in  their  lives  of  fidelity  and  earnestness,  of  which  he 
had  been  so  long  the  associate  and  witness. 

*'  William  Whitlock,  Jr.,  became  a  member  of  this  corporation  at 
Easter,  1834,  was  chosen  as  warden  at  Easter,  1846,  and  retired 
from  the  vestry  at  Easter,  1863.  He  continued  his  earnest  interest 
in  St.  George's  Church  and  his  attendance  upon  the  public  worship 
there  while  his  health  allowed  the  exposure  and  the  effort.  For 
some  months  previous  to  his  lamented  death  he  was  confined 
by  the  infirmities  of  age  to  the    quietness   and   seclusion  of  his 

own  home. 

"  Beloved  by  his  children,  to  whom  he  had  been  a  most  kind 
and  faithful  father,  esteemed  by  all  his  associates  as  a  friend  of 
peculiar  wisdom  and  attractive  social  kindness,  honored  in  the 
mercantile  community  as  a  merchant  of  unblemished  probity  in  all 
the  relations  of  business,  and  of  remarkable  accuracy  of  judgment 
in  the  affairs  of  commerce,  for  many  years  the  treasurer  and  a  Vice- 
President  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  he  lived  in  this  city  hon- 
ored and  beloved,  and  finished  his  earthly  course  July  11,  1875. 

"  His  meek  and  modest  Christian  character  made  his  personal 
walk  and  relation  as  a  communicant  in  this  church  a  comfort  and 
an  example  to  all  his  associates.  His  unfailing  friendship  and  re- 
spect for  his  pastor  endeared  him  personally  to  him,  and  the  grati- 
tude and  reverence  of  the  church  embalms  his  memory  among  the 
Fathers  of  St.  George's  with  unchanging  preservation  and  respect." 

"  The  departure  of  Mr.  Adolphus  Lane  justly  calls  for  a  tribute 
of  affectionate  remembrance  from  this  vestry. 


Ministry,  i8j^  to  i8j8,  555 

''For  forty  years  he  had  been  a  communicant  of  St.  Georges 
Church,  for  nearly  thirty  years  a  member  of  this  vestry,  and  for 
eleven  of  those  years  he  had  filled  the  office  of  church  warden,  for  the 
most  of  the  period  he  was  also  an  assiduous  and  punctual  teacher  in 
the  Sunday-schools  of  this  church.  He  married  the  daughter  of  Dr. 
John  Stearns,  also  for  many  years  a  vestryman  and  warden  of  St. 
George's  Church.  And  in  these  various  relations  he  had  been  long 
intimately  connected  with  the  welfare  of  the    congregation. 

"  His  whole  character  and  manner  of  intercourse  with  others  was 
so  truly  amiable,  kind  and  upright  that  he  was  in  all  relations  accept- 
able and  valued.  He  was  highly  esteemed  as  a  pattern  and  ex- 
ample to  all  who  were  associated  wit^i  him,  both  for  his  modesty  and 
fidelity  in  the  fulfilment  of  every  duty,  and  for  his  manifestly  humble 
and  earnest  Christian  walk.  His  associates  in  every  relation  which 
he  occupied  in  life  recall  his  memory  with  gratitude  and  respect, 
and  look  back  upon  his  example  of  '  patient  continuance  in  well 
doing '  as  a  guide  and  encouragement  to  follow  in  his  steps. 

"  The  last  six  years  of  his  life  were  a  record  of  much  sufi'ering. 
He  was  thrown  down  by  a  heavily  loaded  wagon  in  Broadway,  which 
ran  over  him,  breaking  his  bones  and  bruising  his  flesh  so  that  he  was 
made  a  helpless  sufferer  during  this  whole  period.  Here  he  dis- 
played eminent  patience  and  received  much  domestic  kindness  and 
sympathy,  the  blessing  of  that  meek  and  quiet  spirit  which  is  of  such 
great  price.  Two  years  before  his  departure  his  much  loved  and 
faithful  wife  was  called  to  leave  him  in  a  sudden  death,  and  as  an 
eminent  illustration  of  faith  and  submission,  he  finished  his  own 
appointed  course,  and  entered  into  his  rest.  *  Being  dead,  he  yet 
speaketh.' 

"  Mr.  William  Tilden  Blodgett  became  a  member  of  this  vestry 
at  Easier,  18G5.  From  his  opening  jnaturity  he  had  been  a  mem- 
ber of  thischuich.  He  was  baptized  and  confirmed  here.  His  life  of 
remarkable  earthly  prosperity,  and  his  peculiar  and  cultivated  taste 
amidst  the  gratification  and  the  encouragement  of  art  and  litera- 
ture, gave  him  a  prominent  station  among  the  younger  men  of  the 
city  and  nation. 

**  Surrounded  as  he  was  in  life  with  all  that  was  elegant  and 
attractive  in  these  relations,  still  his  domestic  and  religious  charac- 
ter gave  him  a  reputation  and  mlluence  yet  more  desirable.  He 
was  the  faithful  guardian  of  a  widowed  mother  and  orphaned  sisters, 
and  to  them,  as  well  as  to  his  own  immediate  household,  liis  depart- 
ure is  a  ln.3s  of  all  that  was  eftective  as  well  as  attractive  in  hia 
peculiar  relations  to  bis  home.     This  vestry  was  happily  connected 


556  Rev,  Stephen  Htgginson    Tyng,  D.D» 

with  him  as  an  associate  and  active  friend,  and  they  thus  record 
their  sincere  sorrow  at  his  unexpected  departure,  and  their  grate- 
ful remembrance  of  his  association  with  them  in  the  responsible 
administration  of  this  remarkable  and  prosperous  church.  He 
entered  into  the  promised  rest  of  the  disciples  of  the  Lord, 
on  Wednesday,  the  4th  of  November,  1875." 

This  record,  however,  seems  to  demand  a  more  extended  no- 
tice of  one  to  whose  liberality  St.  George's  Church  was  so  greatly 
indebted,  and  whose  services,  in  its  most  critical  period,  were  so 
peculiarly  important  as  those  of  Mr.  William  Whitlock,  Jr.  The 
tribute  of  the  American  Bible  Society  to  his  memory  thus  deline- 
ates the  principal  facts  in  his  valued  career  : 

"  William  Whitlock,  Jr.,  was  born  on  the  23rd  of  February, 
1791,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  where  he  resided  throughout 
his  life,  and  where  he  died  on  the  11th  of  July,  1875,  aged  eighty- 
four  years.  He  passed  his  commercial  apprenticeship  here,  and 
commenced  business  on  his  own  account  as  early  as  the  year  1812. 

"  In  1835  he  established  a  line  of  Havre  packet  ships,  for  the 
conveyance  of  passengers  and  merchandise  to  France,  which  was 
kept  up  until  the  commencement  of  our  late  Civil  War.  As  a  ship- 
owner and  manager,  he  possessed  the  unqualified  confidence  and 
regard  not  only  of  all  those  by  whom  his  ships  were  navigated  and 
manned,  but  of  the  travelling  and  commercial  public.  His  ships 
were  uniformly  thoroughly  and  liberally  fitted  out  and  provided, 
and  kept  safe  and  in  good  condition.  His  officers  were  picked 
men — often  those  brought  up  by  him  from  boyhood,  devoted  to  his 
interests  and  attached  to  his  person. 

'*  He  was  thoroughly  patriotic.     When  he   learned,  fifty  years 
eince,  that  General  Lafayette  was  coming   to   this   country   as  the 
*  Nation's   honored  guest,'    he  iitted  out  his  packet  ship  'Cadmus,' 
and  placed  it  at  Lafayette's  disposal,  who  accepted  it  for  the  voyage. 
For  this  use  of  his  vessel,  although  entailing  a  loss  upon  his  busi- 
ness, he  never  claimed  or   received   any   remuneration  from  the 
government,  although  it  had    assumed   the  payment  of  all  Lafay- 
ette's expenses.     He  served  his  country  in  the  war  of  1812  as  a  vol- 
unteer, in  manning  harbor  forts;  and  the  land  warrant  he  received 
from  the  government  for  this  service  he  preserved  as  a  valued  curi- 
osity and  memento. 

"  After  the  late  Civil  War  his  vessels  were  engaged  in  other 
trade,  until  they  were  finally  disposed  of  a  few  years  since,  when  he 
gave  up  all  active  commercial  business. 

"  Mr.  Whitlock  took  a  deep  interest  in  our  benevolent  and  re- 


Ministry,  i8y^  to  i8j8.  557 

ligious  institutions,  but  the  deepest  of  all  seemed  to  be  for  this 
society  and  its  appropriate  work.  He  served  in  the  capacity  of 
vestryman  and  warden  of  St.  George's  Church  for  many  years,  and 
was  chairman  of  the  Building  Committee  which  erected  the  beau- 
tiful ^edifice  in  which  the  congregation  worshipped.  The  gratui- 
tous labor  and  pecuniary  aid  rendered  by  him  during  the  build- 
ing of  the  church,  and  his  long  connection  with  it,  were  known 
and  appreciated  by  the  rector  and  members  of  that  important 
parish. 

"He  was  a  director  in  the  Bank  of  America  for  many  years, 
and  attended  assiduously  to  his  duties  in  that  regard,  as  well  as 
to  those  devolving  upon  him  as  trustee  in  other  public  corpora- 
ations  and  institutions.  His  clear  judgment,  strict  integrity,  and 
great  business  experience,  rendered  his  services  exceedingly  valu- 
able to  those  institutions,  as  well  as  to  all  who  consulted  with  him. 
His  mercantile  honor  and  integrity  were  always  unquestioned;  and 
his  example  of  fidelity  to  obligations  as  a  merchant,  at  whatever 
sacrifice,  while  engaged  in  extensive  transactions,  and  through 
periods  of  great  financial  and  political  trials,  was  such  as  to  secure 
the  confidence  of  the  public,  and  to  benefit  all  by  his  example  with- 
in the  range  of  his  influence. 

"  For  man}'  years  he  was  a  life  director  of  the  American  Bible 
Society.  He  was  elected  treasurer  May  7th,  1840.  In  1853,  con- 
templating an  absence  from  the  country,  he  resigned  his  treasurer- 
ship.  He  was  re-elected  in  1855,  and  served  the  society  as  its 
treasurer  to  the  period  of  his  death — a  term  of  active  service  of 
nearly  thirty-five  years.  The  fidelity  and  usefulness  of  his  services 
for  this  long  period  are  well  known  to  his  associates.  The  society 
was  peculiarly  dear  to  him,  and  in  its  financial  arrangements  and 
general  work  he  has  done  much  to  promote  its  interests  and  pros- 
perity. In  1864  he  was  elected  a  Yice-President.  On  the  decease 
of  the  late  Dr.  Thomas  Cock,  in  July,  18G9,  he  became  the  senior 
Vice-President  resident  in  this  city,  and  was  often  called  upon  in 
that  capacity  to  preside  at  the  meetings  of  the  Board.  In  all  the 
important  questions  which  have  interested  the  society  during  the 
past  thirty-five  years,  he  has  taken  a  deep  interest,  and  although 
speaking  but  seldom,  the  general  kno\Vledge  of  his  views  and 
proposed  action,  has  had  its  due  influence  in  the  decision  of  these 
questions  by  the  Board. " 

"  He  loved  *  the  things  which  make  for  peace,'  and  his  life  was 
an  epitome  of  what  is  required  of  man  in  sacred  writ,  *  to  do  justly, 
to  love  mercy,   and  to  walk  humbly  with  his  God.*     Such  was  he 


55S  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,Do 

uniformly  in  the  family,  tlie  domestic  circle,  in  his  business  rela- 
tions, and  in  his  pubUc  Hfe.  He  rests  without  a  cloud  on  his  mem- 
ory, and  with   the  blessings  of  thousands  he  has  benefited,  upon 

his  name." 

During  the  year  1876,  occurred  the  great  revival  work  in  New 
York  under  the  direction  of  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey,  which  com- 
manded the  public  p.ttention  so  largely  and  was  so  effective  in  its 
power.  This  movement,  it  may  be  needless  to  say,  had  Dr.  Tyng's 
hearty  sympathy  and  constant  aid.  At  the  first  of  a  series  of  meet- 
ings arranged  to  prepare  Christian  workers  for  active  engagement 
in  the  more  public  meetings  soon  to  follow,  he  delivered  an  address 
upon  "  the  preparation  proper  for  the  work  of  dealing  with  religious 
inquirers,"  and  in  many  of  the  later  meetings,  took  an  active  part. 

At  the  Fifty-first  Anniversary  of  the  American  Tract  Society,  in 
May  of  the  same  year,  he  again  presided,  speaking  a  few  words  of 
commendation  of  its  objects  and  aims. 

"  We  who  have  labored  in  it  through  its  whole  history,"  he  said, 
in  the  course  of  his  remarks,  "  have  felt  our  admiration  of  the  prin- 
ciples upon  which  it  has  been  founded  constantly  increasing.  We 
entered  upon  the  work  originally  in  the  conviction  that  there  was  a 
simplicity  of  truth  in  the  word  of  God,  and  a  power  attending  its 
faithful  administration  which  would  make  the  society  a  pattern  of 
usefulness  and  an  instrument  of  strength.  The  foundation  was  the 
sino-le  principle,  nothing  but  the  salvation  of  sinful  souls,  nothing 
but  the  preaching  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  in  His  own  work  and 
gloryy  as  the  instrument  of  that  salvation,  should  have  an  influence 
upon  their  work.  They  have  carried  on  the  same  scheme,  upon  the 
same  principle,  with  an  unfailing  success,  with  a  spirit  of  union  that 
has  never  w^avered,  with  a  spirit  of  fidelity  that  has  never  faltered, 
with  a  trust  in  the  divine  power  that  has  never  yielded  and  with 
an  amount  of  success  in  spreading  Christian  instruction  and  saving 
grace  that  has  been  most  wonderful. 

*'  I  am  thankful  to  have  been  permitted  to  live  to  see  this  glori- 
ous result;  working  with  it  in  its  incipiency,  I  am  permitted  in  age 
to  look  back  upon  it  as  a  golden  harvest  for  the  glorious  Saviour. 
The  honor  of  Jesus  has  been  magnified,  the  love  of  Jesus  has  been 
spread  abroad  and  the  power  of  Jesus  has  been  exhibited  in  the 
accomplishment  of  these  wonderful  things." 

Such  was  his  closing  testimony  to  the  society's  work  at  the  end 
of  his  half- century  of  active  labor  in  its  behalf;  the  last  of  a  large 
number  of  addresses  which  during  that  period  he  had  delivered  m 
advocating  its  claims  to  Christian  confidence  and  support. 


Ministry,  i8y^  to  iSjS,  559 

During  the  past  year  successive  events  occurring  in  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Church,  had  produced  and  marked  great  changes  as 
prevailing  in  its  dominant  spirit.  To  these,  however,  it  is  unneces- 
sary to  refer  in  any  but  the  briefest  manner.  In  the  discussions  by 
which  they  were  preceded  and  accompanied,  Dr.  Tyng  refrained 
from  any  very  prominent  part.  His  opinions  on  all  their  subjects  were 
well  known,  his  counsel  was  frequently  sought,  but  he  was  disposed 
to  leave  to  others  the  more  prominent  engagement  in  the  contro- 
versy. Having  no  sjTupathy  with  any,  who  failing  to  obtain  desired 
reforms  within  the  Church,  would  advise,  or  co-operate  in,  a  sepa- 
ration from  it,  the  establishment  of  the  Reformed  Episcopal 
Church  appeared  a  step  as  unwise  as  it  was  unnecessary.  The 
secession  to  it  of  many  in  whom  he  took  a  personal  interest  was 
against  his  earnest  protest,  while  in  a  sermon,  which  has  been  vainly 
sought,  he  took  a  most  decided  stand  upon  the  question  which  was 
thus  presented. 

While  this  movement,  to  a  large  extent,  disintegrated  the  Evan- 
gelical party,  it  yet  proved  one  of  the  means  by  which  the  great 
object  of  its  contest  was  obtained.  Consequent  upon  it,  and  in 
perception  of  the  danger  which  it  made  imminent,  a  more  lib- 
eral and  more  tolerant  spirit  soon  succeeded  that  which  had  be- 
fore so  widely  prevailed.  In  the  apparent  unity  and  harmony  in 
which  this  found  utterance.  Dr.  Tyng,  however,  had  little  faith. 
In  any  obliteration  of  party  names  or  lines,  he  saw  only  an  obscur- 
ing of  important  principles  which  were  as  ever  distinct  and  clear  in 
their  division.  The  yielding  of  the  independent  action  of  the  Evan- 
gelical societies,  more  particularly  that  of  the  American  Church 
Missionary  Society,  and  its  becoming  auxiliary  to  the  Board  of 
Missions,  seemed  the  surrender  of  a  position  scarcely  less  important 
than  when  it  had  been  taken  so  many  years  before. 

Many  had  been  the  efforts  made  to  this  end  in  the  intervening 
years,  but  in  reference  to  all.  Dr.  Tyng  had  consistently  maintained 
that  liarmony  and  good  will  would  be  most  promoted  and  conserved 
by  continued  independence  in  relation,  and  that  in  this  there  was 
nothing  "  incompatible  with  that  unity  of  spirit  and  that  bond  of 
peace  "  which  he  desired  and  prayed  might  prevail. 

When,  however,  liberty  of  opinion  and  freedom  of  action  in  the 
Church  were  freely  conceded  and  fully  established,  all  had  been 
accomplished  for  which  he  had  ever  fought.  Such  a  result  had 
crowned  the  labors  of  the  Evangelical  party,  and  must  in  large 
measure  be  ascribed  to  the  determined  stand  which  Dr.  Tvn<jf  had 
maintained.     With    this    attained,    he    could  justly   feel   that   his 


56o  Rev,  Stephen  Higguison   Tyng,  DJ), 

work  was  done  and  retire  from  the  field  of  controversy  and  con- 
flict. 

In  all  the  changing  conditions  of  this  time  his  sermon,  "  The 
Old  Paths,"  delivered  on  the  23d  of  April,  1876,  is  a  notable  decla- 
ration of  his  position  and  of  the  consistency  and  simplicity  of  his 
faith,  unmoved  and  unmovable;  his  protest  against  the  tendency 
which  he  perceived  so  extensively  prevailing. 

His  text  was  Jeremiah  vi.  16,  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  stand  ye  in 
the  ways,  and  see,  and  ask  for  the  old  paths,  where  is  the  good  way, 
and  walk  therein,  and  ye  shall  find  rest  for  your  souls." 

"The  principle  here  established,"  he  said,  *' is  the  unchanging 
permanency  of  the  revealed  will  of  God.  The  demand  of  the  age  in 
which  we  live,  is  that  all  revealed  truth,  shall  be  judged,  not  by  the 
testimony  of  its  authority ;  not  by  the  evidence  of  its  actual  revela- 
tion from  God;  not  by  the  demonstration  of  its  saving,  sanctifying, 
recuperative  power;  but  by  the  demands  and  assumptions  of  that 
which  is  proudly  called,  '  The  course  of  modern  thought,'  claiming 
the  governing  principle,  that  in  professed  religious  teaching  among 
men  there  is  no  declaration  of  truth  or  fact,  which  is  really  fixed 
or  settled.  But  the  whole  field  is  open  to  new  discovery,  not  from 
any  direct  revelations  from  God,  but  in  the  investigations  and 
imaginations  of  men.  Divine  teaching  has  no  longer  supreme 
authority.  The  word  of  God  is  allowed  no  absolute  control.  But 
the  assumption  of  pretentious  modern  teachers  is,  '  we  are  the 
people,  and  wisdom  will  die  with  us.'  Thus  all  the  peculiar, 
sacred,  saving  doctrines  of  the  Bible  are  heedlessly  denied.  Its 
revealed  schemes  of  salvation,  of  peace,  of  hope  for  man,  are'rejected 
with  contempt.  And  '  modern  thought,'  late  discovery,  new  sys- 
tems, human  imaginations,  are  placed  upon  the  throne  of  authority, 
and  we  are  called  upon  to  give  to  unknown  men  the  faith  and  rev- 
erence which  has  been  refused  to  the  revelation  of  God,  and  to  the 
glorious  fulness  of  His  wisdom  and  grace. 

"  This  is  the  subject  which  in  its  principles  and  operation  is 
set  before  us  in  our  present  text.  The  persons  to  whom  the  special 
reference  is  made  are  here  previously  described,  '  They  have  healed 
the  hurt  of  my  people  slightly,  saying,  Peace,  peace,  when  there  is 
no  peace.'  This  is  precisely  the  practical  operation  of  the  errors 
in  this  modern  teaching.  They  include,  the  safety  of  man  in  hia 
own  goodness ;  the  ability  of  all  men  to  restore  and  recover  them- 
selves from  moral  delinquency;  the  universal  restoration  of  man- 
kind to  a  final  abode  of  peace  and  comparative  happiness,  by  the 
gradual  advancement  of  the  mental  and  moral  attainments  of  sue- 


Ministry,  18 j^  to  18 j8.  56 1 

cessive  ge-nerations  of  men.  And  these  false  cryings  of  peace  when 
there  is  no  peace,  are  styled  '  a  greater  breadth  of  thought/  a 
*  higher  form  of  culture  '  than  the  narrow-minded  adherence  to  ex- 
ploded systems,  and  the  neglect  of  the  wonderful  discoveries  and 
acquisitions  of  modern  science  and  investigation. 

"  I  profess,  myself,  upon  this  whole  arrayed  basis,  to  be  one  of 
these  narrow-minded  men,  holding  with  unshrinking  grasp  the  in- 
spired word  of  God;  adhering  to  the  old  paths  and  walking  in 
them;  seeking  that  rest  for  my  soul  which  is  to  be  found  in  them 
alone,  and  reverently  listening  to  that  promised  word  behind  me 
saying,  *  This  is  the  way,  walk  ye  in  it,'  when  we  turn  to  the  right 
hand  or  to  the  left.  The  utmost  modern  devotion  to  the  word,  the 
•will,  the  teaching  of  the  Lord  is  to  me  an  encouragement  and  a  joy. 
1  contend  for  nothing  which  is  changing  and  ephemeral.  I  de- 
mand nothing  which  is  merely  formal  or  ritual,  i  ask  only,  I 
desire  only,  that  the  glorious  and  everlasting  gospel  of  infinite 
grace  in  Christ  the  Lord  shall  be  the  acknowledged  platform  of 
union  j  the  one  bond  of  harmony,  the  treasury  of  united  love;  the 
object  of  united  effort  and  abiding  devotion. 

"  All  inferior,  subordinate  ends  and  thoughts  I  can  willingly, 
cheerfully  concede.  Upon  this  basis  I  have  gladly  welcomed  the 
labors  of  those  faithful  men  who  have  just  completed  in  this  city  a 
ministry  so  wonderful  and  so  effective.  No  Christian  man  can  fail 
to  rejoice  over  it.  No  intelligent,  generous  mind  can  withhold  its 
acknowledgment  of  its  worth  j  no  truly  believing  heart  can  refuse 
its  prayer,  that  our  gracious  Lord  would  abidingly  bless  and  pros- 
per such  efforts  for  His  own  glory  and  for  man's  salvation.  And  as 
I  stand  this  day  and  survey  my  own  labors  among  you,  for  the 
thii'ty-one  years  now  completed,  of  my  pastoral  relation  with  you, 
I  am  gratefully,  humbly  conscious  that  I  have  sincerely  attempted 
to  fulfil  the  whole  command  of  our  text,  *  Stand  ye  in  the  ways 
and  see;  and  ask  for  the  old  paths,  where  is  the  good  way,  and 
walk  therein.' 

*•  This  is  a  teaching  which  rests  upon  divine  authority  alone, 
not  upon  the  imaginations  of  men,  but  is  as  ancient  as  the  first 
consciousness  of  personal  sin,  and  the  first  ministry  of  divine  grace, 
and  has  no  origin  in  the  developments  of  modern  thought  or  the 
deductions  of  man's  imagination,  from  the  later  discoveries  of 
human  investigation  or  argument. 

''First,  I  say  it  is  the  teaching  of  divine  authority,*  Stand  in  the  ways 
and  see.'  These  are  God's  ways.  This  toaoliing  receives  the  Bible, 
the  one  book,  as  given  by  the  express  and  full  inspiration  of  the  Spirit 


562  Rev.  Stephen    Higginson    Tyng^    D.D, 

tlie  breath  of  God.  It  takes  the  utterances  of  that  book  as  infalli- 
ble, upon  the  subjects  of  which  it  speaks.  It  carries  every  ques- 
tion of  human  experience  or  deficiency  to  that  one  standard,  and 
abides  by  the  authority  of  its  decision.  There  were  scoffers  of  this 
claimed  authority  in  those  days.  The  former  have  perished  from 
the  earth,  while  the  Word,  which  was  the  object  of  their  scoffing, 
still  abides  supreme.  The  latter  will  be  buried  in  tlieir  time  in 
the  dust  of  their  ancestral  inheritance  of  unbelief,  and  the  same 
glorious  word,  the  brighter  for  all  the  conflicts  of  their  revilings, 
will  *  stand  '  in  the  way,  as  teaching  the  way,  to  generations  of 
grateful  believers  yet  unborn. 

"  In  this  way  of  divine  authority,  absolute,  unchanging,  most 
significant  in  the  guidance  which  it  gives  to  all  humble,  be- 
lieving, sincere  inquirers  and  students  of  its  teaching,  the  true 
servants  and  ambassadors  from  God  will  stand;  not  looking  forward 
to  get  their  truth  from  new  inventions  of  human  wisdom,  but  look- 
ing backward,  upward,  for  answer  to  the  question,  '  What  saith  the 
Lord  ? ' 

*'This  is  our  position  and  our  preaching,  the  language  and 
teaching  of  divine  authority;  accepting  truth,  because  the  Lord 
hath  spoken  it;  uttering  the  truth  because  the  Lord  commandeth 
it;  knowing  that  it  is  truth,  because  the  Lord  is  a  God  of  truth, 
and  there  is  no  unrighteousness  in  Him.  This  is  the  simple  prin- 
ciple of  guidance  which  is  set  before  us  in  our  present  Scripture, 
and  which  in  my  whole  work  among  you  I  have  earnestly  endeav- 
ored to  maintain  and  follow. 

''Second:  In  following  this  work  of  authority,  this  system  of 
teaching  asks  but  for  old  experience  rather  than  new.  The  com- 
mand before  us  is,  '  Ask  for  the  old  paths.'  In  the  great  work  of 
bringing  redeemed  souls  to  God  and  heaven,  there  can  be  nothing 
new,  nothing  to  be  yet  discovered.  The  redemption  of  the  first 
transgressors  remains  the  type  and  example  of  the  redemption  of 
all  transgressors  to  the  end  of  time.  There  is  here,  first,  the  '  old 
path  '  of  man's  rebellion.  It  was  disobedience  to  the  command  of 
God;  contempt  of  the  warnings  of  God;  unbelief  in  the  truth  of 
God;  refusal  of  submission  to  the  will  of  God;  the  indulgence  of 
personal  appetite,  desire,  gratification  in  defiance  of  the  solemn 
prohibition  of  God.  Human  sin  remains  the  same,  in  every  age, 
in  every  person,  amidst  aU  the  varied  circumstances  and  chang- 
ing elements  of  human  life.  Thus  God  has  laid  it  out  in  His 
word,  and  thus  man  finds  it  in  individual  experience.  Faithful 
teaching  in  this  old  path  of  divine  authority  will  always  deal  with 


Ministry  i8j^  to  i8y8.  563 

the  sin  of  man  in  this  one  revealed  aspect.  Not  as  infirmity,  but 
as  rebellion;  not  as  a  palliable  accident,  but  as  a  ruinous  purpose 
of  disobedience.  The  soul  that  sinneth, — it  shall  die.'  And  we 
can  deal  with  human  sin  upon  no  other  plane  of  estimation. 

"  This  presents  our  second  point.  The  old  path  of  divine  au- 
thority pronounces  condemnation  and  death  upon  human  sin, — 
pronounces  an  absolute  sentence  which  must  be  fulfilled.  The 
penalty  of  sin  against  God  is  death  to  the  soul  of  man.  The  divine 
law  allows  no  mitigation  of  circumstances, — no  apology  and  no  ex- 
cuse. And  a  teaching  in  accordance  with  the  authority  of  God 
can  make  no  compromise  with  man's  transgressions.  The  dealing 
of  the  Word  of  God  with  human  guilt  permits  no  flattering  titles, 
takes  into  consideration  no  elements  of  explanation.  It  proclaims 
indignation  and  wrath  upon  every  soul  of  man  that  doeth  evil.  A 
faithful  ministry  in  accordance  with  that  word  must  adopt  and 
pursue  with  integrity  and  boldness  the  old  path  thus  clearly  de- 
scribed. 

*'  Again,  as  our  third  direction,  this  old  path  reveals  a  divine 
plan  and  provision  of  a  voluntary  and  absolute  substitution  of  a 
Saviour's  death  for  the  sinner's  deliverance.  God  hath  laid  on  Him 
who  offered  Himself  to  bear  the  load,  the  iniquities  and  obligations 
of  us  all,  of  this- race  fallen  and  condemned.  He  presented  Himself 
the  unhesitating  sacrifice,  assumed  the  responsibility  of  guilty  man, 
met  the  full  demand  of  divine  justice  and  truth,  that  by  His  suf- 
fering and  endurance,  the  law  might  be  honored,  the  sentence 
might  be  fulfiled,  and  yet  the  guilty  might  be  rescued  and  forgiven. 
This  now  becomes  the  message  of  divine  authority,  announcing"  an 
open  way  of  return  for  man  to  God,  who,  in'His  infinite  grace,  has 
thus  declared  His  own  reconciliation  to  him,  and  His  willingness  to 
receive  and  forgive  the  guilt}'  and  the  lost. 

"  Upon  this  basis,  as  the  fourth  old  path,  this  teaching  of  divine 
authority  announces  a  complete  salvation  in  a  complete  Saviour 
for  man  condemned  and  ruined  in  sin.     It  presents  the  glorious 
fulness  of  infinite  grace:  redemption  by  the  death  and  justification 
in   the   righteousness   of  an  infinite   ransom   and   Redeemer.     It 
offers  to  every  one,  who,  in  a  true  faith  and  an  actual  trust  shall 
accept  this  offered  Saviour,  and   this  prepared  basis  of  reconcilia- 
tion, eternal  Hfe,  unchangeable  oneness   with  the  Redeemer  thus 
received;  new  holiness  of  character  by  the  Holy  Spirit   whom   He 
imparts, — and  an  inheritance,  unfailing,  incorruptible  and  eternal 
in  the  heavens,  the  gift  of  His  grace.      These  are  the  *  old  paths  ' 
of  divine  revelation,  and  taught  upon  the  basis  of  divine  authority. 


564  -^^^'  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D. 

They  are  as  old  as  man's  fall  in  sin.  They  are  as  abiding  as  God's 
power  to  save.  They  are  as  unchangeable  as  the  mercy  of  God, 
and  the  guilt  and  need  of  man. 

"  Third :  These  '  old  paths  '  are  the  good  way  in  which  we  are 
to  walk,  and  in  which  we  are  to  find  rest  to  our  souls.  Abiding 
faith  in  the  truth — the  will — the  word  of  God  receives  in  this  way 
not  only  that  rest,  but  every  spiritual  gift  of  which  man  is  capable, 
every  glorious  provision  for  which  man  can  be  made  competent, 
by  the  power  of  God  in  this  salvation.  To  this  scheme  of  infinite 
overflowing  grace  filling  the  word  of  God,  modern  thought,  or 
man's  assumption,  can  add  nothing.  '  Let  not  the  wise  man  glory 
in  his  wisdom,  saith  the  Lord,  neither  let  the  mighty  man  glory  in 
his  might.  But  let  him  who  glorieth,  glory  in  this, — That  he  un- 
derstandeth  and  knoweth  me,  that  I  am  the  Lord  which  exercise 
loving  kindness,  judgment  and  righteousness  in  the  earth;  for  in 
these  things  I  delight,  saith  the  Lord.' 

"  Fourth  :  This  is  the  teaching  of  divine  authority,  which  finds 
everything  perfect  in  the  revelation  which  God  has  given  to  us,  in 
His  word,  and  which  seeks  not  the  wisdom  of  man  to  add  any  new 
element  or  power  to  that  which  God  has  revealed  and  declared  to 
be  perfect,  as  His  communication  to  man.  For  thirty-one  years 
have  I  been  with  you,  by  the  grace  of  God,  ceasing  not  to  teach 
and  preach  this  glorious  scheme  of  grace,  of  complete  salvation 
perfected  in  God's  own  Son,  for  every  believing  soul.  I  have  known, 
I  have  made  known,  nothing  among  you,  save  Jesus  Christ,  and 
Him  crucified,  as  all  your  righteousness,  all  your  hope,  all  your 
salvation.  In  many  of  these  years,  my  Lord  has  allowed  me  to 
have  a  large  and  affectionate  attendance  on  my  ministry  here.  In 
later  years.  His  providence  has  required  me  to  witness  this  minis- 
try exchanged  for  others  by  many  of  my  previous  hearers,  some  of 
whom  have  found  local  convenience  their  reason  for  removal  and 
transfer  ;  others  have  deemed  me  too  confined  in  my  topics  of  pub- 
lic teaching,  or,  in  the  phrase  of  the  day,  too  much  a  '  man  of  one 
idea,'  and  others  still,  perhaps,  have  been  led  by  the  feeling  so 
general  in  our  time — a  mere  love  of  change.  In  each  case,  the 
subjective  experience  has  been  the  same;  I  have  been  left  for  that 
which  was  deemed  more  important  or  more  desirable.  Over  this 
experience  I  could  have  no  control. 

"  I  am  truly  grateful  for  those  and  to  those  who  still  abide  witit 
me,  and  even  to  my  old  age  have  adhered  to  me  with  filial  rev- 
erence and  fraternal  friendship.  But  my  whole  ministry  among 
you  has  been  described,  in  the  words  of  Scripture  selected  from 


Ministry,  187^  to  1878,  565 

our  present  text:  I  have  stood  in  the  ways  of  a  transmitted 
gospel, — I  haye  asked  for  '  the  old  paths  '  of  inherited  experience 
or  of  accumulated  teaching,  too  conservative  in  my  taste  and 
habits  to  desire  novelties  j  too  well  satisfied  with  the  precious 
gospel  of  my  Saviour  to  imagine  any  possible  improvements  on 
it  J  and  too  intensely  loving  the  Church  of  my  fathers,  to  feel  the 
slightest  wish  for  separation  from  its  communion,  or  for  changes 
of  teaching  or  of  government  within  its  household.  And  there  in 
my  old  age,  I  stand  to-day.  In  the  remembrance  of  my  pastoral  life 
among  you,  I  can  imagine  no  responsive  gift  of  divine  bounty  in 
which  I  have  come  short.  I  have  been  always  received  in  all  your 
habitations  with  filial  kindness.  And  I  have  attempted  to  admin- 
ister to  your  happiness,  in  your  days  of  trial,  with  the  unadulter- 
ated affection  of  a  truly  loving  heart;  and  with  an  earnest  desire 
to  be  made  a  blessing  from  the  grace  of  God  to  you  all. 

"  Much  longer,  this  ministery  cannot  be  prolonged.     With  me, 
the  day  has  passed,  and  the  shadows  of  the  evening  are  spread  out. 
My  confident  hope  and  my  earnest,  constant  prayer,  are  that  our 
gracious  Lord  will  raise  up  a  faithful  and  well-qualified  ambassador 
for  Himself  to  maintain  among  you^the  same  precious  truth  which 
I  have  been  permitted  to  ^proclaim.     In  such  an  arrangement,  I 
can  only  ask  that  the  same  fidelity  may  follow  him,  which  has  so 
long  cheered  and  encouraged  me.     I  exhort  you,  to  be  ever  stead- 
fast and  immovable,  always  abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord, 
holding  the  truth  of  God  in  a  good  conscience,  and  with  faith  un- 
feigned, not  carried  about  by  new  and  strange  doctrines,  or  by  vain 
teachers  of  another  gospel,  which  is  not  another,  adopted  only  to 
prevent  and  destroy  the  souls  of  those  who  welcome  and  receive  it. 
The  present  generation  of  true  behevers  in  our  Church,  are 
manifestly  to  be  tried  in  their  faith  by  many  new  inventions  of  the 
pride  of  man.     Amidst  the  pernicious  errors  of  our  day,   human 
intelligence  and  attainment  are  made  to  assume  the  place  of  the 
divine  teaching  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit  of  God.     Human  good- 
ness, and  the  assumed  virtue  of  man,  are  claimed  as  an  adequate 
foundation   for   human   hope,    and   sin    is    thus   imagined   to   be 
abolished,  and  condemnation  for  sin  ridiculed  as  an  absurdity.     The 
appointed  Saviour,  and  the  divine  "^alvation  for  man  as  guilty,  are 
rejected  as  a  fable  to  be  ridiculed  and  a  folly  to  be  despised,  while 
total  unbelief,  and  self-confidence  of  every  assumption  which  leads 
to  these,  are  encouraged  and  applauded  as  if  they  were  the  con- 
verging lines  of  wisdom,  and  the   happiness  and  welfare  of  man 
wore  to  be  wrought  out  by  them.     In  such  circumstances  of  trial  I 


566  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

warn  you,  I  urge  you  to  stand  in  the  Lord's  way — to  seek  after 
'  the  old  paths '  in  which  there  is  the  good  way,  and  find  there  the 
rest  for  your  souls,  which  nothing  but  a  Saviour's  truth  and  a 
Saviour's  power  can  ever  give  you. 

"  I  am  jealous  over  you,  with  godly   jealousy,  that  the  noble 
reputation  of  this  church,  during  the  whole  period  of  its  indepen- 
dent history,  as  the  guardian  and  supporter  of  the  truth  of  God, 
shall  not  be  forfeited  or  lost  in  the  generations  which  are  to  come. 
Cherish  and  prize  the  teachings  of  this  pure  and  life-giving  gospel. 
Encourage  the  ministy  of  all   who   proclaim   its   complete   salva- 
tion in  the  perfect   fulness  of  a  divine   Eedeemer.     Entire   justi- 
fication before  God,  in  the  spotless  righteousness  of  this  glorious 
Saviour,  received  and  made  sure  by  the  simple  faith  and  trust  of 
the  heart  in  Him;  complete  sanctification  and  holiness  in  the  divine 
image,  imparted  by  the  indwelhng  Spirit  of  the  living  God  ;  secure 
and   certain  salvation  to  the  believing,  new-created   soul,  by  the 
everlasting  covenant  of  God,  thus  wrought  out  and  apphed  by  the 
divine  power,  conquering  and  ruling  over  all  the  chosen  redeemed 
household  of  the  glorified  Saviour  of  man — these  are  the  ways  of 
God  in  which  you  are  to  stand.     These,  are  the  'old  paths  '  which 
you  are  to  seek.     These,   are  the  fountain  and  the  source  of  that 
rest  for  your  souls,  which  God  hath  promised.     And  without  them, 
there  is — there  can  be — no  rest,  no  hope,  no  peace  for  the  soul  of 
man.     May  the  Lord  our  Great  Redeemer  ever  keep    you  upright, 
faithful  and  secure  in  this  precious  faith,  through  His  infinite  grace, 
and  to  His  own  glory — and  maintain  among  you  through  succeed- 
ing generations,   a  ministry  which  shall  be  thoroughly  sound  in 
truth;  intelligent  in  instruction,  faithful  in  pastoral  life  and  exem- 
plary in  a  personal  walk  in  those  divinely  provided  '  good  ways,' 
in  which  alone  you  can  find  rest  to  your  souls." 

Such  a  ministry  as  was  thus  desired,  it  was  the  earnest  wish  of 
the  vestry  should  be  permanently  established  in  St.  George's 
Church,  and  to  the  accomplishment  of  this  purpose  their  efforts 
were  now  given.  Since  the  invitation  had  been  extended  to  Mr. 
Marston,  no  further  action  had  been  taken  in  reference  to  the 
settlement  of  an  associate  rector.  It  was  evident,  however,  that  Dr. 
Tyng  required,  not  only  efficient  assistance,  but  also  entire  relief 
from  many  of  the  cares  which  had  now  become  so  burdensome,  and 
the  selection  of  one  who  should  be  able  to  take  up  and  carry  on 
his  work  became  the  subject  of  anxious  thought.  In  the  discharge 
of  this  duty  Dr.  Tyng  deemed  that  the  vestry  should  be  the  only 
ao-ents,  and  be  left  perfectly  untrammelled  and  free.     While  there- 


Ministry,  i8j^  to  iSjS,  56/ 

fore  agreeing  to  nominate  and  cordially  co-operate  with,  whomso- 
ever they  should  choose,  he  declined  to  suggest  any  one  for  the 
position,  or  to  exert  any  influence  in  the  selection.  Thus  only  could 
he  be  freed  from  the  personal  responsibility  inseparable  from  any 
choice  otherwise  made,  and  thus  only  was  it  possible  that  he 
should  obtain  the  personal  relief  which  was  the  immediate  object 
in  view.  After  much  consideration,  it  was  decided  that  an  invita- 
tion should  be  given  to  the  Rev.  Walter  W.  Williams,  D.  D.,  the 
rector  of  Christ  Church,  Georgetown,  D.  C,  and  on  the  4th  of 
April,  1876,  he  was  elected  associate  rector  of  St.  George's  Church, 
with  succession  to  the  rectorship  in  the  event  of  its  vacancy. 

In  communicating  this  action  to  Dr.  Williams  the  vestry  wrote: 

"  The  vestry  of  St.  George's  Church,  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
on  the  nomination  of  the  Rector,  Rev.  S.  H.  Tyng,  Sr.,  D.  D.,  at  a 
meeting  held  this  day,  have  unanimously  elected  you  Associate 
Rector,  with  succession  to  the  sole  rectorship  in  case  of  a 
vacancy ;  and  an  attested  copy  of  the  resolution  is  herewith 
enclosed: 

"  This  church  has  been  favored  for  more  than  sixty  years,  in 
the  successive  rectorates  of  Dr.  Milnor  and  Dr.  Tyng,  with  a  min- 
istry truly  Evangelical,  and  has  been  enabled  by  the  divine  bless- 
ing to  maintain  a  home  of  pure  faith  and  uncorrupted  worship  for 
its  large  congregation,  and  a  support  and  defence  for  friends  of 
like  views  throughout  this  country.  The  closing  years  of  its  pres- 
ent Rector  come  at  a  time  when  errors  are  creeping  in,  and  the 
right  choice  of  a  successor  is  very  important. 

"  A  duty  thus  devolves  on  the  vestry  which  they  deeply  feel. 
In  your  election,  under  these  circumstances,  we  have  acted  with  full 
knowledge  of  your  Evangelical  opinions,  your  ministerial  experi- 
ence, and  the  ability  and  learning  with  which  you  are  endowed ; 
and  we  hope  you  will  find  it  in  the  line  of  3'our  duty  and  calling  in 
the  service  of  the  Master,  to  enter  our  parish  and  here  forward 
the  good  work.  We  promise  you  a  most  cordial  welcome  from  our 
people,  and  assure  you  that  the  matter  of  your  maintenance  will 
be  arranged  with  libei'ality  and  to  your  satisfaction." 

The  cordial  invitation  thus  extended  was  soon  after  accepted  by 
Dr.  Williams,  and  in  the  fall  of  187G,  he  entered  upon  his  ministry 
at  St.  George's,  the  succeeding  months  being  occupied  in  such  an 
arrangement  of  duties  as  seemed  to  promise  the  largest  fruitfulnass 
to  the  joint  ministry  which  had  been  thus  established.  Several 
years  of  united  labor  appeared  to  be  spread  out  in  the  prospect, 
and  all  things  promised  a  most  useful  association. 


568  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D,D. 

At  Easter,  1877,  however,  immediately  after  the  Anniversary  of 
the  Sunday-schools,  Dr.  Tyng  was  prostrated  in  a  severe  illness. 
His  disease  quickly  developing  into  typhoid  fever,  accompanied  by 
erysipelas  j  he  lay  for  weeks  hovering  between  life  and  death,  and  it 
was  evident  that,  should  he  ever  be  able  to  resume  his  duties,  many 
months  must  pass  before  any  such  attempt  could  be  feasible. 
Kecovery  from  such  an  illness  at  his  advanced  aged  seemed  impos- 
sible ;  yet  his  vigorous  constitution  prevailed,  the  crisis  was  passed, 
and  the  disease  overcome,  though  he  was  left  in  a  condition  of  phys- 
ical exhaustion  scarcely  less  dangerous  than  the  disease  of  which  it 
was  the  result.  On  removal  to  his  country  home  at  Irvington,  in 
July,  he  soon  began  to  improve  rapidly,  however,  and  with  re- 
turning strength  increasing  anxiety  to  be  again  at  work  mani- 
fested itself  in  all  his  conversation  and  was  prevalent  in  all  his 
thoughts.     ^ 

In  the  early  autumn  he  was  sufficiently  recovered  to  be 
enabled  to  resume  his  work,  and  with  Dr.  Williams'  assistance  met 
all  its  requirements,  though  his  strength  being  still  unequal  to  the 
exertion  of  standing,  he  was  obliged  to  remain  seated  while  preach- 
ing. This  rather  added  to  the  impressiveness  of  his  sermons, 
however,  and  gave  weight  to  his  words. 

There  was  no  apparent  decrease  in  his  ability  to  sustain  his  full 
share  of  responsibility  and  labor  ;  he  sought  no  release,  wishing 
only  "  to  spend  and  be  spent,"  in  the  service  of  his  Lord.  In  their 
affectionate  consideration,  however,  the  vestry  deeming  it  just  that 
a  means  should  be  opened,  by  which  he  might  have  entire  rest  and 
obtain  freedom  from  all  care,  took  early  action  in  fulfilment  of  this 
generous  desire,  and  at  a  meeting  in  December,  1877,  adopted  the 
following  resolutions,  which  were  duly  presented  to  Dr.  Tyng  by 
the  wardens  of  the  Church  : 

"  Whereas-.  The  Rev.  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  D.  D.,  is  now  approach- 
ing the  thirty -third  year  of  his  rectorship,  the  seventy-eighth  year 
of  his  age,  and  the  fifty-seventh  year  of  his  ministry,  and  has 
reached  a  time  when  the  vestry  recognizes  that  he  is  in  every  way 
entitled  to  relief  from  the  cares  and  burdens  of  an  active  rector- 
ship, and  to  adequate  provision  for  his  remaining  years,  therefore, 

"  Resolved  :  That  in  case  the  Rector  desires  to  resign  the  rector- 
ship of  this  church  and  accept  the  honorary  position  of  Rector 
Emeritus,  then,  and  in  that  case,  the  bond  of  this  corporation 
shall  be  issued  in  his  favor,  obligating  this  corporation  to  pay  him 
the  sum  of  four  thousand  dollars  annually,  in  quarterly  payments, 
during  the  remaining  years  of  his  life. 


Ministry,  i8y§  to  iSjS,  669 

"  JResolved  :  That  the  wardens  be  requested  to  wait  upon  the 
Rector,  and  communicate  to  him  the  foregoing  resolution  and  the 
feehng  of  affection  and  consideration  which  led  to  its  unanimous 
adoption." 

The  offer  thus  unexpectedly  made,  accompanied  by  such  ex- 
pressions of  generous  regard,  brought  before  Dr.  Tyng  a  question 
most  difficult  to  decide.  Conscious  that  the  continued  failure  of 
his  strength  could  alone  be  expected,  and  that  the  needs  of  the 
church  required  greater  efforts  than  he  would  be  capable  of,  it 
seemed  to  be  his  duty  to  retire,  but  the  thought  of  a  change  in  his 
relation  to  St.  George's  was  in  every  element  painful,  and  the  vol- 
untary relinquishment  of  his  ministry  appeared  a  step  impossible 
for  him  to  take.  After  much  thought,  however,  and  when  some 
minor  change  had  been  agreed  upon,  he  determined  to  accept  the 
proposal  which  the  vestry  had  made,  and,  in  formal  acceptance, 
transmitted  his  resignation  as  follows: 

St.  George's  Rectory,  Jan.  10th,  1878. 

"  Gentlemen  AND  Brethren  : — In  reply  to  your  note  of  the  5th 
inst.,  and  accompanying  documents  sent  to  me  for  examination,  I 
have  now  to  say  that  I  have  examined  them  all,  with  satisfaction, 
and  I  desire  you  to  announce  to  the  vestry  my  entire  agreement 
with  them.  In  pursuance  of  the  course  which  is  therein  proposed, 
I  ask  you  to  announce  in  my  name  to  the  vestry,  my  resignation  of 
the  rectorship  of  St.  George's  Church,  to  be  accepted  by  them  as 
to  be  accomplished  actually  on  the  first  day  of  May,  and  all  their 
arrangements  may  be  made  on  the  basis  of  this  avowed  purpose. 
Be  pleased  to  present  to  the  vestry  my  assurance  of  earnest  grati- 
tude for  all  the  kindness  and  confidence  which  have  followed  me 
through  these  thirty-three  years  thus  comj^leted  in  my  sacred  work 
in  St.  George's  Church,  and  the  assurance  of  my  earnest  prater  to 
God  for  His  abounding  blessings  to  rest  upon  Ihem  individually 
in  their  households  and  in  the  church. 

"  To  yourselves  personally  I  owe  much  for  years  of  kindness, 
respect  and  care.  May  the  blessing  of  God  rest  upon  your  fami- 
lies and  yourselves  in  the  life  which  now  is,  and  in  that  which  is 
to  come.  I  am,  personally  and  officially,  ever  your  faithful  and 
grateful  friend  and  brother, 

"Stephen  H.   T^-ng." 

In  submitting  this  communication  to  the  approval  of  the  vestry 
at  their  meeting  on  the  17th  of  the  same  month,  Dr.  Tyng  em- 
braced the  opportunity  to  address  them  in  these  words: 


570  Rev,   Stephen  Higginson    Ty7ig,  D.D, 

"My  Friends  and  Brethren:  I  cannot  present  this  resolution 
.for  your  adoption  without  an  expression  of  my  own  emotions  in 
such  a  relation.  I  shall  have  occupied  the  honored  position  of  rec- 
tor of  this  church  for  thirty-three  years  on  the  first  of  the  ap- 
proaching May.  I  have  been  thus  connected  with  many  gentlemen 
as  members  of  this  vestry.  My  relations  to  all  have  been  in  the 
receipt  of  unfailing  kindness,  affection  and  respect.  My  age,  my 
extreme  illness  in  the  last  year,  and  my  many  infirmities  make  it 
expedient  that  I  should  now  retire  from  a  post  so  burdensome  and 
so  responsible.  The  arrangement  which  has  been  made  by  the 
wardens  of  this  church,  acting  with  full  power  for  the  vestry, 
accords  entirely  with  my  own  wish  and  my  own  convenience.  And 
I  receive  the  action  of  the  vestry  thus  presented  to  me  with  grati- 
tude and  satisfaction. 

"  I  would  now  express  my  grateful  sense  of  the  kindness  which 
has  provided  for  me  this  relief,  and  my  personal  affectionate  accept- 
ance of  th^  provisions  of  the  vestry  thus  made  and  declared.  And 
I  humbly  pray  that  the  gracious  blessing  of  our  Divine  Saviour 
may  rest  upon  you  all,  and  upon  your  homes  and  households  with 
abounding  gifts  of  love  and  grace,  and  grant  unchanging  ministra- 
tions of  His  love  and  power  upon  the  congregation  and  families 
whom  you  are  appointed  to  represent,  in  this  relation." 

He  then  offered  prayer  for  the  divine  blessing  upon  this  action 
and  those  who  were  engaged  in  it,  and  pronounced  the  benediction 
of  peace,  and,  with  a  personal  salutation  to  each  member  of  the 
corporation  present,  retired  from  the  room. 

A  committee,  consisting  of  Mr.  Charles  Tracy,  Mr.  David  Dows, 
and  Mr.  J.  Pierpont  Morgan,  was  then  appointed  to  draft  resolu- 
tions expressing  the  feeling  of  the  vestry  at  the  change  which  had 
thus  occurred,  and  at  a  subsequent  meeting  the  following  minute 
was  reported  by  them  and  duly  entered  upon  the  records  of  the 
corporation: 

"  The  Rev.  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  Senior,  D.  D.,  having  retired  from 
the  position  of  Eector  of  this  church  on  completing  the  thirty- 
third  year  of  his  ministry  therein,  the  vestry  desire  to  express  to 
him  and  place  on  record  their  profound  sense  of  his  great  ability, 
his  ardent,  constant  zeal,  his  steadfast  adherence  to  the  Evangelical 
faith  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and  to  its  order  of  wor- 
ship through  the  long  period  of  his  rectorshij),  and  to  assure  him 
of  the  affection  felt  for  him  by  the  whole  congregation  of  St.  George's 
Church. 

"  It  is  a  cause  of  general  regret  that  he  has  found  it  necessary, 


Ministry,  i8j^  to  i8j8,  671 

by  reason  of  age  and  infirmity,  thus  to  seek  a  release  from  the  du- 
ties and  cares  of  the  pastoral  office,  but  the  memory  of  his  eminent 
ministerial  fidelity  and  usefulness,  and  of  his  true  and  large  liberal^ 
ity  in  works  of  benevolence,  will  never  fail,  and  the  personal  attach- 
ment of  those  who  have  enjoyed  his  ministry  or  shared  his  confi- 
dence will  not  be  broken,-Dy  this  separation.  It  is  their  hoj)e  and 
ours  that  the  residue  of  his  life  may  be  cheered  by  recollections  of 
the  i^ast,  full  of  labors  and  not  free  -/rom  cares,  but  abounding  in 
successes,  and  be  gladdened  by  the  confidence  of  a  future  higher 
life  which  he  has  so  often  and  so  nobly  preached." 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  congregation  and  annual  election 
of  wardens  and  vestrymen  held  on  Tuesday  in  Easter  week,  April 
23rd,  1878,  the  following  resolution  was  adopted  : 

''Resolved:  That  as  this  is  the  last  annual  meeting  of  the  elec- 
tors of  this  congregation  over  which  our  beloved  Kector  is  expected 
to  preside,  we  desire  to  record  our  continued  love  and  afi'ection  for 
him  in  his  retirement,  and  the  acknowledgment  of  his  faithfulness 
in  the  administration  of  this  parish." 

The  intervening  months  were  occupied  in  the  necessary  prep- 
aration for  transferring  to  his  successor  the  responsibility  and  cares 
which  he  had  personally  borne  for  so  many  years,  and  the  last  Sun- 
day in  April,  the  first  Sunday  after  Easter,  which  had  always  been 
his  Anniversary  Sunday,  was  appointed  for'the  delivery  of  his  final 
sermon  as  the  Kector  of  St.  George's.  It  was  an  occasion  of  deep 
solemnity,  the  church  being  crowded  with  an  attentive  congrega- 
tion, who  shared  with  Dr.  Tyng  the  sadness  with  which  the  sever- 
ance of  such  ties  was  accompanied.  The  sermon,  upon  the  text,  He- 
brews xi.  10,  "Perfect  through  suffering,"  was  in  its  points  as  follows: 
]^"  Two  schemes  for  personal  happiness  are  opened  to  man.  One 
the  path]  of  self-gratification, — the  other  the  path  of  self-denial. 
The  one  proposes  the  indulgence  of  every  desire, — the  other  the 
conquest  and  ruling  of  every  emotion.  The  one  is  the  path  of  ani- 
mal pleasure, — the  joy  of  the  flesh.  The  other  is  the  scheme  of  spir- 
itual improvement, — the  triumph  of  grace,  the  reign  of  holiness. 
The  one  is  the  plan  of  man's  fallen  nature,  the  other  is  the  sugges- 
tion of  the  revealed  will  of  God.  The  one  proposes  man's  perfec- 
tion through  indulgence, — the  other  through  suffering.  Man  would 
be  happy  by  acquiring  according  to  his  will.  God  would  have  him 
happy,  by  conquering  according  to  the  will  of  God.  In  this,  God's 
ways  are  not  as  our  ways,  nor  His  tlioughts  as  our  thoughts.  This 
is  the  important  subject  here  presented  to  us, — as  illustrated  in  our 
text,  by  the  appointed  endurance  of  the  Saviour,  and  by  the  conse- 


5/2  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyngy  D,D, 

quent  discipline  of  man  redeemed  by  Him.  Under  these  two  heads, 
may  we  consider  it,  as  the  Christian's  hope  and  the  Christian's 
disciphne.  The  foundation  on  which  he  stands, — and  the  path  and 
process  through  which  he  is  led. 

"  The  ministry  which  is  now  closing  in  this  place,"  he  remarked 
in  the  conclusion  of  his  sermon,  "  has  been  no  exception  to  this  rule 
governing  the  world.  For  a  third  of  a  century  I  have  here  preached 
Christ  crucified.  It  has  been  an  unceasing  proclamation  of  the 
power  of  an  Almighty  Saviour  ;  repentance  towards  God  and  faith 
towards  Christ.  I  have  endeavored  constantly  to  unfold  these 
truths  and  to  teach  them  from  house  to  house.  How  faithfully,  ye 
are  witnesses.  God  knows  how  I  have  loved  you,  how  I  have 
prayed  for  you  through  these  long  years.  He  alone  can  announce 
the  results  of  such  a  ministry,  and  to  His  judgment  I  must  commit 
the  acceptance  of  my  life  of  labor.  Eternity  alone  can  tell  how 
many  souls  have  here  found  rest  and  salvation. 

"  The  multiplication  of  my  years,  the  enfeebling  of  my  body,  the 
increase  of  my  physical  infirmities,  have  led  me  to  this  voluntary 
retirement  from  a  ministry  which  presses  so  heavily  upon  a  respon- 
sible soul.  Of  your  relations  to  me  I  have  no  ground  for  complaint, 
but  much  for  which  I  give  daily  thanks  as  for  God's  will  and  pro- 
vision for  me.  The  generous  way  in  which  you  have  encouraged 
me  was  all  that  any  man  could  ask,  and  your  provision  for  my 
necessities  has  been  just  and  adequate.  This  day  our  personal  re- 
lations, so  long  maintained,  are  severed,  but  I  leave  with  you  a  be- 
loved brother  whose  fidelity  I  acknowledge,  and  I  pray  that  under 
his  ministry,  God  will  give  abundant  evidence  that  he  is  an 
apostle  from  the  Most  High.  We  shall  meet  before  the  Saviour's 
throne,  and  together  shall  rejoice  and  praise  Him  for  having  thus 
associated  us  during  these  years  of  preparation.  I  leave  with  one 
sad  regret, — regret  that  there  are  many  here  who  are  kind  and  re- 
spectful to  me,  but  without  any  personal  knowledge  of  Christ's  love. 
Every  one  in  this  church  might  rejoice  in  the  perfect  blessing  of 
heaven,  and  say  that  Christ  reigns  in  them.  How  many  of  you  can 
say  this  ?  God's  alternatives  are  before  you.  They  cannot  be  es- 
caped. Are  you  determined  to  be  His  children?  Nothing  else 
will  answer  the  unceasing  prayer  of  my  poor  heart.  With  the 
power  of  God  and  the  guidance  of  his  Spirit,  I  have  endeavored  to 
discharge  the  trust  committed  to  me.  You  have  heard  His  truths 
and  I  leave  them  with  you.  And  now  may  the  peace  of  God  which 
passeth  all  understanding  be  with  you  and  keep  you  to  the  end. 
Amen." 


Ministry,  187^  to  1878.  573 

Thus  closed  a  ministry  wliicli,  in  whatever  view  it  may  be  re- 
garded, must  be  deemed  remarkable,  and  which,  whether  in  the  in- 
fluence it  exerted,  the  fruits  by  which  it  was  attended,  the  labors  by 
which  it  was  marked,  the  character  by  which  it  was  distinguished, 
has  never  been  exceeded  by  any  ministry  in  the  annals  of  the  Church 
it  honored.  It  must  remain  a  pattern  of  faithful,  devoted  service  in 
the  cause  of  Christ  and  the  Church  gathered  in  His  Name. 


CHAPTER  Xni. 

SUNDAY-SCHOOL  AND  MISSION  WOKK  OF  ST.  GEORGE'S  CHUECH. 

One  very  important  feature  of  this  history  and  of  Dr.  Tyng's 
ministry  has  been  heretofore  but  incidentally  mentioned.  It  re- 
mains to  trace  as  briefly  as  possible  the  history  of  the  Sunday- 
schools  of  St.  George's  Church,  their  system  and  practical  opera- 
tion, their  astonishing  growth  and  missionary  work,  and  to  collect 
their  methods  and  principles  of  instruction,  their  agencies  of  inter- 
est and  influence.  All  these  combined  to  produce  the  remarkable 
results  which  crowned  their  labors  during  the  long  period  covered 
by  his  rectorship. 

In  its  every  connection  St.  George's  was  a  working  church. 
Unceasing  work  was  in  all  Dr.  Tyng's  teaching  the  condition  of 
Christian  growth,  the  expression  of  Christian  love,  and  nowhere 
was  this  more  earnestly  or  more  constantly  impressed  than  in  the 
Sunday-school.  In  no  other  branch  of  his  great  work  were  his 
principles,  his  character,  his  devotion  and  zeal  more  clearly  exem- 
plified and  displaj-ed.  No  other  department  of  his  ministry  re- 
ceived more  unremitting  personal  care. 

"  I  have  always  labored,"  he  wrote  in  1863,  "  upon  the  theory 
that  the  religious  training  of  the  young  was  to  be  the  sure  and 
blessed  instrument  of  the  divine  Spirit  for  the  conversion  of  youth 
to  Christ.  I  am  no  less  earnest  and  fixed  in  this  conviction  in  age, 
than  I  was  in  youth.  My  pastoral  life  has,  therefore,  been  much 
given  to  the  children  of  my  flock.  With  them  I  am  at  home  in 
sympathy,  in  feeling  and  in  thought.  And  of  all  my  pleasant  places 
I  must  still  give  the  precedence  to  my  ministry  with  my  children 
in  these  happy  schools." 

It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  under  such  ministry  St. 
George's  Church  became  pre-eminently  distinguished  for  its 
Sunday-schools,  and  their  natural  outgrowth,  the  great  City  Mis- 
sion work,  in  which  it  was  a  pioneer  for  the  churches  of  New  York. 

When  Dr.  Tyng  became  the  rector  of  St.   George's  Church  in 
574 


Sunday- School  and  Mission    Work,  575 

1845,  its  Sunday-school  numbered  two  hundred  scholars  and  thirty 
teachers.  And  in  the  declining  circumstances  in  which  the  church 
in  Beekman  Street  then  was,  this  aggregate  testifies  the  care  and 
attention  which  had  been  given  by  Dr.  Milnor  in  the  last  years  of 
his  ministry. 

To  maintain  every  element  of  usefulness  was  at  once  the  effort 
of  Dr.  Tyng,  and  to  perpetuate  his  predecessor's  influence  and 
memory  in  this,  as  in  every  connection,  was  his  privilege  and  jDur- 
pose.  More  than  this  could  not  be  accomplished  in  the  changing 
conditions  of  the  time. 

The  erection  of  the  new  church  had  not  proceeded  far,  however, 
before  a  Sunday-school  in  connection  with  it  was  established.  And 
in  November,  1847,  the  Sunday-school  of  the  new  St.  George's  was 
organized,  with  thirty-five  scholars  and  nine  teachers  assembled  in 
the  rooms  of  a  dwelling  house  in  Sixteenth  Street,  opposite  the  pres- 
ent chapel.  There  they  remained,  constantly  growing,  until,  on  the 
completion  of  the  church  in  the  following  year,  its  galleries  were 
made  use  of  for  temporary  accommodation. 

The  church  had  not  been  finished  when  provision  was  made  for 
the  permanent  occupation  of  the  schools.  With  how  much  earnest- 
ness this  was  urged  by  Dr.  Tyng  may  be^inferred  from  the  follow- 
ing expression  of  his  views  in  reference  to  the  duties  of  a  church 
to  its  Sunday-school. 

"  The  obligation  to  provide  a  decent  and  appropriate  house  for 
their  own  worship  is  no  more  imperative  in  their  condition,  than 
the  obligation  to  make  similar  just  and  ample  provision  for  the  care 
and  convenience  of  their  Sunday-schools.  The  duty  of  supporting 
the  preaching  of  the  gospel  to  the  adults,  and  of  maintaining  the 
pastoral  ofiice  for  the  purpose,  is  not  more  obligatory  or  needful 
than  the  duty  of  full  and  adeqaute  provision  for  preaching  the  gos- 
pel to  the  children,  in  the  appropriate  arrangements  of  the  Sunday- 
school. 

**  I  will  not  speak  now  of  the  minuter  arrangements  and  provi- 
sions for  conducting  the  school.  But  I  must  speak  of  the  necessity 
of  an  adequate  building,  appropriately  arranged.  Much  of  the 
usefulness  and  success  of  the  enterprise  must  depend  uj^on  this. 
It  is  impossible  to  maintain  a  school  successfully  without  it.  To 
classify  the  children,  to  bring  them  together  as  a  collection  of  little 
congregations  in  one  audience,  to  place  them  in  direct  and  easy 
communication  and  sympathy  with  their  teachers,  to  give  them  the 
opportunity  of  familiar  instruction,  without  noise  or  effort,  we  must 
have  a  comj^act,  accessible  and  wcll-vcntilated  room,  with  seats  and 


576  Rev,  Stephen  Higghison   Tyng,  D.D, 

construction  expressly  prepared  for  the  purpose.  What  I  should 
like  to  have  for  such  a  work,  I  have  never  yet  seen.  The  best  I 
have  ever  attained  is  to  make,  in  the  best  way  I  could,  the  same 
room  answer  for  a  Sunday-school  and  the  weekly  meetings  of  the 
adult  congregation,  a  scheme  involving  very  great,  and  in  some 
respects,  insuperable  difficulties." 

Such  was  the  twofold  use  made  of  the  chapel  of  St.  George's 
Church,  and  to  it,  when  completed  in  1849,  the  school  was  immedi- 
ately removed.  Here  it  was  finally  located,  and  from  this  time 
dates  its  recorded  history.  At  the  First  Anniversary  at  Easter,  1850, 
Forty -two  teachers  and  Four  hundred  and  forty-five  scholars  were  re- 
ported as  in  regular  attendance,  and  the  following  years  witnessed 
a  marvellous  growth.  The  Sixth  Anniversary,  at  Easter,  1855,  pre- 
sented an  aggregate  of  Sixty  teachers  and  Eleven  hundred  and  sixty 
scholars  as  comprised  within  the  various  classes  of  the  school. 
Hitherto  it  represented  only  those  assembled  and  taught  in  the 
chapel  of  the  church,  but  in  1854,  a  mission  school  had  been  es- 
tablished, and  at  the  Seventh  Anniversary^,  in  1856,  this  school  was 
present  with  Thirty-three  teachers  and  Four  hundred  and  twenty- 
three  scholars.  The  Sunday-schools  of  St.  George's  Church  at  this 
date,  therefore,  included  Ninety-three  teachers  and  Fifteen  hundred 
and  eighty-three  scholars,  a  total  of  Sixteen  hundred  and  seventy-six 
engaged  and  continuously  occupied  in  their  work.  Thus  had  they 
multiplied  more  than  forty-fold  within  little  more  than  seven  years. 

Remarkable  as  had  been  this  increase,  still  more  remarkable 
was  the  interest  in  the  schools,  which  pervaded  the  whole  congre- 
gation of  the  church.  They  were  a  part  of  its  life,  the  object  of 
constant  attention.  Very  few  indeed  of  its  families  had  not  some 
of  their  members  interested  and  engaged,  and  frequently  whole 
families,  parents  and  children,  were  thus  employed,  week  by  week 
and  year  by  year,  without  weariness  or  failure  of  activity  in  this 
work.  Many  were  the  children  who  began  in  the  infant  school,  and 
passed  through  every  intervening  grade,  and  finally  became  teachers 
to  give  in  turn  to  others  the  lessons  of  truth  which  they  had 
learned.  With  them  all  Dr.  Tyng  was  himself  always  earnestly 
and  actively  at  work.  This  was  the  tie  which  bound  all  the  various 
parts  firmly,  in  one  united  whole. 

The  organization  and  arrangement  of  the  schools  were  in   no 
wise  remarkable  or  peculiar,  and  of  them  it  is  unnecessary  therefore 

to  speak. 

The  subject   of  instruction;  the   means   employed   to  make  it 
applicable;  the  efforts  made  to  make  it  interesting,  all  these  how- 


Sunday- School  and  Mission    Work,  577 

ever,  call  for  special  reference.  The  one  great  object  of  all  may  be 
first  referred  to  in  the  following  words  of  Dr.  Tyng  in  an  address 
to  the  Sunday  School  Institute  in  March,  1867. 

"  I  feel  perfectly  at  home,"  said  he,  in  the  midst  of  a  company 
of  Sunday-school  teachers,  gathered  together  for  the  great  pur- 
pose of  learning  still  more  of  their  important  work,  and  of  under- 
standing more  and  more  the  blessedness  of  fulfilling  it,  and  when 
I  am  asked  to  speak  of  the  object  of  Sunday-school  teaching, 
it  brings  to  my  mind  the  very  interesting  incident  which  occurred 
at  the  death  of  Sir  AValter  Scott.  Turning  one  day  to  his  son-in- 
law,  Mr.  Lockhart,  he  asked  him  to  read  to  him,  and  when  his  son- 
in-law  replied  by  asking  him  *  What  book  shall  I  read  ?  '  '  What 
book  ?  '  exclaimed  that  eminent  man,  *  what  book  ?  TJicre  is  but  one 
book,  Lockhart  J  read  the  Bible.' 

"  It  is  in  the  true  spirit  of  that  simple  reply,  which  was  the  result 
of  a  long  and  manifold  experience  of  every  variety  of  other  books, 
that  you  and  •  I  assemble  here  to-night.  There  is  but  one  Book. 
There  is  but  one  object  in  any  body's  life.  There  is  but  one  single 
purpose  of  living  at  all.  There  is  but  one  great  end  of  being. 
There  is  but  one  way  by  which  that  end  of  being  is  to  be  attained. 
There  is  but  '  one  name  under  heaven  given  among  men  whereby  it 
can  be  attained,'  and  when  one  asks  me,  '  What  is  the  end,  and  how 
is  it  to  be  attained  ?  ' — when  there  is  but  one  end  and  one  way — oh, 
how  simple  is  the  reply  !  Every  little  child  can  tell  me  what  is  the 
object  of  Sunday-school  teaching,  as  every  little  child  can  tell  me 
what  is  the  one  great  purpose  of  living  at  all. 

"  My  dear  friends,  w^hat  is  the  whole  scheme  of  divine  provi- 
dence but  the  service  of  the  one  wonderful  scheme  of  divine  re- 
demption, and  God's  government  of  those  whom  He  loves  ?  What 
is  it  but  the  manipulation  of  that  divine  love  that  spoke  upon 
Calvary,  that  triumphed  in  the  ascension,  and  ever  lives  to  look 
down  with  the  same  watchful  eye  as  the  stars  of  heaven  look  down 
upon  the  earth,  upon  those  whom  God  loves,  and  for  whom  *  all 
things'  are  made  to  Svork  together  for  good.' 

"  Everything  is  for  Jesus.  The  world  stands  for  Jesus.  The 
race  of  men  is  delivered  from  the  curse,  for  Jesus.  The  whole  of 
human  life  is  laid  out,  arranged,  directed,  prospered,  for  the  glory 
of  Jesus.  Every  living  man  and  woman  upon  whom  I  look  to- 
night is  living,  working,  planning,  suffering,  striving,  laboring 
only  for  Jesus.  I  know  no  other  object.  What  is  life  worth,  if  it 
docs  not  promote  the  glory  of  Jesus  ?  AVliat  work  is  there  in  life 
the  moment  you  take  out  that  one  precious  name  from  the  area  of 


578         Rev,  Stephen   Higginson   Tyngy    D,D. 

its  consideration,  and  the  system  of  its  arrangement,  and  compel 
one  to  think  of  life  in  its  absence  ?  All  the  gold,  the  fine  gold,  is 
removed,  and  nothing  but  dross  remains.  Now,  then,  the  one 
grand  object  of  Sunday-school  teaching,  apart  from  the  immediate 
persons  upon  whom  the  influence  is  to  impinge  and  impress  itself, 
is  the  glory  of  Jesus ;  and  no  loving  man  or  woman  has  ever  started 
in  the  work  upon  whose  living  tablets  the  Holy  Ghost  has  not 
written  the  name  of  Jesus;  so  that  each  teacher  may  go  out  filled 
with  the  overflowing  of  His  divine  power,  charged  and  prepared  to 
speak  to  the  feeblest  child  that  providence  brings  under  his  per- 
sonal attention,  of  the  glories  of  this  one  great  and  gracious 
Saviour. 

"  Why,  when  I  listen  to  an  infant  school  singing  that  beautiful 

hymn : 

*' '  JesTis  loves  me,  that  I  know, 
For  the  Bible  tells  me  so,' 

or:  * 

** '  Jesus  loves  me,  loves  me  still,' 

" and  how  often  have  I  heard  them,  and  never  without  the  tears 

startino-  to  my  eyes ! — I  feel  that  the  teacher  of  such  a  faith  as  this 
is  castino-  the  light  of  heaven  upon  the  darkness  of  the  earth,  and 
feeding   souls   upon  bread  which  angels  delight   to   make   their 

food. 

"  What  is  the  object  of  Sunday-school  teaching?  It  is  to  bring 
the  souls  of  tJie  children  to  Jesus.  Nothing  less,  nothing  more.  There 
can  be  nothing  more  in  eternity  than  that.  There  can  be  nothing 
less  in  all  the  labors  of  time  than  that — to  bring  lost  and  fallen 
children  to  know,  discern,  accept,  enjoy  and  feed  upon  a  Saviour's 
love.  Do  you  understand  it  ?  Can  you  go,  and  from  the  experi- 
ence of  your  own  heart,  in  the  fulness  of  divine  forgiveness,  sit 
down  beside  a  company  of  little  ones  and  tell  them,  without  pre- 
tence, or  profession,  or  guile,  of  the  fulness  of  the  glory  of  a  divine 

Saviour  ? 

"This  is  the  object,  and  the  minister  of  Jesus  has  no  other. 
The  power  of  the  ministry  does  not  depend  upon  its  office,  or  upon 
the  intellect  of  the  men  that  fill  it,  but  entirely  upon  the  simphcity 
of  the  truth  with  which  the  teacher  speaks;  and  it  can  be  demon- 
strated in  the  experience  of  the  whole  Christian  Church,  that  the 
most  useful  men  are  not,  after  all,  the  men  that  rise  and  shine  in 
the  sight  of  men,  but  those  who,  with  loving  hearts,  and  praying 
spirits,  and  watchful  souls,  and  with  a  deep  and  true  enjoyment  of 


Sunday -School  and  Mission    Work,  5;79 

the  divine  favor,  go  forth  to  speak  the  most  simply  and  unceas- 
ingly of  a  Saviour's  love. 

"  Time  is  no  appointed  minister  of  the  gospel  that  can  oecupy  a  higher 
office  tlian  the  Sunday  school  teaclier  occupies.  As  a  teacher  you  have 
put  into  your  hands,  at  the  very  time  when  most  of  all  you  desire 
to  have  them,  souls  that  are  to  hve  forever,  nay  live  with  Christ 
forever.     And  how  often  do  we  see  it  so  ? 

"  This  finished  fruit  of  Sunday-school  labor  has  been  seen  in 
my  own  experience,  in  class  after  class  brought  to  Jesus,  and  it 
was  only  the  story  of  other  faithful  teachers  repeated. 

"A  young  man,  a  perfect  stranger,  came  to  me,  not  long  since, 
and  asked  if  I  did  not  know  him — Mr.  Brown  ?  *  I  do  not,'  I  re- 
plied, *  it  is  such  a  common  name. '  '  Do  you  remember  Elias 
Brown  ?  '  *  Oh,  yes  !  I  remember  Elias  Brown  in  Philadelphia, 
five  and  twenty  years  ago.'  '  Well,  I  am  his  son;  I  was  in  your 
Sunday-school  in  Philadelphia  ;  there  I  first  learned  a  Saviour's 
love,  and  now  I  have  been  preaching  the  gospel  of  Jesus,  m  a  poor 
way,  these  twenty  years.' 

"  Taking  a  step  further,  the  object  of  Sunday-school  teaching  is 
not  only  to  bring  souls  to  Jesus,  hut  to  do  it  now;  every  Sabbath 
morning  to  have  the  simple  purpose,  '  I  mean  this  very  day,  if  the 
Lord  will,  to  bring  my  whole  class  to  Him  j  I  mean  to  explain  to 
them  what  He  has  done  for  them;  to  tell  them  what  He  has  prom- 
ised to  them  ;  to  show'  them  the  blessedness  of  embracing  Him ;  to 
show  them  how  to  embrace  Him,  until,  by  His  blessing,  I  shall  see 
them  all  truly  living  to  Him,  consecrated  to  His  glory.'  It  is  the 
business  of  every  teacher  to  do  this.  I  do  not  like  the  thought  of 
the  teachers  preparing  the  way  for  the  minister  to  do  this  work.  I 
do  not  ask  any  Sunday-school  teacher  to  be  a  mere  door-keeper  for 
me  to  enter  upon  my  work,  to  sow  the  seed  for  me  to  reap.  Oh, 
no.  If  you  all  could  but  carry  home  your  armfuls  of  sheaves, 
and  lay  them  down  at  the  Saviour's  feet,  and  spread  them  out  to 
the  Saviour's  glory,  God  forbid,  God  forbid,  that  any  envious  or 
repining  thouglit  should  come  into  my  mind  as  a  minister  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Still  would  it  be  my  happiness  to  rejoice  with 
those  who  rejoice,  and  to  enter  upon  the  song  of  Alleluia  and 
thanksgiving,  that  you  and  they  will  sing  together  around  the 
throne. 

"  Again,  the  object  of  Sunday-school  teaching  is  to  enlarge  the 
Church  of  Christ;  to  bring  the  children  to  a  direct  and  open  ac- 
knowledgment of  a  Saviour's  name;  to  array  themselves  in  that 
which  Cowper  calls  '  the  sacramental  hosts  of  God's  elect,'  to  lead 


58o  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyiig,  D.D, 

them  to  the  duty  of  confessing  Christ  before  men.  Can  I  ever 
forget  that  sentence  of  that  dear  son  of  mine,  '  Stand  up  for  Jesus.' 
And  it  is  this  confession  of  Christ  around  the  Lord's  table  that  we 
would  lead  our  scholars  to  make. 

"  This  is  the  grand  object  of  the  teacher,  not  merely  to  gather 
his  scholars  to  the  enjoyment  of  a  Nicodemus  faith,  of  one  who 
comes  by  night,  or  of  a  Joseph  of  Arimathea  faith,  of  one  who  is  a 
disciple,  but  secretly,  for  fear  of  others;  but  to  lead  them  to  take  a 
bold,  open  stand  for  Christ.  This  is  not  a  sectarian  matter.  For 
how  can  we  bring  them  into  the  Church,  and  not  bring  them  into  a 
Church  ?  How  can  we  connect  them  with  the  table  of  the  Lord 
and  not  connect  them  with  a  table  of  the  Lord  ?  And  if  a  table, 
then  the  one  that  is  providentially  appointed  for  them.  Wherever 
the  people  of  God,  holding  the  divine  truth,  meet  to  break 
bread  in  His  name,  there  is  He  in  a  diviner  ministry  than  the 
apostles*  ministry,  in  a  higher  ministration  than  a  human  min- 
istration. 

"  And  it  is  not  for  us  to  stand  in  the  midst  of  those  whom  the 
Saviour  loves,  and  carry  out  our  little  plans  and  creeds  of  Chris- 
tian profession,  and  say  this  is  right  and  that  is  wrong.  Every- 
thing is  right  that  Jesus  accepts.  Everything  is  wrong  that  is  not 
united  to  Him.  If,  therefore,  you  cannot  say  from  the  very  be- 
ginning of  your  work,  *  Grace  be  with  all  them  that  love  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity,'  it  is  because  you  do  not  love  Him  in  sin- 
cerity. The  man  who,  when  revivals  should  come,  would  bottle 
them  all  up  in  his  own  church,  has  no  knowledge  of  their  import- 
ance, no  taste  for  them.  The  man  who  cannot  delight  in  his  heart 
that  his  neighbor's  field  is  growing,  and  that  his  neighbor's  harvest 
is  thriving  is  not  a  wholesome  member  of  a  community.  In  the 
very  spirit  of  his  nature,  he  is  a  robber  of  his  fellow-man,  and  in 
the  same  spirit  that  grudges  their  prosperity  would  he  despoil  and 
destroy  their  inheritance. 

"  Beyond  these  things,  again,  I  behold  a  primary  object  of  the 
Sunday-school  in  teaching  the  children  who  are  brought  to  Jesus, 
to  labor  for  Him,  to  press  unceasingly  upon  them  the  connection  be- 
tween the  many  privileges  and  opportunities  they  have,  and  their 
res^Donsibility  Never  was  there  a  day  of  greater  opportunity  in 
the  Church  and  world.  Never  was  human  life  so  valuable  as  it  is 
now.  To  live  in  this  generation  in  the  city  of  New  York  and  here 
to  tell  a  Saviour's  love,  and  train  others  to  tell  it,  is  a  ministry  more 
important  than  was  ever  permitted  to  Christians  in  the  history  of 
the  Church.     So,  too,  a  man  that  is  a  wicked,  godless  man  in   this 


Sunday- Sc  J  tool  and  Mission    Work,  58 1 

generation  and  teaches  others  to  be  so,  is  more  wicked  and  danger- 
ous than  in  any  age  of  the  world  before.  A  man  who  throws  poi- 
son into  a  wilderness  stream,  may  not  do  more  than  kill  a  chance 
traveller:  but  he  who  throws  poison  into  the  source  that  gives 
refreshment  to  a  city,  slays  his  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands. 
The  man  that  brought  up  a  wicked  son  in  this  city  fifty  or  one 
hundred  years  ago,  brought  up  one  with  comparatively  little  power 
for  evil,  but  he  who  to-day  brings  up  an  unconverted  son,  trains  a 
man  to  be  a  mighty  agent  of  Satan,  with  tremendous  increase  of 
opportunity  and  power  for  destruction  of  men's  bodies  and  souls. 
And  it  is  just  as  true  that  a  man  who  brings  a  soul  to  Christ  now, 
prepares  an  agent  of  amazingly  advanced  means  and  power  for 
good. 

"  The  children  of  the  United  States  under  fifteen  years  of  age, 
whatever  be  the  view  we  take  of  the  promised  final  and  universal 
triumph  of  Christ's  Kingdom,  will  have  a  wonderful  part  to  play  in 
that  scheme  of  divine  exaltation.  Who  knows  but  they  may  be  the 
very  reapers  that  shall  bind  the  sheaves  of  a  converted,  redeemed, 
world,  and  lay  them  down  in  bundles  before  the  Saviour's  feet. 

*'  In  this  view,  what  a  work  and  reward  is  before  the  teachers  of 
the  Sabbath-school  of  to-day !  It  is  theirs  to  make  earnest,  laboring 
Christians,  by  the  grace  of  God,  of  every  child  that  comes  to  them. 

*'  I  would  have  every  teacher  so  train  every  child  that  if  one  of 
them  should  be  set  down  in  the  midst  of  a  heathen  village,  he 
should  become  immediately  and  spontaneously  a  preacher  of  the 
gospel  and  of  salvation  to  every  soul  whom  he  could  reach.  I 
would  have  no  one  under  any  teacher  so  untaught  as  not  to  be 
qualified  to  teach  any  weary,  heavy  laden  soul  the  way  to  Jesus. 
Thus  bringing  up  their  scholars  in  the  spirit  of  earnest  labor  for 
Christ,  the  teachers  of  this  day  are  preparing  for  the  Church  of  God 
a  band,  such  as  if  Paul  had  them,  his  noble  heart  would  have 
gushed  out  with  delight  over  them;  as  if  Luther  had  had  them,  he 
would  never  have  felt  himself  alone  in  the  midst  of  all. the  conflicts 
of  his  dark,  yet  triumphant  day;  such  as  if  Whitfield  and  Wesley 
had  had  them,  the  grandeur  of  their  spirit  of  conquest  and  organi- 
zation, would  have  triumphed  with  still  more  adequate  and  abound- 
ing material. 

"I  saw  an  account  of  a  Sabbath-sohool  meeting  in  Massachu- 
setts in  which  a  clergyman  spoke  of  Sunday-schools  as  a  failure. 
Well,  if  Satan  should  stand  up  and  say  to  me,  *  Sir,  I  have  been 
trying  for  fifty  years  to  put  you  down  and  to  put  down  the  things 
that  you  i)reach,  and  I  can't  do  it,'  I  should  ^think  it  an   honest 


582  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

statement,  and  I  should  say,  '  Poor  fellow !  it's  a  failure,  and  I 
advise  you  to  let  it  alone.'  If  infidelity  should  say,  '  I  have 
been  trying  to  undermine  all  the  ramj^arts  you  have  built  up, 
and  to  poison  the  mind  of  these  children  and  lead  them  away 
from  you  and  from  holy  influences,  and  I  cannot  do  it.  It's  a 
failure.'  I  should  say,  '  Yes,  and  I  advise  you  to  put  your  intellect 
and  talent  to  better  employment.'  But  when  a  man  professing  to 
be  a  minister  of  the  gospel  rises  and  says,  '  In  my  experience  Sun- 
day-schools are  a  failure,'  I  answer,  1.  They  are  a  failure  because 
you  never  attended  them.  2.  They  are  a  failure  because  you  did 
not  know  what  to  do  in  them,  if  you  did  attend  them.  3.  They  are 
a  failure  because  you  never  had  a  heart  to  teach  the  young  when 
they  came  before  you,  and  4.  They  are  a  failure  because  your  own 
soul  has  no  knowledge  of  a  Saviour  whom  it  was  your  duty  to  teach 
to  them.  No  man  or  woman  that  has  worked  in  them  can  say  that 
they  are  a  failure.  It  is  now  seven  and  forty  years  since  I  began 
the  work  of  Sunday-school  teaching.  Has  it  been  a  failure  ?  Oh, 
I  have  seen  the  children  of  God  gathered  by  hundreds,  and  I  will 
venture  to  say,  without  consulting  my  list  particularly,  that  more 
than  a  thousand  children  from  the  Sunday-school  undar  my  care, 
and  that  of  the  faithful  teachers  God  has  given  me,  have  been 
brought,  through  all  the  steps  I  have  desribed,  to  glorify  a  Sa- 
viour's name  upon  the  earth  and  to  be  partakers  of  the  Saviour's 
glory  in  heaven.  And  although,  as  I  look  back  upon  the  work,  I 
feel  disappointed  in  it,  I  tell  you  what  disappoints  me ;  it  is  that  I 
see  so  many  professing  Christians  that  have  not  the  heart  to  take 
hold  of  it;  that  so  many  fathers  and  mothers  in  the  Church 
can  be  contented  to  be  the  mere  sheep  of  Christ,  to  feed  and  lie 
down  in  the  shade,  and  work  not  a  day  nor  an  hour  for  Him:  and 
that  so  few  of  the  intelligent  and  worldly  influential  men  and  women 
of  the  Church  are  what  I  have  desired  them  to  make  of  the  dear 
children  of  the  Church,  living,  loving  laborers  for  Christ.  There  is 
my  disappointment,  and  I  would  go  to  such  members  and  say  to 
them,  '  When  will  you  awake  ?  Do  you  not  know  that  there  are 
poor  children  at  your  very  door,  crying  for  some  one  to  tell  them 
of  a  Saviour's  love,  while  you  are  living  for  ease,  self-indulgence, 
enjoyment  ?  Do  you  not  know  that  there  are  poor,  perishing  souls 
heaped  up  all  around  your  path,  and  you  pass  them  by  uncon- 
cerned ? ' 

"  Work  on,  love  on,  preach  on,  pray  on,  exhibit  on  till  the  Mas- 
ter calls,  '  Come  up  higher  ;  I  will  show  jou  things  that  must 
shortly  come  to  pass.'  " 


Sund6iy- School  and  Mission    Work,  583 

Again,  writing  upon  the  same  subject,  lie  said: 

"  The  Bible  is  our  great  book  for  Sunday-school  instruction. 
Yet  every  class  of  Christians  have  organized  and  arranged  their 
peculiar  interpretations  of  Scripture  teaching,  in  Catechisms,  as 
compendiums  of  the  Christian  doctrines  which  are  deemed  by  them 
of  special  importance.  While  therefore  I  am  content  to  yield  a 
certain  attention  to  these  catechisms,  I  can  never  exalt  them  out  of 
a  merely  subordinate  place.  In  practical  use  they  are  dull,  unintel- 
ligible and  unattractive  to  children,  and  it  is  alwaj^s  a  burden  on  the 
minds  of  children  to  learn  them,  and  a  very  dry  and  heavy  work  for 
teachers  to  teach  or  expound  them.  I  can  never  speak  of  them  as 
in  themselves  desirable.  I  have  great  doubts  how  far  they  are  es  • 
pecially,  positively  useful.  I  have  no  doubt  that  actual  simple 
Scriptural  instruction  is  far  more  so. 

"  Though  I  have  taken  a  small  portion  of  the  time,  on  one 
morning  out  of  four,  to  teach  and  expound  our  Episcopal  Church 
Catechism,  as  were  I  a  Presbyterian  minister  I  should  have  done 
for  the  Assembly's  Catechism,  I  cannot  recall  the  avowals  of  opinion 
which  I  made  some  years  since  in  Brooklyn,  at  the  New  York  State 
Convention  of  Sunday-school  teachers,  or  admit  that  any  further 
experience  has  led  me  to  change  them.  Then  I  said  :  '  The  great 
business  of  a  Sunday-school  teacher  is  conversion,  not  catechisms, 
not  confessions  of  faith.  Our  Schools  are  to  be  Bible  Schools,  tech- 
nically and  entirely.  A  man  may  teach  a  child  to  repeat  the  cate- 
chism ten  years  over  successively,  and  yet  that  child  gain  no  sj^iritual 
idea.  But  no  Christian  man  can  take  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  St. 
Luke  and  teach  it  to  a  little  child  or  to  a  family  of  children,  without 
imparting  influence  that  must  and  will  produce  its  effect.  I  have  no 
S3'mpatliy  with  that  miserable  scheme  which  would  take  away  from 
you  all  that  is  vital  and  glorious  in  your  work,  and  persuade  you  to 
be  the  mere  agent  of  sectarian  teaching.  I  will  agree  that  when 
minds  are  better  trained  and  hearts  are  early  drawn  to  the  Saviour, 
catechisms  and  confessions  may  then  be  useful  and  instructive;  but 
God  has  never  promised  conversion  to  the  Confession  of  Faith,  or 
to  the  Thirty-Nine  Articles,  or  to  the  Westminster  Catechism;  nor 
can  you  find  the  word  in  the  Bible:  *  Go  teach  the  Catechism,  and 
whosoever  learneth  it  shall  be  saved.'  The  simple  principle  of  the 
Bible  is  to  teach  the  Bible.  I  have  no  disposition  to  shrink  from 
the  responsibility  of  every  part  of  it.  There  is  not  a  history  which 
does  not  exhibit  some  spiritual  truth  able  to  make  wise  unto  salva- 
tion, through  faith  in  Christ  Jesus. 

"  '  There  is  not  a  single  narrative  or  fact  which  in  the  hands  of  a 


584  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D,D, 

spiritually-minded  teacher  will  not  be  brought  out  as  a  definite 
instrumentality  for  the  instruction,  and,  if  God  shall  please,  the 
conversion  of  the  soul.' 

"  These  were  words  freely  spoken  in  an  impromptu  address;  but 
the  principle  involved  in  them  abides  with  me,  confirmed  and 
strengthened  by  continued  and  enlarged  experience.  From  a 
child  are  our  children  to  know  the  Holy  Scriptures,  which  are  giv- 
en by  inspiration  of  God,  and  are  profitable  for  them,  as  for  others, 
for  doctrine,  for  rejDroof,  for  correction,  for  instruction  in  righteous- 
ness. This  wonderful  book  is  always  interesting,  attractive  and 
instructive.  No  children  in  our  schools  are  too  young  to  delight 
in  its  stories,  or  to  comprehend  the  history  and  the  love  of  that 
great  Saviour  in  whom  all  its  instructions  meet. 

"  It  never  wearies  their  attention  or  fails  to  awaken  their  con- 
versation and  their  thoughts.  Its  language  is  the  most  intelligible, 
its  narrations  are  the  most  simple  and  natural,  its  principles  and 
truths  are  the  most  dear  and  easily  comprehended  which  can  be 
given  to  the  young.  And  the  time  expended  in  its  study  and  its 
exposition  in  a  well-ordered  Sunday-school,  is  always  found  too 
short  and  too  rapid  for  the  great  purpose  for  which  it  is  devoted. 

"  The  book  for  the  Sunday-school  is  the  Bible.  Every  portion 
of  its  history  and  its  teaching  should  come  up  for  study  in  its  turn, 
its  various  parts  must  be  made  to  illustrate  and  confirm  each 
other.  Children  must  be  familiarized  with  its  use,  and  accustomed 
to  refer  to  its  various  parts  easily  and  freely.  And  even  when 
catechisms  are  taught,  the  proof  and  authorities  should  always  be 
found  and  stated  from  the  Scriptures  themselves.  Accordingly,  the 
very  first  demand  of  a  Sabbath-school  teacher  is  to  be  personally 
an  assiduous  reader  of  the  Bible,  and  familiar  with  its  language 
and  contents.  The  general  structure  of  its  books,  the  succession 
of  their  contents,  the  special  subjects  particularly  taught  in  each, 
the  location  of  particular  facts  and  stories  must  all  be  made  familiar 
to  a  teacher's  mind  by  the  habit  of  constant  and  attentive  personal 
reading. 

"  The  Church  commits  this  Bible  teaching  of  the  young  to  Sun- 
day-school teachers.  The  pastor  watches  over  it,  assists  it,  ex- 
pounds it,  prepares  for  it.  The  teachers  owe  it  as  a  reciprocal 
obligation  to  the  Church,  to  be  qualified  by  familiar  knowledge  of 
the  sacred  book  to  instruct  with  faithfulness  and  ease.  This  re- 
quires only  a  constant,  earnest  reading  with  a  desire  and  purpose 
to  retain  and  understand.  Some  of  our  poorest  Christians  are 
often  found  mighty  in  the  Scriptures.     It  has  been  often  a  great 


Sunday- School  and  Mission    Work,  585 

delight  to  me  to  meet  the  instances  in  proof  of  this.  It  does  not 
demand  peculiar  talent  or  higher  education.  It  requires  only  a 
love  and  knowledge  of  the  Bible  itself, — a  knowledge  within  the 
reach  of  the  most  burdened  and  laborious  Christians  in  their 
earthly  affairs,  if  a  love  of  the  Word  is  in  the  heart.  And  we  may 
well  ask  Sunday-school  teachers,  How  frequently  do  you  read  the 
Bible  through  ?  How  often  have  you  read  it  through?  How  much 
do  you  really  study  it  as  a  whole,  with  the  desire  and  purpose  to 
understand  it  ?  This  is  fundamental  in  your  work.  It  is  endless 
in  your  privilege.  If  you  really  love  it,  you  will  continue  to  study 
it  with  increasing  advantage  and  delight  and  find  no  end  thereof. " 

The  Bible  was  everything,  therefore,  in  the  Sunday-schools  of 
St.  George's  Church.  That  it  should  be  taught  in  all  its  simplicity 
fully  and  clearly  was  Dr.  Tj-ng's  constant  aim  and  effort.  With 
this  object  his  weekly  lecture  on  every  Friday  evening  was  specially 
designed  for  his  Sunday-school  teachers  and  older  scholars,  the 
subject  of  exposition  being  always  the  portion  of  Scripture  appointed 
for  the  lesson  of  the  following  Sunday. 

In  addition  to  this,  however,  he  prepared  and  published  at  va- 
rious times,  series  of  questions  upon  the  different  books  of  the  Bi- 
ble, to  bring  out  the  full  meaning  of  every  passage,  and  that  the 
doctrines  and  forms  of  his  own  Church,  secondary  as  he  considered 
them,  might  not  be  neglected,  several  volumes  of  questions  upon 
the  Prayer-book  were  also  successively  prepared.  In  his  compre- 
hensive plan  he  designed  to  include  in  eight  volumes  the  Collects, 
Epistles  and  Gospels,  Catechism,  Morning  and  Evening  prayer.  Lit- 
any, Communion  and  other  Offices.  But  only  three  volumes — on 
the  Collects,  Epistles  and  Gospels,  the  Catechism  and  Confirmation 
Office — were  ever  completed.  In  all  the  one  great  subject  of  in- 
struction was  not  obscured,  it  was  not  "  the  Prayer-book  "  alone,  but 
*'  the  Prayer-book  illustrated  by  Scripture  "  which  was  alike  their 
title  and  their  theme. 

This  care  of  the  subject  of  instruction  was  accompanied  by  dili- 
gent personal  superintendence  of  the  schools.  It  was  an  exceedingly 
rare  occurrence  if  he  was  not  present,  passing  from  class  to  class, 
with  his  affectionate  greeting  to  both  teachers  and  scbohirs,  of 
whom,  as  had  been  truly  said,  he  knew  all  by  name.  The  influence 
of  such  interest  and  care  was  seen  in  the  earnestness  and  energy 
which  characterized  the  school.  All,  from  the  youngest  child  in  the 
infant  school,  to  the  oldest  scholar  in  the  Bible  class,  were  gov- 
erned by  the  same  spirit.  Teachers  and  scholars  vied  with  each 
other  in  devotion  to  their  work,  and  in  affection    for  the    pastor 


5S6  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

whose  ceaseless  thought  was  for  them,  and  who  never  wearied  in 
his  efforts  for  their  encouragement,  entertainment  and  instruction. 
This  personal  superintendence  and  care  in  its  application  and  in- 
fluence is  fully  exhibited  in  the  following  note: 

"  It  very  rarely  occurs,  my  dear  pastor,  that  a  Friday  evening 
leaves  my  mind  unsatisfied  upon  any  point  of  the  Sunday's  lesson. 
But  there  is  one  in  that  of  to-morrow  which  has  always  struck  me 
exceedingly,  and  on  which  I  long  for  a  word  of  explanation.  It  is 
the  remarkable  story  of  Ananias  and  Sapphira.  It  is  quoted  in 
our  lesson  as  a  warning  against  lying.  But  the  punishment  seems 
so  fearful,  and  the  lie,  humanly  speaking,  not  of  so  aggravated  a 
character  as  others— that  of  Peter,  for  instance,  who  was  yet  allowed 
to  live  for  repentance — that  it  seems  to  involve  something  more  than 
the  sin  of  falsehood.  It  is  spoken  of  as  a  '  lie  not  unto  men,  but 
unto  God.'  *  Why  have  ye  agreed  to  tempt  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord.* 
*  Ye  have  lied  to  the  Holy  Ghost,'  etc. 

"  Was  hypocrisy  here  meant  as  the  lie  against  the  Holy  Ghost? 
or  was  it  the  sin  of  attempted  self-deception,  the  '  dissemblingjwith 
God,'  the  silencing  of  the  voice  of  conscience,  which  is  the  Spirit 
speaking  in  the  heart,  and  which  must  eventuate  in  spiritual  death, 
for  which  there  is  neither  repentance  nor  pardon  ? 

"  Will  you,  dearest  friend,  as  you  pass  through  the  school  to- 
morrow, stop  for  a  moment  by  my  class,  and  if  you  have  time,  give 
me  the  explanation  I  desire.  The  '  Teacher's  Assistant,'  and  such 
books  as  I  have  at  hand,  jDass  over  the  story  in  silence,  and  you 
know  I  am  on  new  ground  as  a  teacher,  and  in  my  ignorance  can 
do  nothing  but  throw  myself  upon  your  kindness  and  patience  for 
the  light  I  need.  The  privilege  of  being  allowed  in  every  diffi- 
culty to  turn  to  a  pastor  as  affectionate  as  he  is  wise,  is  one 
among  the  most  prized  of  the  many  with  which  my  lot  has  been 
blessed." 

No  one  who  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  being  a  member  of  the 
Sunday-school  of  St.  George's  Church  in  those  days  will  forget  the 
efforts  which  Dr.  Tyng  made  for  the  entertainment  and  instruction 
of  the  children. 

Many  will  recall  the  "  Magic  Lantern"  exhibition  on  the  after- 
noon of  Thanksgiving  Day,  the  different  lectures  illustrated  by 
dissolving  views;  and  the  children's  service  on  the  afternoon  of 
"  Communion  Sunday."  It  is  one  of  these  latter  occasions  which  is 
so  aptly  pictured  in  the  following  sketch: 

"  Let  me  take  you  to  the  lecture  room  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Tyng. 
It  is  the  first  Sunday  afternoon  of  the  month,    when   he  regularly 


Sii7iday- School  a7id  Mission    Work,  587 

meets  the  cliildren  of  his  parish,  who  are  mostly  members  of  his 
Sabbath-school.  It  would  seem  an  easy  thing  to  address  a  com- 
pany of  children.  Let  him  who  thinks  so,  try  it.  Let  him  be 
familiar,  without  being  flat;  let  him  be  instructive  and  at  the  same 
time  entertaining;  let  him  fix  roving  eyes;  let  him  nail  skittish  ears; 
let  him  stop  just  at  the  moment  when  a  child's  mental  appetite  has 
lost  its  digestive  powers;  all  this  requires — a  Dr.  Tyng.  See, 
group  after  group  of  bright  faces  gather  around  him  and  take 
their  seats;  not  one  is  afraid  of  tlieir  minister.  He  has  a  smile  of 
love  and  a  word  of  kindness  for  all.  He  has  closed  his  church 
*  purposely '  to  meet  them.  He  asks  some  questions  aloud.  In- 
stantly a  score  of  little  voices  hasten  to  reply,  as  fearlessly  as  if 
they  were  by  their  own  fireside.  He  wishes  to  fix  some  important 
idea  in  their  mind.  He  illustrates  it  by  an  anecdote,  which  straight- 
way discloses  rows  of  little  pearly  teeth  around  him.  He  holds 
up  no  reproving  fingers,  when  some  lawless,  gleeful  little  two-year 
old  rings  out  a  laugh  as  musical  as  a  robin's  carol.  He  calls  on 
'  John  '  and  '  Susie  '  and  '  Fannie  '  and  '  Mary '  with  the  most  par- 
ental familiarity  and  freedom.  He  asks  their  opinion  on  some 
points — children  like  that — he  repeats  little  things  they  have  said  to 
him  J  ilieir  minister  has  time  to  remember 'what  even  a  child  says. 
He  takes  his  hymn-book,  and  reads  a  few  sweet  simple  verses;  he 
pitches  the  tune  himself,  and  at  a  wave  of  his  hand,  the  bright-eyed 
cherubs  join  him.  Look  around.  There  is  a  little  Fifth  Avenue 
pet,  glossy-haired,  velvet-skinned,  her  dainty  limbs  clad  in  silk 
and  velvet;  close  by  her  side  sits  a  sturdy  little  Erinite,  scantily  clad 
enough  for  November,  but  as  happy  and  as  unconscious  of  the 
deficiency  as  her  tiny  neighbor.  On  the  same  seat  is  a  little  Afri- 
can, whose  glittering  teeth  say  as  plainly  as  if  he  gave  utterance  to 
it,  '  we  are  all  equal,  all  welcome  here.'  Oh,  this  is  Christianity^  this 
is  the  Sabbath;  this  is  millennial;  look  around  that  room,  listen  to 
those  voices  if  you  can  without  a  tear  in  your  eye,  a  prayer  in 
your  heart,  and  Christ's  sweet  words  upon  your  lijjs,  *  Feed  my 
iambs.' " 

Happy  indeed  were  those  years  in  the  Sunday-school  of  St. 
George's  j  happy  for  the  scholars  in  their  privileges,  'happy  for  the 
pastor  about  whom  all  gathered  in  confidence  and  love. 

The  great  occasion  of  the  year,  however,  was  the  Anniversary 
on  the  Sunday  after  Easter.  Who  that  was  ever  present  at  one  of 
these,  will  ever  forget  the  scene !  The  floor  of  the  Church 
crowded  with  children,  the  galleries  packed  with  members  of  the 
coujjrcgation  and  interested  friends;  the  chancel  filled  with  plaDts 


588  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

and  flowers  ;  its  platform  covered  by  tables  loaded  with  books,  and 
over  all,  in  the  pulpit,  Dr.  Tyng,  his  face  beaming  with  happiness  as 
he  surveyed  the  gathering  around  and  before  him,  on  this  the  hap- 
piest of  all  the  days.  Famed  far  and  wide,  St.  George's  Anniver- 
saries were  a  sight  not  elsewhere  to  be  seen,  and  attracted  uni- 
versal attention. 

A  prominent  feature  of  the  Anniversaries  and  a  very  important 
part  of  the  work  of  the  schools  is  yet  to  be  noted,  the  Missionary 
Offerings. 

A  cardinal  principle  with  Dr.  Tyng  was  the  practice  of  benevo- 
lence, and  in  his  theory  Christian  living  and  giving  were  always  in- 
separable. He  inculcated  this  most  strenuously  and  earnestly  in 
the  Sunday-school,  and  the  Missionary  offerings  were  scarcely 
subordinate  to  the  Bible  lessons.  Such  collections  were  regularly 
made,  through  every  year,  but  in  1854  he  first  put  in  operation  the 
system  subsequently  followed,  and  by  which  such  wonderful  results 
were  accomplished.  In  this  year  he  addressed  to  the  school  a  let- 
ter which  developed  the  plan,  and  impressed  it  thus  upon  them : 

"  We  have  a  most  flourishing  and  happy  school.  All  things  in 
it  are  doing  well.  The  teachers  are  useful,  the  children  are  happy. 
But  I  think  we  can  increase  our  efforts  for  Missions  with  advan- 
tage. We  might  be  more  regular  in  our  contributions,  and  we 
might  without  much  exertion  raise  a  much  larger  sum  of  money 
every  year.  And  while  we  are  so  blessed  in  our  privileges  and  are 
so  able  to  assist  the  ignorant  and  the  destitute,  and  while  there  are 
so  many  millions  of  children  who  have  never  heard  the  gospel,  and 
so  many  openings  now  to  send  the  gospel  to  them,  would  it  not  be 
well  for  us  to  do  all  we  can  to  give  to  others  the  blessings  which 
we  enjoy  ?     I  propose  therefore: 

"  1.  That  there  shall  be  a  Missionary  Collection  in  every  class  in 
the  whole  school  every  Sunday. 

"  2.  That  every  teacher  and  scholar  shall  give  every  Sunday 
just  what  the  gracious  Lord  enables  them  to  give,  whether  it  be 
little  or  much  ;  that  those  who  have  but  little  should  not  be 
ashamed  or  unwilling  to  give  from  that  little,  and  those  who  have 
more  should  be  glad  to  give  what  they  can. 

"  3.  That  the  money  given  each  Sunday  shall  be  the  child's  or 
teacher's  own  money,  and  not  merely  something  which  they  have 
asked  from  their  parents  for  the  purpose. 

"  4.  That  beside  giving  their  own,  each  teacher  and  child  may 
collect  what  they  can  from  others — friends  who  are  willing  to  nelp 
them — and  give  it  as  a  separate  amount  and  not  their  own. 


Sunday -School  and  Mission    Work,  589 

"  5.  That  the  teacher,  or  some  one  of  the  class  whom  the  teacher 
shall  appoint,  shall  be  the  treasurer  of  each  class,  and  keep  the 
money,  and  keep  an  account  of  the  money  which  is  received  each 
Sunday. 

"  6.  That  each  class  should  be  a  separate  Missionary  Society, 
having  any  name  they  shall  choose,  and  be  known  by  that  name. 

"  7.  That  at  our  Anniversary,  the  contributions  of  each  class 
shall  be  brought  in  any  shape  which  the  class  shall  adopt,  and 
presented  to  the  rector  at  the  Anniversary  by  some  member  of  the 
class  who  shall  be  appointed  for  the  purpose  by  the  teacher. 

"  Thus  we  shall  grow  to  a  large  Annual  Contribution  for  the 
spreading  of  the  gospel  abroad,  and  every  year  will  be  an  increase 
of  what  we  have  done  the  year  before.  At  our  next  Anniversary, 
the  Sunday  after  Easter,  the  23rd  of  April,  1854,  we  will  make  our 
first  contribution  j  of  course  we  cannot  have  much  now  in  so  little 
time;  but  we  will  get  all  we  can  and  make  a  beginning,  and  thus  we 
shall  be  prepared  to  work  to  more  advantage  another  year.  As  soon 
as  you  get  this  circular,  I  hope  you  will  all  immediately  begin  and  we 
will  see  what  can  be  done  in  a  few  weeks.  When  our  hearts  are  in 
the  work  we  can  do  mucli.  May  the  gracious  S:>,viour  bless  you  all 
and  make  you  faithful  and  fruitful  to  His  glory. 

"  Your  Faithful  Friend  and  Affectionate  Pastor, 

"  Stephen  H.  Ttng." 

St.  George's,  ILarcli  Q>tli,  1854. 

This  system,  which  has  given  form  and  force  to  the  Missionary 
efforts  of  Sunday-schools,  as  it  has  since  been  so  universally 
adopted,  was  thus  established.  Though  not  original  with  Dr.  Tyng, 
he  unquestionably  carried  it  out  with  the  greatest  success,  and  the 
largest  results.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  organized  Mission- 
ary Work  of  St.  George's  Sunday-school.  It  is  interesting  to  follow 
it,  year  after  year,  constantly  and  wonderfully  increasing,  and  trace 
through  it  all  the  unceasing  effort  of  Dr.  Tyng,  urging,  encouraging, 
assisting  by  every  means,  as  he  presents  it  to  the  children  in  his  let- 
ters to  them.  The  report  of  the  Fifth  Anniversary  gives  the  result 
of  the  first  effort  as  four  hundred  and  forty -five  dollars  and  five 
cents. 

"  This  amount,"  he  savs,  "  we  have  collected  in  about  six  weeks. 
But  I  want  this  operation  to  be  a  permanent  one.  And  now  let 
there  bo  an  offering  every  Sunday  of  what  you  can  spare  from  your 
little  amount  of  money  given  you,  or  from  your  earnings  by  your 
own  labor,  so  that  it  may  be  regular  and  never  forgotten.     Remem- 


5  go  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng^  D.D, 

ber  that  two  cents  a  Sunday  from  each  scholar  will  be  ovar  a  thou- 
sand dollars  at  our  next  Anniversary.  But  if  any  can  give  only 
one  cent,  let  them  not  be  ashamed  of  giving  it,  others  who  can 
have  much  more,  can  give  much  more,  and  thus  we  can  make  up 
the  sum.  The  Lord  loves  a  cheerful  giverj  and  accepts  us  accord- 
ing to  that  which  we  have,  and  not  according  to  that  which  we  have 
not.  Let  us  try  to  do  all  for  the  love  of  our  blessed  Saviour  who 
gave  Himself  for  us,  that  sinful  man  may  have  that  great  salvation 
which  He  has  bought  and  purchased  with  His  own  blood.  If  we 
love  Him,  we  shall  love  to  spread  the  knowledge  of  His  gospel 
among  the  poor  heathen,  and  to  give  them  the  news  of  His  salva- 
tion. And  now  we  will  set  out  for  another  year.  Our  labor  is  a 
happy  one.  Our  connection  together  is  a  bond  of  love.  Let  it  be 
love  for  each  other,  love  for  all  men,  flowing  out  from  love  to  our 
Blessed  Lord  and  Saviour.  The  Lord  be  with  you,  my  dear  chil- 
dren, and  bless  you,  and  mak  e  you  a  blessing.  " 

In  February,  1855,  the  first  proposition  of  an  appropriation  of 
the  funds  was  made.  This  was  to  complete  a  stone  church  which 
had  been  begun  at  Monrovia,  and  the  erection  cf  which  had  been 
stopped  for  want  of  funds.  The  cost  to  finish  this  would  be  about 
seven  thousand   dollars,   and   it   was  the  work  first  undertaken. 

Setting  before  them  always  some  undertaking  like  this,  as  an  en- 
couragement and  incentive  to  increased  effort,  he  gave  his  own  per- 
sonal efforts  to  its  accomplishment.  At  one  time  it  was  by  lectures, 
the  proceeds  of  which  were  apioropriated  to  the  fund,  at  another, 
on  the  publication  of  one  of  his  books,  the  sale  and  profit  was  given 
to  the  schools,  and  funds  personally  solicited  from  personal  friends 
were  devoted  in  the  same  way.  Thus  he  was  always  working  with 
the  school  in  the  accomplishment  of  whatever  the  object  was  at  the 
time,  and  the  children  in  their  fairs  and  every  effort  knew  they 
had  the  earnest,  loving  sympathy  and  assistance  of  him,  who  in  all 
their  relations  to  him  was  truly  a  father  to  them  all.  It  is  not  sur- 
prising that  so  much  was  accomplished,  and  that  all,  from  the  old- 
est to  the  youngest,  were  thoroughly  alive  in  their  Master's  work. 

Ao-ain  in  185G  he  wrote:  "  I  have  much  joy  in  giving  you  an  ac- 
count of  our  Seventh  Anniversary  last  Sunday.  The  Lord  was 
pleased  to  give  us  a  lovely  day  in  the  weather  abroad.  Our  schools 
were  assembled  in  large  numbers,  and  the  clear  weather  brought 
us  together  hundreds  more  of  our  friends  than  could  get  within  the 
doors  of  the  church,  I  supjpose  there  could  hardly  be  seen  a  sight 
like  that  immense  congregation,  in  the  world  besides,  as  the  people 
and  children  of  a  single  church. 


Sunday -School  and  Mission    Work,  Sgi 

"  Our  schools  at  the  church  numbered  over  one  thousand  one 
hundred  children  and  sixty-three  teachers;  our  Mission  Schools 
contained  five  hundred  and  twenty-five  children  and  forty-one 
teachers.  So  that  our  whole  number  was  one  thousand  six  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  children  and  one  hundred  and  four  teachers, 
making  in  all  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  twenty-nine.  There 
were  two  German  schools  and  two  English  schools  included  in  the 
Mission  Schools.  I  was  delighted  to  see  the  order  and  improve- 
ment of  these  schools.  The  quietness  and  regularity  of  the  whole 
assembly  were  very  remarkable,  and  everything  was  so  pleasant 
and  encouraging,  that  I  think  we  never  had  so  happy  a  day  before. 

"  Our  Sixth  Anniversary  gave  us  as  our  whole  sum  thus  far 
collected  three  thousand  three  hundred  and  nineteen  dollars. 
That  year  the  schools  determined  they  would  raise  one  thousand 
dollars.  But  they  found  their  contributions  amounted  to  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty-five.  Then  they  resolved  that 
they  would  raise  for  our  Seventh  Anniversary  two  thousand  dol- 
lars; and  when  all  our  contributions  were  brought  together  for 
this  seventh  year,  they  amounted  to  three  thousand  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty  dollars  and  fifty  cents.  See  how  the  Lord  has 
blessed  us  in  our  work.  How  grateful,  happy  and  united  ought 
we  to  be  !  " 

The  payments  for  the  church  in  Africa  were  still  proceeding, 
when  a  still  larger  undertaking  was  proposed.  The  following  let- 
ter, embodying  it,  was  addressed  to  the  schools  in  February,  1858, 
and  first  brought  before  them  the  City  Mission  work: 

'  *  My  Deab  Friends  and  Children  : — Our  Ninth  Anniversary  is 
approaching.  The  18th  of  April  will  be  the  day,  if  the  Lord  will. 
We  must  try  to  get  up  our  Missionary  work  as  far  and  as  full  as 
we  can.  We  have  contributed  over  six  thousand  dollars  to  build 
a  church  in  Africa;  we  have  given  over  three  thousand  dollars  to 
build  churches  in  the  western  part  of  our  own  country. 

"  Now  I  propose  to  you  that  we  shall  unite  to  build  a  Free  Mis- 
sion Chapel  for  the  poor  in  our  own  city.  There  is  in  this  city  as 
much  need  of  missionary  work  as  in  any  part  of  our  country. 
There  are  thousands  of  people  for  whom  no  church  has  been  pro- 
vided, and  who  hate  no  means  or  opportunity  for  the  public  wor- 
ship of  our  gracious  God  and  Saviour.  To  build  a  Missionary 
Chapel  ourselves,  by  the  efforts  of  the  Sunday-Schools  alone,  will  be 
a  noble  effort.  In  two  or  three  years*  collections,  we  can  easily  do 
it.     Let  us  undertake  it  now." 


592  Rev,  Stephen  Higgi7ison    Tyng,  D,D, 

Thus  was  begun  the  first  Mission  Chapel  of  St.  George's  and 
the  progress  of  the  work  and  its  cost  is  noted  in  1859,  in  the  letter 
which  follows. 

"My  Dear  Friends  and  Children: — Our  Tenth  Anniversary  is 
approaching,  and  we  must  be  busy  in  our  missionary  collections. 
Our  Mission  Chapel  in  Nineteenth  Street,  by  the  First  Avenue,  is 
going  up  very  rapidly,  and  it  will  be  nearly  complete  by  the  time 
of  our  Anniversary.  We  must  now  be  industrious  to  ask  from  all 
our  friends  such  contributions  to  our  work  as  they  can  give  us. 
The  smallest  must  not  be  refused.  The  largest  must  be  sought 
and  welcomed.  Our  last  Anniversary  gave  us  three  thousand  two 
hundred  and  seventy-nine  dollars  and  thirty-two  cents.  Our 
<3hapel  will  cost  us  fifteen  thousand  dollars,  when  everything  in  it  is 
completed.  In  a  few  years  we  can  pay  this  easily.  We  will  try 
to  pay  as  much  as  we  can  this  year.  It  is  a  great  and  a  very  valu- 
able and  useful  work.  Multitudes  will  rejoice  in  it  for  years  to 
come;  we  shall  look  upon  it  with  gratitude  and  delight  when  we 
have  been  able  to  finish  it. 

"  The  vestry  have  bought  the  lots  and  paid  for  them,  so  that 
the  building  will  always  be  held  safely  and  sacredly.  It  will  be  a 
noble  building,  with  a  tower  and  a  bell,  and  over  the  front  door 
there  will  be  a  tablet  with  this  inscription: 

ST.  GEOKGE'S  MISSION   CHAPEL. 

Erected  A.  JD.  1859. 

BY    THE    SUNDAY    SCHOOLS    OF    ST.    GEORGe's    CHURCH. 

"  The  EngHsh  Chapel  will  hold  eight  hundred  persons,  and  af- 
ford thus  ample  accommodations  for  worship  and  for  preaching  to 
great  numbers.  This  is  a  most  useful  work.  Your  friends  will 
dehght  to  contribute  to  it.  What  object  can  be  more  important  or 
valuable  in  their  view  ?  Let  us  all  collect  for  our  separate  classes 
all  that  we  can,  and  when  our  Anniversary  comes  round,  we  shall 
rejoice  over  the  work  of  the  year,  as  God  has  prospered  us.  If  we 
love  Him  and  do  this  for  Him,  He  will  certainly  give  us  His  bless- 
ing. 

"  Your  faithful  friend  and  Pastor, 

"  Stephen  H.  Tyng." 


Su7iday- School  and  Mission    Work,  593 

With  such  words  of  encouragement  to  the  children  were 
coupled  his  own  personal  exertions  in  the  collection  of  funds  and 
the  appUcation  by  himself  of  no  small  donations  from  his  own 
income,  to  swell  the  amount  of  each  year's  collection. 

The  Mission  Chapel  in  Nineteenth  Street  was  completed,  and  the 
final  payments  for  it  had  scarcely  been  made  in  1861,  when  a  further 
undertaking  in  the  same  hne  of  effort  was  made,  and  the  erection  of 
a  German  Mission  Chapel  in  East  Fourteenth  Street  was  begun. 
This  was  completed  in  1864,  at  a  cost  of  twelve  thousand  dollars 
and  the  collections  of  the  following  years  were  then  applied  to  the 
furnishing  of  the~chancel  of  the  Church,  when  re-built  after  its  de- 
struction by  fire  in  1865. 

The  schools  during  these  years,  aggregated  over  two  thou- 
sand scholars  and  teachers  in  regular  attendance,  and  were  in  most 
prosperous  condition.  More  than  ten  thousand  children  had  been 
taught  in  them,  of  whom  very  many  had  made  a  Christian  profes- 
sion, and  thus  testified  their  love  for  the  Saviour,  of  whom  they  had 
been  so  diligently  taught,  and  more  than  twenty  had  been  called 
to  preach  the  gospel  to  others,  some  of  them  having  since  become 
eminent  ministers  of  God's  word. 

In  the  first  twenty-one  years,  the  aggregate  collections  of 
the  schools  reached  the  large  sum  of  Sixty-four  thousand  dol- 
lars, of  which  thirteen  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  had  been 
devoted  to  the  erection  of  two  churches  and  two  school-houses 
in  Africa,  thirty-seven  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  to  the  com- 
pletion and  other  expenses  of  the  two  Mission  Chapels,  nine  thou- 
sand dollars  to  the  Chancel  furniture  in  the  church,  and  the  balance 
to  miscellaneous  missionary  objects,  as  they  had  been  presented  at 
difi"erent  times. 

The  reports  of  following  years  presented  a  record  of  unchanging 
prosperity  and  continued  success  in  every  line  of  operation,  and 
truly  remarkable  is  it  tliat  year  after  year  the  interest  was  main- 
tained without  interruption. 

The  growth  of  the  Mission  Work  of  the  church  had  been  so 
rapid  that  increased  accommodations  were  required  constantly,  and 
the  provision  of  the  funds  to  meet  this  need  was  the  privilege  and 
province  of  the  Sunday-school.  A  new  German  Chapel  being 
necessary,  the  cost  of  its  erection  was,  as  before,  assumed,  and 
was  the  last  special  ol^ject  submitted  during  Dr.  Tyng's  ministry. 
The  efibrts  of  many  succeeding  years  were  required  to  fulfil  this 
obligation. 

The  report  of  the  Twenty-seventh  Anniversary,  at  Easter,  1876, 


594  -^^^'  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

is  the  last  which  he  prepared  and  addressed  to  the  schools. 
Though  present  as  usual  at  the  next,  in  1877,  he  was  on  the  follow- 
ing day  stricken  by  the  sickness  from  which  he  never  wholly  re- 
covered, and  which  so  soon  after  was  followed  by  his  retirement. 
This  report  is  therefore  his  last  recorded  addi-ess  to  the  Sunday- 
schools,  in  accordance  with  the  custom  adhered  to  for  so  long  a 
period,  and  may  be  considered  as  presenting  their  condition  at  the 
close  of  his  long  ministry  in  St.  George's.  In  it  he  states,  one 
hundred  and  twenty  eight  teachers  and  seventeen  hundred  and 
twenty-five  scholars  as  composing  the  schools,  and  nineteen  hun- 
dred and  forty  dollars  and  sixty-four  cents,  as  the  collections  oi 
that  year.     In  its  conclusion  he  says  : 

"  My  Dear  Children  : — We  have  now  passed  our  Twenty- 
seventh  Anniversary.  Our  dear  Lord  has  been  most  gracious  to 
me  in  sparing  my  life  to  labor  with  you  so  long.  Such  pleasure 
and  thankfulness  do  our  anniversaries  impart  that  I  look  upon 
them  as  among  the  brightest  spots  in  my  experience.  The  last  one 
always  seems  the  happiest  and  the  best.  We  may  say  this  with 
equal  truth  at  this  time.  We  have  had  a  very  pleasant  year,  and  a 
very  happy  and  delightful  result.  Let  it  be  one  act  and  evidence 
of  our  thankfulness,  to  give  ourselves  more  really  and  entirely  to 
the  service  of  the  gracious  Saviour,  and  strive  from  youth  to  age 
to  love,  obey,  and  honor  Him  from  whom  all  our  comforts  come,  and 
by  whom  aU  our  most  precious  fruits  are  bestowed.  May  His  loving 
blessing  be  ever  with  you,  is  the  earnest  prayer  of 

"  Tour  affectionate  Pastor, 

"  Stephen  H.  Tyng." 

St.  George's  Rectory,  Easier,  1876. 

For  twenty-seven  years  he  had  thus  labored  for  and  with  the 
children  in  their  benevolent  work,  for  the  welfare  of  their  souls, 
their  instruction  in  righteousness,  and  now  in  old  age,  in  the  same 
cheering  and  inspiring  tones,  he  encourages  them  to  continue  in 
the  paths  in  which  he  had  so  diligently  led  them,  and  in  which  he 
had  so  earnestly  sought  that  they  should  foUow. 
'  More  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  of  incessant  effort  had  passed. 
Many  had  been  the  changes  which  time  had  wrought.  Most  of 
those  who  had  stood  with  him  in  the  beginning  had  long  since  been 
removed  and  a  faithful  few  only  remained  who  from  personal  ex- 
perience or  knowledge  could  claim  any  familiarity  with  the  facts 
which  made  up  the  history  of  the  years  which  had  been  spent. 


Sunday- School  aiid  Mission    Work,  SqS 

To  give  any  statistics  which  would  present  in  detail  the  growth 
and  condition  of  the  schools  from  year  to  year  would  be  impossible 
in  this  sketch  of  their  history,  but  it  may  readily  be  gathered  from 
the  amounts  of  the  collections  in  the  different  years  as  they  were 
enumerated  in  the  following  statement,  included  in  the  report  last 
mentioned: 


First  Four  years 1850  to  1853 $920  81 

Fifth  year 1854 573  30 

Sixth  year 1855 1,825  00 

Seventh  year 1856 3,280  50 

Eighth  year 1857 3,403  55 

Niuth  year 1858 3,279  32 

Tenth  year 1859 4,224  02 

Eleventh  year 1860 5,409  92 

Twelfth  year 1861 3,361  75 

Thirteenth  year 1862 2,522  93 

Fourteenth  year 1863 4,317  00 

Fifteenth  year 1864 5,234  50 

Sixteenth  year 1865 4,416  83 

Seventeenth  year 1866 5,077  55 

Eighteenth  year 1867 4,930  42 

Nineteenth  year 1868 3,975  17 

Twentieth  year 1869 3,412  21 

Twenty-first  year 1870 4,079  28 

Twenty-second  year 1871 3,162  13 

Twenty-third  year 1872 4,554  49 

Twenty-fourth  year 1873 5,531  74 

Twenty-fifth  year 1874 2,827  94 

Twenty-sixth  year. .    i875 2,608  07 

Twenty-seventh  year 1876 • . . .  1,940  64 


$84,869  07 


Such  was  the  total  of  the  contributions  of  the  schools  to  the 
various  objects  of  Missionary  effort  which  enlisted  their  interest 
during  all  these  years.  It  is  a  record  which  reflects  lasting  honor 
upon  those  who  were  engaged  in  the  work,  and  gives  abundant  proof 
of  the  spirit  which  pervaded  the  Sunday-schools  of  St.  George's, 
and  as  well,  of  the  energy  and  labor  of  the  Rector,  under  whose 
personal  efforts  and  direction  the  whole  was  accomplished. 

Such  in  too  brief  outline  is  the  history  of  St.  George's  Sunday- 
school.     That  of  its  City  IVIission  work  must  now  be  told. 

It  will  be  recalled  that  the  original  plan  for  the  establishment  of 
a  church  up-town,  contemplated  that  it  should  be  a  free  chapel  for 
the  poor,  as  well  as  others  wlio  might  wish  to  worship  in  it.     And 


596  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

it  has  been  seen  that  throughout  its  whole  history  this  plan,  though 
followed  in  spirit  rather  than  in  letter,  was  never  forgotten  in  St. 
George's.  The  portion  of  its  history  now  to  be  related,  however, 
will  prove  the  even  more  than  literal  fulfilment  of  the  original  plan. 
It  presents  a  most  remarkable  record  of  the  benevolence  and  gener- 
osity of  the  congregation  of  St.  George's  under  Dr.  Tyng's  ministry. 
It  gives  also  a  view  of  his  own  personal  labors  and  exertions  in  a 
branch  of  his  work  which  has  before  been  omitted,  and  of  the  skill 
and  watchfulness  required  in  the  successful  maintenance  of  such  a 
system.  None  of  the  agencies  of  St.  George's  Church  involved 
more  liberal  expenditure  of  money  or  more  diligent  and  constant 
care  than  the  large  city  mission  work  in  which  it  maintained  its 
pre-eminence. 

While  this  mission  work  of  St.  George's  was  in  great  part  an  out- 
growth from  its  Sunday-school,  it  was  also  to  some  extent  of  inde- 
pendent origin.  Scarcely  had  the  church  been  opened  in  1849,  and 
its  services  put  in  regular  operation,  when  efforts  were  made  for 
the  care  of  the  poor  who  were  even  at  that  early  date  settled  in 
large  numbers  in  the  district  lying  between  the  church  and 
the  East  River. 

In  March,  1851,  Dr.  Tyng  was  authorized  by  the  vestry  to  em- 
plov  a  regular  missionary  upon  an  established  salary,  for  the  special 
visitation  and  care  of  the  poor.  He  at  once  appointed  to  this  posi^ 
tion  the  Rev.  Calvin  C.  Wolcott,  whom  he  had  long  known  as  one 
eminently  fitted  for  such  duties,  and  most  assiduously  and  faithfully 
did  he  discharge  them  during  the  eight  subsequent  years.  Soon 
after  his  appointment,  Mr.  Wolcott  called  Dr.  Tyng's  attention  to 
the  large  number  of  children  whom  he  found  without  any  provision 
for  their  religious  instruction,  and  suggested  that  a  Sunday-school 
should  be  opened  in  a  location  in  which  it  would  be  convenient  for 
them  to  attend.  A  suitable  room  was  found  at  Avenue  "A"  and 
Nineteenth  Street,  and  there  in  1854,  the  first  Mission  School  of 
St.  George's  was  gathered.  From  its  very  beginning  it  was  a  re- 
markable success,  and  at  Easter,  1855,  the  first  anniversary  after  its 
establishment,  thirty-three  teachers  and  four  hundred  and  twenty- 
three  scholars  were  reported  as  in  regular  attendance.  In  this 
school-room,  Mr.  Wolcott  also  officiated  and  preached  in  the  morn- 
ing of  every  Sunday,  and  for  several  years  the  mission  was  thus 
conducted.  Its  growth  was  so  rapid,  however,  that  an  enlargement 
of  the  effort  was  soon  found  to  be  necessary,  and  immediately  upon 
the  final  completion  of  the  church  in  1858,  measures  were  adopted 
for  the  permanent  establishment  of  this  mission. 


Sunday- School  and  Mission    Work.  5g7 

The  field  of  its  operation,  and  the  character  of  the  population, 
were  aptly  described  in  the  personal  report  of  one  of  the  mission- 
aries, when  he  wrote  of  it  as  follows: 

"  The  population  of  my  district  is  immense,  and  of  a  very  low 
grade,  part  of  it  bearing  the  degrading  title  of  the  Upper  Five 
Points,  and,  I  regret  to  say,  not  altogether  misapplied. 

"  In  the  midst  of  all  this  darkness,  vice,  ignorance,  superstition, 
the  mission  resembles  a  light  set  upon  a  hill.  During  the  month 
of  August,  last  year,  I  had  a  census  taken  of  the  district  bounded 
as  follows:  south,  by  the  north  side  of  East  Seventeenth  Street; 
north,  by  the  south  side  of  East  Twentieth  Street;  west,  by  the  west 
side  of  First  Avenue;  and  east,  by  the  East  River;  I  found  it  to 
contain  sixteen  hundred  and  ninety-six  families,  about  four  hun- 
dred of  whom  were  Germans,  the  balance  Irish,  English  and  Amer- 
icans,   and  thirty-three  hundred  children." 

A  selection  and  purchase  was  made  of  lots  on  Nineteenth  Street, 
east  of  First  Avenue,  for  the  erection  of  a  mission  chapel,  which  the 
Sunday-schools  of  St.  George's  undertook  to  build  with  their  mis- 
sionary collections.  The  work  proceeded  without  delay,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1859,  the  chapel  was  completed  in  all  its  parts.  On  the  18th 
of  September  in  that  year,  it  was  consecrated  to  the  service  of  God 
by  Bishop  Horatio  Potter,  of  the  diocese  of  New  York. 

The  total  cost  of  the  Chapel,  including  land,  building  and  furni- 
ture, was  twenty-four  thousand  eight  hundred  dollars,  and  this  sum, 
exclusive  of  the  cost  of  the  land,  about  six  thousand  dollars,  was 
repaid  within  the  next  year  to  the  corporation  of  the  church,  by  the 
Sunday-school,  according  to  the  agreement  which  had  been  made. 
As  the  representative  of  the  Sunday-school,  Dr.  Tyng  personally 
assumed  the  wliole  responsibility  for  the  provision  of  the  funds  for 
this  purpose,  and  by  his  own  solicitation  from  personal  friends  in 
the  congregation  collected  a  very  large  portion  of  the  amount  and 
thus  enabled  the  Sunday-school  to  discharge  the  obligation.  The 
work  was  thus  permanently  established  at  a  small  expenditure  of 
the  corporate  funds  of  the  church. 

In  the  anticipation  of  the  opening  of  this  chapel,  and  witli  a 
view  to  the  still  further  enlargement  of  the  effort  in  the  near  future. 
Dr.  Tyng  submitted  to  the  vestry  the  following  comprehensive 
plan  for  the  government  and  maintenance  of  the  work: 

"  I.     Tliis  Chapel  sliall  be  called  St.  George's  Mission  Chapel. 

"II.  It  shall  be  held  and  kept  by  this  corporation  as  a  Free 
Mission  Clia])ol. 

'-  III.     The  ^Minister  or  Ministers  wbo  shall  be    appointed  for 


598  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D,D. 

the  service  of  this  Chapel,  shall  be  so  appointed  by  the  Eector, 
Wardens  and  Vestrymen  of  St.  George's  Church,  and  shall  be 
considered  as  part  of  the  regular  ministry  of  this  parish. 

*'  IV.  The  salary  of  said  Ministers  shall  be  arranged  and  pro- 
vided for,  by  the  Board  of  Trustees  herein  after  appointed,  out  of 
funds  to  be  contributed  for  the  support  of  said  Chapel. 

"  V.  Whatever  appropriation  may  be  made  by  this  corporation 
for  the  support  of  said  Chapel,  shall  be  paid  under  a  resolution 
of  the  Vestry  by  the  Treasurer  to  said  Board  of  Trustees  or  to  the 
constituted  Treasurer  thereof. 

"VI.  There  shall  be  annually  appointed,  by  this  corporation, 
at  their  first  meeting  after  Easter,  a  Board  of  Ten  Trustees,  who, 
together  with  the  Kector  of  St.  George's  Church,  shall  have  the 
management  and  control  of  said  Chapel  as  a  Vestry  for  the  same, 
and  shall  be  empowered  to  make  their  own  By-Laws  and  arrange 
the  government  and  operation  of  said  Mission  Chapel,  provided 
that  no  such  By-Laws  or  arrangements  shall  be  inconsistent  with 
the  Articles  herein  adopted. 

"  VII.  The  Annual  Report  from  said  Chapel  in  its  ministry  and 
results,  shall  be  made  on  Easter  in  every  year,  to  the  Rector, 
Wardens  and  Vestrymen  of  St.  George's  Church,  and  shall  be  a 
part  of  the  annual  Parochial  report  to  the  Bishop. 

"VIII.     The  first  Board  of  Trustees  of   St.  George's  Mission 

Chapel  shall  be  the  following  named  persons, who 

shall  serve  in  said  office  until  Easter,  1860,  with  power  to  fill  their 
own  vacancies,  should  any  such  vacancies  occur  in  this  interval." 

This  organization  was  found,  in  the  experience  of  many  years, 
most  satisfactory  and  continued  through  the  whole  of  Dr.  Tyng's 
administration.  The  members  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  were  in  the 
first  and  all  succeeding  years  gentlemen  who  were  deeply  interested 
in  the  Mission  work,  closely  associated  with  the  ministers  in  the 
chapels,  and  thus  familiar  with  all  their  difficulties  and  needs.  Not 
less  familiar  with  every  detail,  unceasing  in  his  oversight,  unfailing 
in  his  support,  ready  in  every  emergency  was  Dr.  Tyng  himself,  and 
it  would  be  difficult  to  estimate  the  responsibility  and  care  which 
devolved  upon  him. 

This  new  effort  made  a  new  demand  upon  the  congregation  for 
its  constant  support,  and  one  which  was  always  generously  and 
abundantly  met.  Once  each  year,  on  the  Second  Sunday  after  Eas- 
ter, a  collection  was  made  for  the  purpose.  And  a  liberal  offering 
was  invariably  made  of  the  funds  needed  to  carry  on  the  work 
through  the  ensuing  year. 


Sunday- School  and  Mission    Work,  Sqq 

This  amount  rose  from  three  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  the 
first  year,  to  seven  thousand  dollars,  and  even  more,  in  succeeding 
years.  The  aggregate  of  the  collections  for  this  purpose  alone  for 
the  eighteen  years  from  1860  to  1878,  being  One  hundred  and  sev- 
en thousand  dollars,  or  an  average  of  about  six  thousand  dollars 
per  year.  This,  however,  covered  only  the  necessary  expenses  of 
the  work.  Constant  demands  required  constant  expenditures  in 
addition,  which  were  met  by  special  individual  contributions,  for 
each  particular  purpose,  exceeding  two  thousand  dollars  a  year 
more.  The  whole  expenditure  by  St.  George's  congregation  for 
the  support  of  their  own  mission  work  in  the  eighteen  years,  did 
not  fall  short  of  One  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  exclusive 
of  every  gift  for  the  erection  of  the  various  chapels. 

In  March,  1859,  the  Eev.  Cornelius  Winter  Bolton  was  ap- 
pointed "  Minister  of  St.  George's  Mission  Chapel,"  and  the  Rev. 
Charles  Schramm,  "German  Missionary  in  Charge  of  the  Ger- 
man Department."  Valuable  men  indeed  were  they,  and  under 
their  charge  the  whole  work  was  soon  in  successful  operation,  and 
exceeded  the  most  sanguine  expectations. 

In  one  of  his  series  of  "  Familiar  Letters  on  Sunday  Schools," 
written  for  the  Frotesiant  Churchman,  in  May,  1860,  Dr.  Tyng  gave 
an  interesting  review  of  the  beginning  of  this  mission  effort  in 
New  York,  as  well  as  its  arrangement  and  results  during  the  first 
year  succeeding  the  opening  of  the  Chapel  and  its  permanent  settle- 
ment. It  is  authoritative  in  its  statements  and  presents  so  clearly 
his  views  upon  the  subject,  and  the  methods  by  which  the  work 
was  carried  on,  that  it  must  be  of  interest  in  this  connection. 

"  The  subject  of  Mission  Schools,"  he  wrote,  "  has  assumed,  for 
a  few  years  past,  new  and  enlarged  importance.  We  formally  held 
them  with  no  distinct  individual  design  connected  with  them.  We 
collected  and  taught  them  in  our  public-school  houses,  or  in  any  con- 
venient, available  place.  The  whole  idea  was  immediate,  present  in- 
struction to  the  children,  with  no  view  of  any  definite  result  into 
which  the  operations  might  grow.  ^Many  of  these  schools  accordingly 
were  merely  temporary  efforts,  and  passed  soon  and  entirely  away. 
The  benefits  confeiTed  by  them  upon  individual  children  might  be 
real  and  abiding.  The  solid  and  substantial  benefit  to  the  commun- 
ity was  not  seen.  Our  later  habit  has  been  to  set  up  these  Mis- 
sion Schools  with  the  distinct  idea  of  some  permanent  influence  and 
organization,  looking  in  some  shape  to  the  establishment  of  a 
church  of  some  kind  that  will  grow  out  of  it.  So  that  our  Sun- 
dav-schools  have  become  more  and  more  the  germs  of  living  and 


6oo  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

permanent  churches,  and  thus  have  gained  an  increasing  aspect 
of  abiding  usefulness  in  the  community. 

"  The  character  and  proportion  of  our  poor  population  have 
very  much  changed  during  the  process  of  this  effort.  All  who  are 
actively  engaged  among  the  poor  will  realize  the  fact  that  Ameri- 
can poor  people  are  becoming  remarkably  few,  while  the  amount  of 
foreign  pauperism  is  immense.  This  is  a  population  with  no  plans 
or  hopes.  It  floats  to  our  shores  and  settles  for  a  time  wherever  it 
can,  mainly  in  our  cities,  content  to  have  a  shelter  for  a  season,  and 
with  no  definite  anticipations  of  any  permanent  result.  They 
are  a  very  difficult  population  to  help  or  benefit.  Whatever  is 
done  for  them,  is  like  salting  a  running  stream.  It  must  be  con- 
stantly repeated,  carried  out  on  a  permanent  system,  or  it  is  use- 
less. 

"  This  is  the  class  among  whom  our  Mission  Schools  are  mainly 
established.  The  old  meeting  of  rich  and  poor  together  in  our 
earlier  and  smaller  Sunday-school  work,  has  yielded  very  much  to 
this  new  aspect  of  affairs.  The  poor  of  whom  I  now  speak  can 
hardly  be  induced  to  come  to  our  actual  church  schools,  and  min- 
gle on  an  equal  ground  with  other  children.  This  view  is  realized 
perhaps  more  completely  in  this  city  than  elsewhere.  Here,  it 
must  be  met  and  calculated  upon  continually.  In  such  circum- 
stances I  will  illustrate  a  plan  by  a  particular  history. 

"  Perhaps  six  years  since  we  found  the  difficulty  of  which  I 
speak  pressing  us  in  St.  George's,  and  determined  in  some  way  to 
meet  it.  We  hired  a  room  in  the  midst  of  our  poorest  neighboring 
population  and  opened  a  Mission  School.  We  scoured  the  neigh- 
borhood for  children  and  teachers,  and  found  great  willingness  on 
the  part  of  both  to  come  in.  We  soon  collected  a  school  of  two 
hundred  children,  and  acquired  the  labor  of  faithful  teachers  of  dif- 
ferent denominations.  It  was  the  first  effort  of  the  kind  in  our 
region  of  the  city.  Not  long  after,  our  Baptist  friends,  some  of 
whom  had  been  engaged  with  us,  believing  that  the  whole  work 
would  prosper  more  in  separate  and  independent  action,  took  pos- 
session of  another  room,  and  soon  had  a  nice  building  erected  for 
them  by  a  very  liberal  gentleman  of  their  church,  since  deceased, 
in  which  they  are  still  successfully  at  work.  Soon  after,  another 
neighboring  Episcopal  Church  pursued  the  same  course,  and  it 
has  resulted  in  a  neat  and  attractive  chapel,  a  little  more  distant, 
which  promises  to  be  an  independent  and  self-sustaining  church. 
Not  long  after,  our  Presbyterian  neighbors  gathered  another  school 
of  the  same  description  a  few  blocks  off  in  another  direction,  which 


Sunday- School  afid  Mission    Work.  60 1 

has  also  flourished,  thougli  not  yet  in  the  erection  of  another  build- 
ing. 

"  In  the  meantime  our  Mission  School  grew  and  enlarged  itself 
continually,  and  seemed  benetited  by  the  extending  of  the  spirit 
and  feeling  in  the  neighborhood.  We  had  just  so  much  enlarged 
the  market  and  the  supply.  And  now  we  found  ourselves  with  so 
large  a  portion  of  German  children,  to  whom  English  teaching  was 
of  no  avail,  that  we  separated  them  also,  to  another  room  and  jjlace, 
for  practical  instruction  in  their  own  tongue.  Thus  the  whole 
effort  extended  itself  until  the  summer  of  1858,  when  we  deter- 
mined to  erect  an  adequate  chapel  for  ourselves  The  children  of 
the  church  Sunday  school  undertook  to  pay  for  the  building,  if  the 
church  would  pay  for  the  lots.  And  we  commenced  in  that 
autumn,  and  finished  our  chapel  in  the  autumn  of  1859,  an  edifice 
of  eighty-five  feet  by  fifty-two,  with  a  tower  and  bell,  finished  com- 
pletely, with  organ  and  every  proper  appendage  to  the  most  deco- 
rous worship,  and  with  abundant  room  for  schools  and  teaching,  at 
a  cost  for  the  building  and  furniture  of  seventeen  thousand  dollars, 
which  was  to  be  paid  by  the  collections  and  efforts  of  the  Sunday- 
school  children.  The  beautiful  building  was  fully  occupied  in  Sep- 
tember, 1859,  and  has  been  a  completely  successful  and  happy  ex- 
periment. It  accommodated  our  German  and  English  schools  and 
congregations  in  the  two  stories,  with  abundant  room  at  the  time 
of  its  occupation.  But  they  have  already  outgro  wn  the  place,  and 
we  must  now  take  measures  for  the  separate  accommodation  of  the 
Germans  again. 

"  I  consider  this  work  so  practical  and  so  exemplary  as  an 
experiment  of  Mission  Schools,  that  I  shall  describe  its  details 
more  minutely:  Its  plan  is  free  worship  for  the  poor.  It  has 
no  collections  from  them  for  the  expenses  of  the  Chapel,  though 
they  have  solicited  the  privilege  of  contributing,  in  their  degree,  to 
outside  objects  of  benevolence  It  is  not  intended  to  grow  into  a 
self-supporting  church,  or  in  any  improving  aspect  of  it,  to  shut 
out  at  any  time  the  poorest  of  the  poor  from  the  worship  and 
instruction  which  it  offers.  Everything  is  done  to  make  them  all 
feel  at  home  and  entitled  to  all  the  blessings  which  it  offers  to  them 
all.  An  American  clergyman  is  the  pastor  of  the  English-speaking 
tiock,  and  a  German  clergyman  is  pastor  of  the  German.  The  Sex- 
ton lias  a  residence  for  his  family  in  the  building,  and  tlius  has 
opportunity  for  entire  charge  and  protection  of  the  property. 

"On    every    Sunday    at   9  A.    M.    the    English    and    German 
schools  both  assemble  in  their  diflerent  rooms— the  one  averaging 


6o2  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng^  D.D, 

three  hundred  and  eighty,  and  the  other  one  hundred  and  forty  at- 
tendants. At  10:30  A.  M.  there  is  pubhc  EngUsh  worship  in  the 
chapel,  which  seats  about  eight  hundred.  At  1 :30  P.  M.  there  is 
pubhc  German  worship  in  the  same  chapel.  At  3 :30  P.  M.  the  Eng- 
lish Sunday-school  assembles  also  there  for  general  instruction  by 
the  minister.  At  7 :30  P.  M.  there  is  again  public  English  worship  in 
the  chapel.  Thus  the  whole  Sabbath  is  occupied  with  a  busy,  stir- 
ring work  for  the  poor.  The  teachers  are  perhaps  more  interested 
in  the  work  than  in  most  of  our  Church  schools,  and  have  labored 
with  a  self-denial  and  devotion  exceedingly  encouraging  and  satis- 
factory. The  Lord  has  smiled  upon  the  effort  so  abundantly,  that, 
as  I  have  remarked,  we  are  already  crowded,  and  are  compelled  to 
look  to  another  enlargement.  In  the  week  there  is  a  daily  English 
school  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  children.  There  is  a  reading- 
room  for  men  and  boys  open  every  evening  from  six  to  nine  o'clock, 
comfortably  furnished,  and  provided  with  an  increasing  library,  and 
papers,  and  .magazines.  There  is  an  evening  lecture  for  the  Eng- 
lish congregation  on  every  Tuesday  evening,  and  a  prayer  meeting 
every  Thursday  evening.  There  is  also  a  lecture  for  the  German 
congregation  every  Friday  evening,  and  a  sewing  school  for  girls  of 
both  on  every  Saturday  morning.  Thus  the  whole  time  is  occu- 
pied, and  the  work  is  constantly  going  on.  The  English  pastor 
has  his  study  and  office  in  the  Chapel,  and  there  attends  to  the 
wants  and  calls  of  the  people  of  his  charge. 

"  There  are  now  two  hundred  and  twenty-one  English,  and 
seventy-eight  German  families  in  actual  connection  with  the  Mis- 
sion, with  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  communicants  in  the  English 
and  thirty-six  in  the  German  congregation.  The  Lord  has  gra- 
ciously blessed  the  operation  in  a  very  remarkable  degree  ;  and  every 
visit  to  it,  in  any  of  its  departments  and  details,  only  enlarges  and 
impresses  my  view  of  its  important  and  invaluable  influence.  Per- 
haps this  is  as  successful  an  experiment  of  a  Mission  School  as  has 
yet  been  made  ;  and  I  know  no  point  in  which  it  has  failed  or 
disappointed  our  just  expectations.  The  cost  of  managing  it  in  all 
its  details  will  be  within  four  thousand  dollars  a  year.  Already  it 
has  blessed  many  souls  with  salvation.  It  has  elevated  and  im- 
proved the  whole  neighborhood  around  it.  It  has  exceedingly  at- 
tached the  poor  to  its  privileges,  and  has  become  a  very  popiilar 
effort,  both  in  the  congregation  of  our  Church,  and  among  the  poor 
who  enjoy  it.  I  have  given  its  details  in  this  connection  as  an  il- 
lustration of  what  may  be  done  by  voluntary  effort  in  this  work, 
and  as  an  encouragement  to  the  toil  of  other  laborers  in  the  cause." 


Sunday -School  and  Mission    Work,  603 

Mr.  Wolcott  had  labored  faithfully  and  most  successfully  in  the 
gathering  of  a  congregation  which  filled  the  new  Chapel,  almost 
from  the  date  of  its  opening  for  worship,  and  had  seen  his  work 
placed  upon  a  foundation  for  permanent  usefulness,  when,  in  1859, 
failing  health  required  him  to  relinquish  his  ministry  in  connection 
with  St.  George's.  For  two  years  after  he  lived  in  retirement,  and 
upon  his  death  in  1861,  the  following  obituary  notice,  written  by 
Dr.  Tyng,  recounted  the  leading  features  of  his  useful  life. 

KEY.  CALVIN  C.    WOLCOTT. 

"  This  venerable  and  excellent  clergyman  departed  in  sweet 
hope  and  peace  on  Monday,  January  21st.  Long  has  he  been 
known  to  me  and  esteemed  by  me.  More  than  forty  years  ago  I 
first  heard  him  as  a  young  and  earnest  minister  of  Christ;  and 
during  all  the  intermediate  years  I  have  followed  and  marked  his 
faithful,  earnest  career.  I  was  much  struck,  earlier  than  the  time 
I  have  mentioned,  perhaps,  with  a  notice  of  him  in  one  of  Bishop 
Griswold's  addresses  to  his  convention.  Speaking  of  his  journey  to 
Hermon,  in  Massachusetts,  he  said:  '  There  I  met  with  the  faith- 
ful servant  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  Rev.  Calvin  C.  Wolcott.'  So  much 
did  the  Bishop  value  his  ministry,  that  he  selected  him  in  several 
instances  to  go  as  a  rebuilder  of  churches  which  had  decayed  under 
other  ministry,  or  as  a  gatherer  of  churches  in  new  locations.  He 
was  a  native  of  Massachusetts.  He  was  ordained  to  the  ministry 
while  engaged  in  teaching  at  Marblehead.  For  many  years  he  was 
settled  at  Hermon,  afterward  at  Quincy,  then  at  Otis,  and  perhaps 
in  other  places  of  which  I  have  no  recollection.  He  subsequently 
engaged  in  the  service  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  and  was  em- 
ployed in  supplying  the  States  of  Maine,  and  Massachusetts,  and  was 
afterwards  similarly  occupied  in  Western  Virginia.  In  his  connec- 
tion with  the  Bible  Society,  he  was  also  emj^loyed  in  the  city  of 
New  York  for  the  resupply  of  the  families  of  its  immense  popula- 
tion. In  this  last  work  he  was  diligently  occupied  for  more  than 
two  years,  and  with  great  success.  When  the  new  St  George's 
was  built  in  New  York,  he  was  engaged  as  a  domestic  missionary, 
un<ier  the  direction  of  the  rector,  and  exercised  a  faithful  ministry 
in  this  connection  until  the  failure  of  his  health,  two  years  since, 
compelled  him  to  relinquish  the  work.  Since  then  he  has  gradu- 
ally failed,  until,  at  seventy-three  years  of  age,  he  has  rested  from 
his  labors. 

"  His  last  hours  were  peaceful  and  pleasant.     In  a  very  clear 


6o4  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Ty7tg,  D,D, 

annunciation  of  his  hope  he  looked  forward  with  much  confidence 
to  his  Redeemer's  glory,  and  yielded  himself  without  fear  to  Him. 
His  funeral  was  attended  in  St.  George's  Church,  on  Wednesda^^ 
the  23d  inst.,  and  his  body  was  removed  to  Massachusetts,  to  be 
buried  with  his  family  connections  there.  His  walk  was  always 
that  of  an  earnest,  humble  Christian  minister,  and  his  end  accorded 
with  it." 

The  annual  reports  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  which  were  invaria- 
bly written  by  Dr.  Tyng  himself,  contain  in  their  succession  inter- 
esting statements  of  the  mission  work  in  its  progress  year  by  year, 
and  give  its  history  so  accurately  in  his  words,  that  large  extracts 
may  well  be  made  from  them. 

Thus  the  Fourth  Annual  Report  at  Easter,  1863,  gives  the  follow- 
ing account  of  the  progress  of  the  Mission  to  that  time : 

"  The  whole  Mission  has  attained  a  solidity  and  impression 
which  are  of  an  abiding  character.  The  aspect  and  circumstances 
of  the  attending  congregations  have  so  much  improved  and  ad- 
vanced under  its  constantly  elevating  influence,  as  to  give  the  evi- 
dence of  remarkably  increased  social  dignity  and  respectability  among 
the  people.  The  influence  of  the  Mission  upon  its  neighborhoods 
has  been  to  establish  acknowledged  order,  propriety  and  peaceful- 
ness  around  them,  observed  and  confessed  by  those  who  have  no 
personal  connection  with  the  effort;  and  the  assiduous  fidelity  of 
the  ministers  in  charge,  and  of  the  lay  assistants  who  have  so  cheer- 
fully engaged  to  co-operate  with  them,  has  been  every  thing  which 
the  trustees  could  have  expected.  The  whole  enterprise  is  now  an 
exhibition  of  what  must  be  called  the  highest  missionary  success; 
and  the  trustees  greatly  doubt  if  Christian  history  or  observation 
can  show  an  instance  of  a  more  effective  and  remarkable  domestic 
Mission  established  and  maintained  by  any  congregation  of  Chris- 
tian people. 

*'  The  Enghsh  Mission  is  now  divided  into  three  chapels.  In 
St.  George's  Mission  chapel  in  Nineteenth  Street — the  fountain  of 
them  all — the  Rev.  Mr.  Bolton  preaches  to  a  congregation  which 
habitually  fills  and  often  crowds  the  building.,  though  it  was  es- 
teemed no  more  than  adequate  when  erected.  Four  hundred  and 
seven  famiHes  are  connected  with  this  Mission,  and  four  hundred 
and  seventy  scholars  and  teachers  are  engaged  in  its  Sunday-school. 

"In  the  Chapel  of  the  Bread  of  Life,  in  Sixteenth  St,  near  First 
Avenue,  there  is  a  Sunday-school  of  three  hundred  children  and 
sixteen  teachers.  There  are  also  held  various  religious  services  on 
Sunday  and  in  the  week. 


Sunday -School  and  Mission    Work,  60  5 

"  In  the  Chapel  of  Living  Waters,  No.  283  Avenue  '  B,'  there  is 
a  Sunday-school  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen  children  and  eleven 
teachers.  Here  also  religious  services  of  various  kinds  are  main- 
tained, and  with  remarkable  success.  These  last  two  chapels  are 
occupying  rented  halls,  which  are  always  filled  to  their  utmost  ca- 
pacity. And  the  English  Mission  has  thus  grown  to  seventy-six 
teachers  and  eight  hundred  and  thirty-three  children  in  the  Sunday- 
schools  connected  with  it. 

"  The  various  incidental  and  external  important  labors  and  en- 
terprises which  the  minister  of  the  English  Missions  has  inaugu- 
ated,  and  so  successfully  carried  on,  deserve  the  particular  atten- 
tion of  the  congregation.  They  show  a  practical  skill,  wisdom  and 
industry  of  the  highest  value  in  such  a  connection  and  relation. 

"The  German  Mission,  under  the  Rev.  Dr.  Schramm,  has 
maintained  its  continued  prosperity,  limited  only  by  the  want  of 
adequate  accommodation  in  the  building  to  which  ifc  has  been  thus 
far  confined.  A  Sunday-school  [of  three  hundred  and  sixty-two 
children  and  twenty-five  teachers  has  been  kept  in  constant  opera- 
tion." 

The  necessity  of  an  increase  in  the  accommodation  for  the  Ger- 
man work,  led  Dr.  Tyng  in  January,  1863,  to  buy  a  lot,  No.  214  East 
Fourteenth  Street,  on  which,  during  that  year,  by  the  contributions 
of  personal  friends  and  the  Sunday-schools,  a  new  German  Chapel 
was  erected,  at  a  cost  of  seven  thousand  dollars,  and  consecrated 
on  Christmas  Eve. 

This  afi'orded  valuable  faciHties  for  the  increased  usefulness  of 
this  work,  the  first  of  its  kind,  and  one  in  which  his  interest  was 
never  lost.  But  scarcely  had  a  year  past  before  it  was  found  neces- 
sary to  make  a  still  further  enlargement.  The  Sixth  Annual  Report, 
in  1865,  presents  this  need,  and  Dr.  Tyng's  views  on  the  German 
work,  most  clearly: 

"  The  English  Chapel  in  Nineteenth  Street  furnishes  adequate 
and  ample  accommodation  for  the  congregation  there  assembling. 
The  German  Chapel  is  not  half  the  dimensions  of  this,  and  is  al- 
ready tilled  and  crowded  beyond  its  comfortable  accommodation. 
It  is  impossible  to  enlarge  it  on  the  present  lot.  There  is  no  other 
German  Episcopal  Church  to  which  the  overflow  can  go,  and  the 
numbers  who  attend  there,  and  desire  to  attend,  present  a 
subject  for  our  plan  and  thought  which  is  full  of  awakened 
anxious  desire,  but  is  as  yet  involved  in  much  difficulty.  It 
becomes  very  painful  to  exclude  those  who  so  earnestly  de- 
sire to   attend.     It  amounts   to  driving  them   out   of  the  Church 


6o6  Rev,  Stephefi  Higginson    Ty^tg,  D.D. 

into  which  thej  wish  to  be  received,  to  find  no  other  one 
opened  to  them.  And  when  the  largely  increasing  population  of 
new-coming  Germans  is  considered,  the  importance  of  their  social 
influence  in  our  communit}^  the  influences  which  are  collected  to 
lead  them  astray  in  every  shape  of  infidelity,  and  the  very  popular 
and  acceptable  character  of  the  effort  which  we  have  been  per- 
mitted to  establish,  it  will  be  a  very  serious  and  responsible  ques- 
tion for  the  members  of  St.  George's  Church,  whether  we  shall  be 
satisfied  with  the  partial  provision  which  we  have  already  made  for 
our  German  people.  We  desire  to  present  this  question:  Shall  we 
build  a  larger  Chapel  for  the  Germans,  and  occupy  the  present 
German  Chapel  for  a  second  English  one,  which  we  now  much 
need  ?  This  would  seem  to  be  the  most  desirable  settlement  of  the 
question  before  us. " 

Such  a  project  was  destined  to  be  much  delayed,  however,  by 
the  lamentable  destruction  of  the  church  by  the  fire  which  oc- 
curred in  this,  year.  The  consequent  tax  upon  the  resources  of  the 
congregation  for  its  restoration,  necessitated  the  postponement  of 
every  plan  of  inferior  importance,  and  it  was  not  until  1870,  when 
the  great  task  had  been  successfully  completed,  that  the  lesser  one 
could  be  again  undertaken. 

In  August,  1865,  the  Kev.  Mr.  Bolton  felt  obliged  to  resign 
the  position  which  he  had  filled  so  acceptably  for  six  years,  and 
thus  to  terminate  his  most  useful  ministry  in  the  Nineteenth  Street 
Chapel.  He  had  thoroughly  organized  and  systematized  the  work, 
in  all  its  departments  there,  and  consistently  pursued  a  plan,  with 
such  fidelity  and  labor,  as  had  in  great  degree  established  the  suc- 
cess of  the  whole  work.  The  vacancy  caused  by  his  resignation 
was  one  difficult  to  fill.  But  happily  the  Eev.  Charles  S.  Stephen- 
son, while  studying  for  the  ministry,  had  been  for  two  years  en- 
gaged with  and  assisting  him,  though  under  no  regular  appointment, 
and  he  was  now  placed  in  charge  as  the  regular  minister  of  the 
Chapel.  He  came  to  it,  therefore,  with  a  full  knowledge  of  its 
needs  and  most  earnest  interest  in  its  progress. 

The  Seventh  report,  in  1866,  notes  the  continued  success  of  this 
mission  effort  in  St.  George's,  and,  with  pardonable  pride,  the 
influence  which  it  had  in  leading  other  churches  to  follow  in  the 
same  line  of  usefulness  and  benevolence.     It  says: 

"  Let  us  unite  in  our  thanksgiving  to  God,  who  has  permitted 
us  to  maintain  these  large  missions  with  so  much  sohdity,  and  in 
so  high  a  state  of  successful  influence  for  so  long  a  time.  While 
we  look  upon  the  character  of  our  neighborhood  and  the  kind  of 


Sunday -School  and  Mission    Work,  607 

population  which  fills  it,  we  may  surely  feel  that  no  collected 
thousands  of  the  human  family  more  need  the  gospel,  and  that  no 
single  church  occupies  more  completely  the  position  of  an  almoner 
for  God's  bounty  to  the  poor,  or  sustains  more  truly  the  appointed 
relation  of  a  protector  and  provider  for  the  ignorant  and  needy. 
Let  us  strive  to  fulfil  the  important  mission  with  a  persevering 
liberality,  and,  in  grateful  dependence  on  God  our  Saviour,  look  up 
to  Him  for  His  blessing  on  our  appointed  work.  Among  the 
thousands  of  poor  children  and  adults  still  around  our  doors  and 
within  the  sound  of  our  bell,  we  may  well  long  to  be  made  the  in- 
struments of  saving  some,  and  to  have  the  privilege  of  rejoicing 
over  some  ransomed  and  rescued  children  of  God  in  the  great  day 
of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

"  In  closing  this  report,  we  cannot  refrain  from  reminding  the 
congregation  of  St.  George's  Church  of  the  extended  influence  of 
our  mission  work  upon  the  plans  and  efforts  of  other  churches  in 
our  vicinity.  We  were  permitted  to  be  the  pioneers  in  this  im- 
portant field  of  labor,  and  now,  from  our  example,  and  encouraged 
by  the  Lord's  blessing  upon  our  work,  no  less  than  six  other  mis- 
sion chapels  and  schools  have  been  established  on  this  eastern  side 
of  the  city,  in  the  field  which  we  at  that  time  occuj^ied  alone. 
Perhaps  an  equal  number  of  such  efforts  have  also  been  inaugu- 
rated in  other  parts  of  the  city,  under  the  care  of  other  churches. 
This  is  a  portion  of  the  result  of  our  work  of  great  value,  and  call- 
ing upon  us  for  new  gratitude  and  new  exertions  in  the  populous 
but  needj'  section  which  we  still  occupy.  The  determination  of 
our  congregation  to  rebuild  their  parish  church  on  its  former  site, 
displays  their  purpose  also  to  sustain  their  missionary  work  in  its 
vicinity  with  new  earnestness  and  liberality.  We  cannot  doubt 
that  God  will  bless  a  people  so  engaged  in  their  care  of  the  poor 
and  ignorant,  with  new  and  more  abounding  blessings  of  His  grace 
and  presence.  *He  that  watereth  others  shall  be  also  watered 
himself.'  *  He  that  hath  pity  upon  the  poor,  lendeth  unto  the  Lord, 
and  that  which  he  layeth  out,  it  shall  be  paid  to  him  again.'" 

Thus  the  work  went  on,  constantly  increasing  in  its  usefulness, 
and  as  constantly  in  its  demands.  The  wants  of  every  year  con- 
sumed the  provision  for  that  year.  Its  novelty  had  passed,  but 
still  the  determined  effort  to  maintain  the  work  continued,  and  the 
contributions  for  it  were  never  larger  than  in  the  following  years." 

The  Ninth  Annual  Report,  in  18G8,  refers  to  this  "  patient 
continuance  in  well  doing,"  notwitlistanding  all  the  changes  in  the 
church : 


6o8  Rev»  Stephen  Higginson   Tyngy  D,D, 

"  Nothing  demonstrates  the  reality  of  a  beneficent  work  more 
completely  than  the  permanency  of  its  operations.  While  the 
power  to  bestow  abides,  and  the  readiness  to  exercise  it  attends  it 
still,  the  reality  of  its  principle  and  purpose  is  tested  by  the  per* 
severance  of  its  labors  and  its  gifts. 

"  Our  local  parish  Mission  work  in  St.  George's  Church  has  be- 
come a  steady,  unchanging  operation  of  demand  and  supply,  of 
spiritual  need  and  spiritual  beneficence.  In  these  nine  years  of 
constant  operation  our  church  has  passed  through  many  changes. 
Many  families  of  our  most  valued  friends  have  removed  beyond 
our  reach;  many  active  laborers  have  departed  to  be  with  Christ; 
new  people  occupy  their  places,  and  another  generation  rises  up  to 
assume  their  responsibility,  and  to  perpetuate  their  work.  But 
the  work  still  goes  on. 

"  Some  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Mission  Chapels  have  been  labor- 
ing in  the  important  cause  which  they  present,  from  the  founda- 
tion of  the  enterprise.  Other  faithful  brethren  have  come  among 
us,  in  successive  years,  to  assume  the  place  and  the  labors  of  those 
who  have  been  removed.  Thus  far  the  congregation  of  St. 
George's  have  unitedly  and  generously  combined  to  maintain  this 
most  important  work,  upon  the  liberal  scale  which  we  have 
adopted.  This  scale  of  operation  cannot  be  reduced,  and  its  main- 
tenance will  require  the  most  determined  and  united  purpose  of  all 
the  members  of  our  church. 

"  The  reports  from  our  several  ministers  for  the  year  past,  are 
even  more  encouraging  than  those  of  preceding  years.  The  whole 
enterprise  has  attained  a  solidity  and  regularity  of  operation,  which 
is  in  a  high  degree  satisfying  and  effective. 

"  The  congregation  of  the  Chapel  of  Free  Grace,  in  Nineteenth 
Street,  have  the  mselves  contributed  in  various  ways  a  large  portion 
of  the  funds  which  have  been  expended  in  beautifying  their  edifice, 
and  rendering  it  more  comfortable  and  attractive.  The  earnestness 
and  spirit  thus  displayed  have  been  very  encouraging,  and  the 
prospect  of  that  mission  has  never  before  so  clearly  and  completely 
realized  the  wish  and  hope  of  those  who  founded  it.  A  visit  to  it  on 
any  Lord's  day  would  amply  encourage  and  reward  all  who  have 
contributed  to  its  support,  and  watched  its  growth  and  develop- 
ment. The  German  Chapel  has  never  varied  in  its  uniform  flour- 
ishing aspect.  The  year  past  is  but  like  all  the  years  which  have 
preceded  it,  a  year  of  grateful  prosperity,  evidencing  the  worthiness 
and  usefulness  of  the  faithful  minister  who  has  had  charge  of  this 
chapel  and  congreg^ation  from  its  foundation.     The  chapel  is  quite 


Sunday -School  a7id  Mission    Work,  609 

too  small  for  the  congregation  who  desire  to  assemble  in  it,  and  the 
building  is  very  much  needed  for  our  English  Chapel  of  the  Bread 
of  Life. 

"  But  thus  far  we  have  been  unable  to  build  another  chapel  for 
the  German  congregation,  and  are  still  compelled  to  see  the  place 
over-crowded  with  an  earnest  and  attentive  people. 

"  The  Chapel  of  the  Bread  of  Life  has  never  presented  a  more 
encouraging  aspect  than  during  the  past  j^ear.  The  support  which  it 
has  received  has  been  abundantly  repaid,  in  the  evident  usefulness 
of  the  work  performed,  and  the  gratification  and  pleasure  imparted 
to  those  who  have  enjoyed  the  blessings  which  it  has  been  the  in- 
strument of  bestowing. 

"  We  cannot  close  our  report  without  urging  the  congregation 
of  St.  George's  to  maintain  this  whole  scheme  of  parish  missions 
with  united  and  liberal  purpose.  In  remembrance  of  the  many 
valued  friends  who  have  removed  from  us,  we  ask  for  new  help 
from  those  who  have  taken  their  place,  and  for  more  earnest  and  en- 
larged contributions  from  the  faithful  friends  who  still  continue  with 
us.  It  is  indisputably  a  work  of  great  blessing,  in  the  inauguration 
of  which  St.  George's  has  a  right  to  be  held  in  permanent  esteem. 
These  chapels  were  the  first  parish  efforts  of  this  kind  made  in  the 
city  of  New  York.  They  have  now  been  followed  by  more  than 
fifty  similar  undertakings  in  other  churches  in  this  city.  Let  us 
be  thankful  for  all  these  results,  but  let  us  also  be  more  determined 
that  the  first  leaders  in  this  work  shall  not  be  suffered  to  fail,  either 
in  the  extent  of  their  scheme  or  in  the  liberal  fidelity  of  its  main- 
tenance." 

The  close  of  the  tenth  year,  brought  also  to  its  close  the  ministry 
of  the  Eev.  Dr.  Schramm,  in  the  German  chapel,  and  the  vestry  ap- 
pointed in  his  place  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Fleischacker,  a  native  of  Hanover, 
ordained  to  the  ministry  by  Bishop  Gobat,  in  Jerusalem,  and  who 
had  been  the  minister  of  a  German  congregation  in  Portsmouth, 
Ohio.  He  continued  a  most  useful,  faithful  and  earnest  pastor  of 
the  German  Chapel  for  the  years  following. 

In  recording  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Schramm,  the  Trustees  bore 
testimony  to  the  character  of  his  ministry  in  these  words: 

"  The  German  Chapel  has  lost  the  very  valuable  services  and 
watchful  care  of  the  lie  v.  Dr.  Schramm.  He  has  been  with  us  for 
so  many  years,  has  labored  so  efficiently  and  faithfully  as  a  mission- 
ary, and  a  minister  of  the  gospel;  has  been  so  attractive  and  useful 
as  a  preacher,  as  well  as  a  jiastor  among  the  German  population, 
that  his  resignation  and  departure  from  us  is  a  very  important  loss. 


6io  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

We  cannot  suffer  him  to  depart  without  recording  the  great  satis- 
faction we  have  had  in  the  whole  career  of  his  ministry  under  our 
charge,  and  our  great  regret  at  losing  his  valuable  services  in  this 
important  relation." 

In  his  final  report  of  the  German  Mission,  Dr.  Schramm  like- 
wise alludes  to  this  separation  in  the  following  manner: 

*'  I  hava  referred  to  my  voluntary  resignation,  which  my  rector 
was  most  unwilling  to  receive,  what  shall  I  say  more  concerning  it  ? 
Shall  I  say  that  I  feel  pressed  down,  because  leaving  such  a  dear 
work,  whose  beginning  I  saw,  and  whose  constant  growth  in  the  fu- 
ture I  desire  as  my  most  earnest  and  intimate  wish.  I  go  out  of 
my  home,  which  has  been  St.  George's  German  Mission  to  the  poor. 
But  I  cannot  go  before  I  have  repeated  my  thanks  for  the  good 
which  has  been  done  for  me,  by  my  rector  and  the  leaders  of  St. 
George's  Mission,  now  for  sixteen  years  and  a  half,  from  my  first 
entrance  as  head  teacher  of  St.  George's  Mission  Sunday-school. 

"Farewell,  dear  daughter,  St.  George's  German  Mission,  in- 
trusted to  my  custody  by  my  illustrious  rector,  thy  father;  grow 
further  under  his  wise  and  tolerant,  sincere  Protestant  Christian 
government.  The  Lord  will  bless  him,  and  all  who  understand  and 
assist  him  in  his  great  work,  carried  out  since  so  many  years, 
through  so  many  afflictions.  May  his  end  be  as  honorable  to  his 
worth  as  it  will  be  blessed  to  himseK. 

Dr.  Chables  Schramm. 

New  York,  March,  1869. 

Two  years  followed  of  uninterrupted  prosperity  and  satisfaction 
in  all  the  branches  of  the  work,  but  with  no  events  to  be  specially 
noted.  The  annual  expenses  had  increased  for  several  years  to  more 
than  seven  thousand  dollars  per  year,  which  was  always  freely  sup- 
plied as  soon  as  the  need  was  made  known,  and  year  after  year 
called  for  grateful  acknowledgment  of  the  blessing  bestowed  upon 
the  work. 

"  In  1871  Mr.  Stephenson's  health  had  become  so  infirm  that  it 
was  impossible  for  him  longer  to  continue  the  labor  and  ministry 
of  such  a  field,  and  at  the  end  of  six  years  of  service  as  the  minister 
of  the  Nineteenth  Street  Chapel,  now  named  the  Chapel  of  Free 
Grace,  he  was  obliged  to  withdraw.  His  letter  of  resignation  to 
the  vestry  expresses  most  feelingly  his  regret  at  this  unavoidable 
change,  and  his  appreciation  of  the  co-operation  he  had  received 
from  Dr.  TJyng,  as  well  as  all  associated  in  the  work.  He  says  in 
this  letter  : 


Sunday -School  and  Missio7i    Work,  6ii 

"  It  is  with  feelings  of  deep  grief  and  sorrow  that  I  herewith 
tender  to  you  my  resignation  as  minister  of  St.  George's  Chapel  of 
Free  Grace  in  East  Nineteenth  street. 

*'  The  failure  of  my  health  during  the  past  year  and  my  present 
continued  indisjoosition  combine  to  render  such  a  step  inevitable 
and  necessary.  I  cannot  however  sever  my  connection  with  the 
parish  without  being  permitted,  though  ever  so  imperfectly,  to  give 
some  expression  of  the  feelings  which  animate  and  fill  my  heart  in 
the  fulfilment  of  such  a  duty.  With  inexpressible  comfort  and  de- 
light I  look  back  upon  the  whole  course  of  my  ministry  spent  in 
St.  George's  parish,  most  of  it  in  close  and  intimate  intercourse  with 
the  Rector,  and  find  no  word  of  a  harsh  or  unpleasant  character  to 
mar  such  a  relation.  His  wise  counsel  never  withheld,  his  cheer- 
ing encouragements  in  moments  of  difiiculty  and  despondency,  his 
sound  advice  based  upon  his  wide  and  varied  experience,  at  all 
times  willingly  given,  his  more  than  fatherly  affection  and  sympa- 
thy in  many  trying  circumstances  of  my  life,  fill  me  with  the  deep- 
est sense  of  gratitude,  as  I  recall  it  all,  and  lay  me  under  such 
obligations  of  filial  respect  and  esteem  for  him  as  I  can  never  re- 
pay. 

"  My  relations  with  the  vestry  have  always  been  of  the  most 
agreeable  nature.  To  most  of  you  gentlemen,  individually,  I  am 
indebted  for  many  acts  of  personal  kindness  and  most  valuable  as- 
sistance in  the  performance  of  my  duties.  I  pray  you  to  accept 
my  warmest  thanks  for  the  same,  and  believe  that  I  shall  ever  hold 
you  in  grateful  remembrance. 

"  May  the  Great  Shepherd  of  us  all  provide  a  fitting  pastor  to  a 
people  I  have  learned  to  love  in  Christ  sincerely,  and  from  whom 
I  have  received  unmistakable  evidences  of  their  attachment  and 
respect,  and  from  whom  therefore  I  cannot  part  but  with  feelings 
of  uncontrollable  emotion.     With  respect  I  am, 

"  Very  sincerely  yours, 

New  York,  May  4th,  1871.  "  C.  S.  Stephenson." 

"  Most  valuable  men  had  Mr.  Bolton  and  Mr.  Stephenson 
proved  themselves.  Their  labors  in  their  most  difficult  and  trying 
field  had  been  unceasing  and  most  faithful.  Happy  indeed  was  the 
selection  of  such  earnest  and  devoted  men,  true  servants  of  the  Lord 
who  had  called  them  and  wliom  they  so  faithfully  served. 

'*  The  llev.  Eastburn  Brown  was  appointed  to  succeed  IMr. 
Stephenson,  and  commenced  bis  ministry  in  the  Chapel  on  Janu- 
ary 1st,  1871.     Of  him  the  next  report  speaks  : 


6i2  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

*'  We  have  found  much  reason  for  gratitude  that  God  has  sent 
him  among  us  for  this  important  work.  His  first  report  will  show 
how  manifestly  adapted  he  is  to  a  ministry  of  such  responsibility 
and  comprehension.  We  find  the  utmost  satisfaction  among  the 
families  and  schools  in  the  Chapel  of  Free  Grace,  with  the  char- 
acter and  influence  of  his  public   and  pastoral   service." 

This  report  also  makes  mention  of  the  loss  of  one  who  for  nine 
years  had  been,  as  one  of  the  trustees,  most  devoted  to  the  mission, 
and  who  with  many  others,  no  less  faithful,  should  not  be  omitted 
from  mention  in  its  history. 

"  In  connection  with  this  Chapel,  we  have  to  mourn  with  the 
tenderest  affection  the  sudden  and  unexpected  departure  of  our 
faithful  coadjutor,  Mr.  Francis  M.  Babcock.  His  generosity, 
punctuahty,  and  fidelity  in  this  department  of  voluntary  duty 
were  very  remarkable.  He  could  afford  to  give  much  time  and 
thought  to  its  management,  a  privilege  which  is  denied  to  many  of 
our  active  religious  men.  And  liberal  as  were  his  pecuniary  gifts 
to  the  support  of  our  various  plans,  his  personal  services  were 
still  more  valuable.  His  whole  relation  to  us  was  agreeable  and 
exemplary. 

In  1871  the  project  of  a  new  German  Chapel  was  resumed. 
The  necessity  of  it  had  become  more  and  more  apparent.  The 
Bread  of  Life  Mission  had  for  some  time  been  located  in  a  room 
which  was  totally  unsuitable  to  it,  and  required  such  accommoda- 
tion as  could  only  be  provided  by  the  erection  of  another  chapel. 

An  effort  was  made  to  buy  a  church  at  the  corner  of  Avenue 
"  C  "  and  Fourth  Street,  which  was  then  for  sale.  This,  if  it  had 
been  successfully  accomplished,  would  have  established  the  German 
Mission  in  a  most  desirable  location.  But  unfortunately  the  title 
to  the  property  was  found  to  be  defective  and  the  negotiations 
were  abandoned.  It  was  finally  decided  to  buy  a  lot  adjoining  the 
German  Chapel  in  Fourteenth  Street,  and  rebuild  it  on  the  same 
site,  providing  in  it  abundant  room  for  the  Bread  of  Life  Mission, 
as  well  as  that  to  the  Germans,  and  this  plan  was  most  success- 
fully accomplished,  at  a  total  cost  of  forty  thousand  dollars,  though 
it  required  an  entirely  new  building  in  every  part. 

The  Chapel  so  arranged  for  the  two  schools  was  completed  in 
the  fall  of  1872,  and  in  it  they  were  carried  on,  with  great  success, 
through  the  succeeding  years. 

In  1871,  the  charge  of  the  Bread  of  Life  Mission  was  assumed 
by  Mr.  William  H.  Philips,  and  through  his  efforts  and  those  of 
the  earnest  and  faithful  teachers  engaged  with  him,   it   attained   a 


Sunday- School  aiid  Mission    Work,  613 

truly  wonderful  success.  The  whole  expense  of  the  furnishing 
and  adornment  of  their  Chapel  was  borne  by  them,  and  in  each 
year  they  provided  from  their  own  means  and  collections  nearly 
the  whole  amount  that  was  required  by  them  in  their  benevolent 
work. 

Of  the  arrangements  of  the  work  of  this  Mission,  one  of  the 
largest  in  the  city,  and  of  the  skiU  with  which  it  was  managed,  in- 
teresting details  might  be  given.  The  following  extract  from  the 
Annual  Keport  in  1877,  will,  however,  indicate  the  spirit  and  plan 
of  the  effort: 

"  The  work  of  the  Mission  has  been  continued  through  the 
year  without  interruption,  and  extended  in  its  usefulnerss  to  the 
limit  of  the  space  in  which  it  is  confined.  It  has  enlisted  in  larger 
measure  the  assistance  and  support  necessary  to  maintain  an  active 
and  aggressive  service.  Those  connected  with  this  organization 
believe  that  it  could  as  easily  gather  and  provide  for  the  instruction 
of  fifteen  hundred  children,  with  the  room  to  accommodate  them, 
as  for  the  number  they  now  have  under  their  care.  For  want  of 
room,  admission  has  been  refused,  Sunday  after  Sunday,  to  those 
wishing  and  waiting  to  be  taught  in  our  school. 

"  Without  any  desire  on  our  part  for  additional  resi^onsibility 
and  care,  the  need  of  our  work  for  'morie  space  is  pressing  itself 
upon  our  attention,  and  if  the  present  control  of  this  Mission  is  to  be 
retained,  this  necessary  provision  should  be  made. 

"  A  work  that  is  alive,  as  this  of  ours  undoubtedly  is,  has  a  nat- 
ural growth,  which  cannot  be  cut  off  or  confined  to  a  limited  space 
without  doing  injury  to  every  part  of  it.  We  cannot  divide  families 
of  growing  children  and  send  the  younger  members  from  our  doors, 
neither  can  we  graduate  or  exclude  the  older  ones  who  will  remain 
under  our  care.  As  it  is,  we  are  doing  wrong  to  allow  the  large 
number  we  assemble  to  meet  in  this  upper  room,  for  if  a  fire  or 
anything  to  create  a  panic  should  occur,  it  would  be  difficult,  under 
any  control,  to  get  out  of  the  building  in  safety. 

"While  the  location  of  the  Chapel  in  the  midst  of  a  dense  Ger- 
man Protestant  population  has  very  much  to  do  with  the  success  of 
our  undertaking,  the  system  and  method  adopted  in  carrying  on 
the  work  is  an  important  aid  to  its  prosperity.  Exchanging  privi- 
lege and  favor  for  faithfulness  and  obedience  is  in  practice  as  at- 
tractive to  our  young  people  as  it  has  been  profitable  in  result.  "We 
do  not  have  the  floating  and  continually  changing  numbers  we  used 
to  teach,  with  a  large  attendance  at  one  season  and  a  very  small  one 
at  another,  the  most  unsatisfactory  and  discouraging  experience  in 


6 14  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D,D,    . 

a  work  like  ours;  but  we  have  now  a  regular  and  loyal  number, 
who  enjoy  the  place  and  privilege  belonging  to  them,  and  under 
our  continual  care  are  being  brought  up  to  be  goo^  citizens,  and 
we  trust,  Christian  men  and  women.  To  secure  this  regular  and 
faithful  attendance  we  have  spared  nothing,  and  freely  given  our 
personal  comfort  and  labor.  In  order  to  receive  and  instruct  the 
largest  number  possible,  we  have  divided  our  school,  holding  one 
session  in  the  morning  for  Bible  classes,  and  another  in  the  after- 
noon for  the  primary  department. 

"  Our  mission  has  always  enjoyed  the  help  of  faithful  teachers, 
personally  interested  in  the  work  and  ready  to  do  anything  re- 
quired of  them  for  its  complete  success.  It  would  be  very  difficult 
to  find  elsewhere  the  same  number  of  Christian  men  and  women 
associated  together,  willing  and  competent  to  teach  others,  and, 
it  is  certam,  nothing  more  united  or  harmonious  could  be  desired 
than  is  to  be  found  in  this  association. 

"  Our  Christmas  Festival  was  held  in  St.  George's  Church  on 
Wednesday  evening,  the  27th  of  December.  Knowing  that  we 
could  not  assemble  more  than  one-half  of  our  children  in  our  own 
room,  and  that  we  had  never  been  able  to  admit  their  parents  or 
friends  to  the  enjoyment  of  any  festival  occasion,  we  determined  to 
apply  for  the  church  for  our  use.  Our  request  was  immediately 
granted  by  the  Kector  and  Vestry,  and  we  wish  to  record  our 
thanks  for  their  kindness.  Proper  care  was  taken  to  protect  the 
church  and  private  property  from  injury,  and  nothing  more  order- 
ly or  becoming  in  the  house  of  God  could  be  desired  than  the  occa- 
sion presented.  To  those  of  us  especially  who  have  labored  to- 
gether so  long  in  this  connection,  and  were  identified  with  the  Mis- 
sion in  its  feebleness,  and  when  it  met  in  the  Fourteenth  Street 
blacksmith-shop  building,  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  children  to 
teach,  and  have  been  permitted  to  see  the  work  rapidly  growing 
and  blessed  in  our  hands,  this  celebration,  assembling  seven  hun- 
dred scholars,  who,  with  their  parents  and  our  own  friends,  filled 
St.  George's  Church,  was  an  event  of  peculiar  pleasure  and  the  sub- 
ject of  mutual  congratulation. 

*'To  aid  in  retaining  the  attendance  of  scholars  who  have 
reached  an  age  of  self-dependence  and  then  usually  abandon  Sun- 
day-school instruction,  an  association  has  been  formed  which  has 
regularly  met  during  the  latter  part  of  the  year  for  self-improve- 
ment. This  organization  is  under  our  own  care  and  direction,  and 
promises  to  serve  the  double  purpose  of  interesting  and  improving 
its  members,  and  of  holding  them  within  our  influence  at  a  time 


Sunday -School  and  Mission    Work,  6i5 

when  they  are  exposed  to  the  strength  of  temptation  and  especially 
need  our  care.  To  be  successful  in  our  mission  to  the  grown-up 
young  men  and^ women  who  have  been  and  are  now  members  of 
our  school,  we  require  a  suitable  room  for  a  Bible  class. 

"  A  very  necessary  and  helpful  work  was  commenced  in  the  fall, 
continued  during  the  winter,  and  is  still  carried  on  by  a  number  of 
ladies,  who  have  organized  a  Helping  Hand  Association  in  our 
Chapel.  This  truly  benevolent  organization  has  furnished  invalua- 
ble aid  to  the  mission  work  generally,  and  without  its  assistance, 
through  a  season  of  unusual  distress,  the  position  of  the  writer 
would  have  been  intolerable.  It  was  started  upon  the  correct  prin- 
ciple that  it  is  charitable  to  help  those  who,  however  feeble  they 
may  be,  are  willing  in  some  measure  to  help  themselves.  Com- 
mencing their  work,  the  ladies  invited  all  the  mothers  of  the  chil- 
dren belonging  to  the  Mission  to  an  afternoon  tea-party,  for  which 
they  provided,  and  in  this  way  they  were  brought  in  personal  con- 
tact with  a  large  number  deserving  and  needing  help.  They  have 
personally  and  carefully  investigated  every  application  made  to 
them  for  aid,  and,  in  accordance  with  their  rules  and  method,  have 
assisted  all  who  were  found  to  be  worthy,  during  the  winter.  They 
have  provided  and  kept  for  sale  to  the  families  connected  with  the 
Mission,  coal,  coffee,  tea,  etc.,  of  the  very  best  quality  at  wholesale 
prices  and  in  small  quantities.  For  information  relative  to  the 
number  of  garments  that  have  been  made  and  given  away  we 
would  refer  to  the  report  of  the  Helping  Hand  Society,  which  is 
published  under  separate  covers.  The  ^^lans  of  this  Association 
should  be  examined  and  adopted  elsewhere  in  charitable  mission 
work,  and  the  personal  visitations,  and  self-sacrificing  labor  of  the 
ladies  connected  with  it  cannot  be  too  highly  commended. 

"  It  would  be  a  pleasing  service,  if  it  were  possible,  to  mention 
the  very  many  acts  of  benevolence  quietly  performed  by  the  teach- 
ers of  the  mission  during  the  year,  that  have  come  to  our  knowl- 
edge, but  there  is  no  record  of  them,  and  there  is  no  report  made 
of  our  general  charity  work.  Any  report  from  us  would  be  in- 
complete that  did  not  mention  the  confidence  and  sympathy  of  the 
Rector  of  the  church  in  all  we  have  undertaken  ;  but  for  his  en- 
couragement, government,  and  mfluence  over  us  through  the  past 
there  would  be  no  Bread  of  Life  Mission  worthy  of  the  name. 

"  William  H.   Puilips.  " 

In  December,  1874,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brown  resigned  the  charge 
of  tlie  Chapel  of  Free  Grace,  and   for  a  year  it  was  placed  under 


6i6  Rev,  Stephe7i  Higginsoii   Tyrig,  D,D, 

temporary  appointments,  until  in  December,  1875,  the  Eev.  Anselm 
Buchanan  was  appointed  minister  in  charge. 

The  two  remaining  years  yield  no  facts  which  demand  especial 
record.  The  work  continued  most  successful  and  satisfactory  in  all 
its  results  and  undiminished  in  its  demands.  The  ability  to  meet 
these  was  much  affected,  however,  by  the  changes  in  the  congrega- 
tion of  the  church,  which  removed  many  of  the  largest  contribu- 
tors, and  most  earnest  supporters  of  the  work.  The  failure  of  Dr. 
Tyng's  health  also  prevented  his  carrying  the  same  amount  of  re- 
sponsibility as  during  preceding  years,  and  rendered  him  unable 
to  give  to  the  mission  work  the  same  personal  care  it  had  formally 
received.  From  these  various  causes,  difficulty  in  the  maintenance 
of  the  work  could  only  be  expected. 

Such  in  mere  outline  is  a  history  of  the  Mission  "Work  of  St. 
George's  Church.  It  could  be  enlarged  with  much  interest  and 
to  much  advantage.  The  changes  which  have  been  made  in  the 
organization,  the  disposal  of  the  chapels  and  consequent  disbanding 
of  the  various  congregations  and  schools  were  all  subsequent  to  his 
retirement  from  the  rectorship,  and  are  not  therefore  a  subject  for 
record  in  the  present  history. 

Twenty-seven  years  had  passed  from  its  beginning  in  1851, 
when,  in  1878,  Dr.  Tyng's  responsibility  for  it  ceased.  A  new 
generation  had  grown  up  during  this  time,  but  year  after  year 
the  work  went  on.  No  occasional  or  temporary  need  of  any 
kind  had  ever  diminished  the  support  given  to  it,  and  Dr. 
Tyng  continued  the  guide  and  leader  through  it  all.  Not  a  Con- 
firmation, not  a  Christmas  festival  was  held  in  any  of  the  chapels 
which  he,  if  able,  failed  to  attend,  looked  for  and  welcomed  by 
children  and  people  with  unceasing  affection.  The  variety  and 
magnitude  of  the  care  which  devolved  upon  him  in  connection  with 
this  work,  it  would  be  difficult  to  describe.  Whether  it  was  the 
building  of  a  chapel,  and  the  provision  of  the  means  therefor,  the 
selection  of  a  minister,  or  the  settlement  of  some  difficulty  encoun- 
tered, was  equally  a  duty  which  he  assumed  and  fulfilled. 

In  the  Eighteen  years,  from  1860  to  1878,  from  the  building  of 
the  first  Chapel  to  the  close  of  his  ministry,  the  aggregate  of  the 
expenditure  of  St.  George's  Church  in  this  work  was  nearly  Two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  ;  of  this  Eighty-one  thousand 
dollars  was  required  in  the  erection  of  the  buildings  and  less 
than  twenty  thousand  dollars  had  been  drawn  from  the  corporate 
funds  of  the  church,  for  either  the  estabhshment  or  maintenance 
of   the  work.     All   the  remainder  had  been  freely  supplied  by 


Sunday -School  and  Mission    Work,  617 

people  and  children,  to  carry  to  the  poor  a  free  gospel  with  all  its 
accompanying  blessings. 

Grand  as  ^  was  the  result  in  outlay  and  labor,  equally  great 
as  was  the  influence  upon  those  for  whom  it  was  expended,  who 
can  estimate  the  blessing  it  brought  to  those  who  week  after  week, 
in  season  and  out  of  season,  labored  so  faithfully,  "  if  by  any  means 
they  might  save  some.''  It  was,  however,  only  one  of  the  many 
fields  in  which  both  young  and  old  of  St.  George's  loved  to  labor, 
and  in  which  the  much  loved  Pastor  and  his  equally  loved  people 
united  in  their  Master's  service. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

RETIREMENT,  1878  to  1885. 

The  record  of  the  closing  years  of  Dr.  Tyng's  life,  must  needs 
be  short.  When  he  retired  from  the  rectorship  of  St.  George's 
Church,  his  work  was  done  and  his  life  in  all  its  public  interests 
and  employments  practically  ended.  While  grateful  for  relief 
from  the  pressing  responsibilities  and  cares  of  his  office,  and  such 
proof  of  affection  and  consideration  as  had  been  exhibited  in  the 
provision  for  his  comfort  during  the  remaining  years  of  life,  he 
yet  viewed  with  no  pleasure  any  period  of  inaction,  and  a  life  with- 
out the  claims  of  occupation  and  free  from  the  constraints* of  duty 
presented  no  attraction. 

The  associations  and  many  ties  by  which  he  was  bound  to  St. 
George's  and  its  people  could  not  be  severed  without  many  pangs. 
It  had  been  his  hope  that  the  end  of  life  would  come  and  that  he 
should  take  his  departure  in  the  very  midst  of  the  activities  of  his 
ministry  ;  that  he  might  not  live  to  pass  years  of  weakness  and 
senility,  yet  such  was  to  be  the  dispensation  of  God's  will  con- 
cerning him.  He  was  to  be  called  to  realize  in  all  their  truth  the 
words  of  the  Lord's  affectionate  address  to  Peter,  "  When  thou  shalt 
be  old,  thou  shalt  stretch  forth  thy  hands  and  another  shall  gird 
thee  and  carry  thee  whither  thou  wouldst  not." 

Some  years,  however,  were  yet  to  pass  before  this  period  ar- 
rived, and  in  these,  as  his  strength  would  permit,  he  still  continued 
his  Master's  work,  as  its  way  was  opened  to  him.  He  yearned  for 
the  continued  usefulness  for  which  he  still  felt  capable,  and  even  at 
times  when  his  strength  was  inadequate  for  the  exertion,  he  could 
not  be  persuaded  to  desist  from  that  which  had  been  to  him  the 
privilege  and  purpose  of  life,  the  proclamation  of  the  gospel  of 
the  Son  of  God — the  one  and  only  way  of  salvation  for  man.  It 
was  the  theme  of  his  first  sermon,  it  was  the  theme  of  his  last,  it 
had  been  the  theme  of  every  one  of  the  thousands  of  lectures 
and  sermons  which  his  Bible  records,  during  sixty  years  of  active 
ministr3\- 
618 


Retirement,  i8j8  to  i88^.  6 1 9 

Many  weie  the  testimonies  of  love  and  gratitude  which  flowed 
in  to  him  when  his  retirement  became  known.  Friends  far  and 
wide  joined  in  a  common  expression  of  their  feeling,  to  cheer  and 
comfort  him  as  he  entered  upon  the  new  hfe  which  now  lay  before 
him,  and  united  affection  testified  to  the  value  of  the  work  he  had 
now  ended  , 

*'  From  the  many  letters  of  this  character  which  were  then  re- 
ceived it  would  be  difficult  to  make  a  selection.  One,  however,  so 
fuUy  expresses  the  writer's  gratitude  for  the  instruction  which  he 
had  received  and  the  sum  of  Dr.  Tyng's  teaching,  that  it  should 
not  be  omitted.  It  was  from  a  distinguished  professor  in  the 
Theological  School  of  another  denomination  and  reads: 

My  Dear  Dr.  Tyng  : — I  feel  very  sure,  if  I  am  permitted  to 
meet  you  in  the  many  mansions  which  Jesus  has  prepared  for  those 
who  love  Him,  my  impulse  would  be  to  recall  to  your  mind  that  it 
was  by  your  clear  and  faithful  preaching  of  the  gospel  I  was 
brought  to  know  Him  who  had  given  Himself  for  me.  After  years 
of  battle  with  my  heart  and  my  sins,  and  in  despair  of  finding  re- 
lief, I  heard  you  explain  the  way  of  salvation,  and  through  the  om- 
nipotent grace  of  God  I  found  rest  in  Jesus,  And  now,  after 
twenty-five  years  of  proof  of  the  truth  of  your  views,  I  turn,  as  I 
have  ever  turned,  with  fond  and  grateful  recollection  to  the  time 
and  the  means  of  my  first  belief.  And  I  want  to  tell  you,  while  we 
are  both  here  on  earth,  somewhat  of  my  debt  to  you,  and  in  heaven 
I  can  rehearse  it  in  better  words. 

The  longer  I  live  and  the  more  I  hear  of  j^reaching  of  a  very 
uncertain  sound,  the  more  I  feel  the  blessing  1  enjoyed  in  listening, 
when  first  I  believed,  to  the  clear  and  distinct  presentation  of 
Christ  as  the  only  and  the  all-sufficient  Saviour.  I  praise  God 
for  His  grace  to  you  in  giving  you  so  clear  an  apprehension  of 
Jesus  only,  and  that  I  sat  under  your  doctrinal  and  experimental 
preaching  of  Him  who  is  al)le  to  save  to  the  uttermost.  If  I  have 
been  saved  from  painful  mistakes  about  Jesus,  which  have  become 
so  frequent  in  latter  years,  I  attribute  it  to  the  instruction  I  re- 
ceived at  that  time  when  fundamental  views  are  in  process  of 
form  in jj. 

au  ght  me  to  distinguish  carefully  between  grace  and 
works,  between  the  gift  of  salvation  and  the  life  of  the  saved,  be- 
tween a  *  downright '  salvation  and  a  conditional  salvation.  You 
taught  me  the  nature  of  sin  and  its  deserts,  and  the  absolute  hope- 
lessness of  human  strength  to  cleanse  us  or  bring  us  nearer  God. 


620  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

And  you  set  forth,  with  a  persuasive  iteration  that  impressed  me, 
that  the  life  of  the  redeemed  is  a  hfe  of  gratitude  to  Him  who  so 
ioved  us  as  to  give  Himself  for  us. 

Years  deepen  my  conviction  of  the  inestimable  value  of  such 
teaching.  I  have  had  and  still  have  errors  enough  to  overcome  by 
the  study  of  God's  word,  but  the  more  I  have  read  the  more 
clearly  do  the  truths  you  first  taught  me  appear  upon  the  page. 
I  have  been  called  to  teach  young  men  who  are  candidates  for  the 
ministry  of  the  word,  and  fully  half  my  time  has  been  occupied  in 
trying  to  correct  the  false  views  they  acquired  in  their  early  Chris- 
tian training,  false  views  of  Christ  and  their  relation  to  Him,  views 
that  never  troubled  me,  because  I  had  enjoyed  the  training  that 
obviated  them.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  I  see  all  things  clearlyj 
far  from  it.  But  if  I  do  not  see  with  unobstructed  vision  it  is  not 
because  I  was  not  clearly  taught  the  way  of  God  in  saving  a  souL 

I  and  mine  look  back  with  thankfulness  to  the  hand  that  led 
us  where,  "  in  demonstration  of  the  Spirit  and  of  power,"  the  tes- 
timony of  Jesus  was  the  unfailing  subject  of  thought  and  dis- 
course.    We  thank  God  for  j^our  ministry. 

The  blessings  I  enjoyed  under  your  ministry,  very  many  others 
enjoyed  also.  We  are  scattered  abroad,  but,  in  one  sense,  your 
ministry  will  be  multiplied  by  all  who  have  learned  through  you 
to  love  Jesus;  they  will  go  everywhere  preaching  the  word,  and  long 
as  memory  lasts  they  will  lift  up  their  hearts  in  gratitude  to  God 
that  they  heard  His  word  from  you.  May  the  richest  blessings 
dispensed  by  the  pierced  hand  of  Jesus  be  your  portion.  Believe 
me.  Very  respectfully  and  truly  yours, 

Another,  is  of  particular  interest,  not  only  from  the  relation 
in  which  its  writer  had  stood,  but  from  its  pertinence  to  the  sub- 
ject which  then  occupied  Dr.  Tyng's  mind.  It  was  as  follows,  from 
Bishop  Bedell,  of  the  Diocese  of  Ohio: 

Diocese  of  Ohio,  Cleveland,  April  ^Oth,  1878. 

My  Dear  Friend — Julia  and  I  beg  permission  to  write  to  you  on 
the  occasion  of  your  retirement  from  active  parish  work,  with  an 
expression  of  our  hearty  sympathy. 

Whether  you  feel  it  to  be  a  subject  of  congratulation  or  of  con- 
dolence, our  hearts  are  with  you.  For  if  the  event  has  any  sadness 
in  it,  it  certainly  has  equally,  if  not  more,  of  the  glad  and  joyous. 
It  is  a  prophecy  of  the  Lord's  "Well  done;"  His  own  acceptance 
of  a  good  day's  work  well  finished,  and  His  own  gracious  loosing  of 


Retirement,  i8y8  to  i88^,  621 

the  bands  which,  whilst  they  held  you  so  closely  to  labor,  held  you 
also  away  from  His  reward  of  it.  It  seems  to  us  a  very  kind  order- 
ing which  provides  for  you  an  interval  of  quiet,  honorable  and  hon- 
ored repose,  between  a  busy  life,  and  a  joyously  active  eternity;  an 
interval  for  quiet  reflection,  before  entering  on  the  achievements  of 
the  grander  hfe  which  is  to  come.  And  it  seems  to  us  that  you  are 
peculiarly  fortunate,  in  that  this  interval  finds  you  in  full  possession 
of  your  intellectual  and  spiritual  powers.  How  wonderfully  and 
graciously  the  Lord  has  led  you,  and  how  happily  you  have  been 
able  to  seize  and  appropriate  the  opportunities  for  usefulness !  And 
how  grandly  you  have  been  permitted  to  stand  as  a  witness  for  the 
old  truths,  in  a  generation  which  is  as  rapidly  forgetting  them,  as 
it  is  forgetting  the  men  who  uttered  them.  Neither  of  us  has 
ever  forgotten  your  sermon,  "  I  have  set  my  face  as  a  flint."  It 
was  characteristic,  and  has  been  descriptive. 

And  now  if  the  good  Lord  will  permit  you  to  complete  your  work, 
by  gathering  up  the  results  of  your  ministry,  and  stating  the  prin- 
ciples by  which,  humanly  speaking,  they  were  attained,  a  treasure 
of  pastoral  divinity  will  be  given  to  the  Church  which  could  not 
now  be  equalled  in  value  by  continued  pastoral  labor. 

Wishing  you  every  blessing,  and  assuring  you  of  our  love  from 
both  of  us,  believe  me,  Sincerely  and  affectionately  yours, 

G.  T.  Bedell. 

In  pursuance  of  a  purpose  similar  to  that  which  was  so  affec- 
tionately urged  by  Bishop  Bedell,  Dr.  Tyng  had  occupied  his  leisure 
hours  during  the  previous  year,  in  writing  the  story  of  his  early 
life  and  ministry.  And  now  when  the  need  of  occupation  was  ex- 
perienced, he  engaged  in  a  continuation  of  the  history,  with  the 
intention  that  it  should  be  a  permanent  record  of  the  history  of  St. 
George's  Church  in  all  its  relations  and  events.  Little  progress 
was,  however,  made.  And  it  was  soon  set  aside,  when  only  sketched 
in  rough  outline  sufficient  to  indicate  his  plan  and  wish,  to  whom- 
soever might,  at  some  future  time,  undertake  the  completion  of  the 
task. 

The  lines  which  were  thus  drawn,  it  may  be  needless  to  say, 
have  been  closely  and  reverently  followed  in  this  continuation  of 
the  work.  All  the  words  which  he  wrote  have  been  incorporated 
in  the  connections  in  which  they  were  originally  placed,  and  it  has 
been,  therefore,  but  the  accomplishment  of  his  projected  plan. 

The  condition  of  his  retirement  from  the  rectorship  of  St. 
George's  Church  involved  the  necessity  of  a  removal  from  its  rec- 


62  2  Rev,   Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

tor3%  which  had  been  his  home  for  so  many  years  past,  and  obliged 
him  to  seek  a  new  residence  for  the  years  to  come.  This  necessity 
was  accompUshed  during  the  summer  of  1878,  in  his  removal  to  a 
house  on  Lexington  Avenue,  which,  in  its  location  and  arrange- 
ment, seemed  to  be  particularly  adapted  to  his  need.  Here  the 
following  three  years  were  spent  in  the  enjoyment  of  every  comfort 
which  unfailing  affection  and  care  could  provide. 

The  removal  thus  made,  he  considered  as  terminating  all  his 
agency  in  the  affairs  of  St.  George's  Church.  In  the  doubtless 
erroneous  feeling  that  his  presence  there  would  embarrass  rather 
than  assist  his  successor's  work,  he  from  this  time  abstained  from 
any  participation  in  its  services,  though  its  rector  frequently  and 
most  cordially  invited  him  to  unite  in  its  worship.  An  occasional 
officiating  in  the  families  of  some  of  his  former  parishioners  was 
henceforth  his  only  engagement  in  its  work,  but  his  heart  remained 
there  still  and  his  devotion  to  St.  George's  and  his  constant  thought 
for  its  prosperity  continued  undiminished  and  unchanged. 

The  Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  which  then  was  under  the 
pastoral  care  of  his  son,  Stephen,  in  its  convenience  of  access  and 
the  affectionate  attention  of  its  members,  became  a  place  of  great 
delight.  In  the  enjoyment  of  the  ministry  of  his  son,  he  found  un- 
faiUng  comfort,  and  it  was  a  home  in  which  he  was  venerated  and 
welcomed  as  an  honored  father,  alike  by  pastor  and  people.  At 
their  request,  in  the  fall  of  1878,  he  undertook  the  delivery  of  a 
course  of  sermons  to  the  young,  on  Sunday  afternoons,  and  was 
thus  occupied  during  the  following  months,  the  "  Mountains  of 
Scripture,"  the  lesson  taught  by  each,  being  the  subject  of  succes- 
sive lectures.  His  strength  was,  however,  unequal  to  such  con- 
tinued exertion,  and  obliged,  on  this  account,  to  relinquish  the 
effort,  he  would  not  again  attempt  more  than  an  occasional  address 
or  sermon  at  longer  intervals. 

On  the  closing  days  of  the  month  of  October  in  this  year,  a 
conference  was  held,  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  of  those  of 
all  denominations  holding  a  belief  in  the  pre-millennial  coming  of 

Christ. 

Dr.  Tyng  had  been  invited,  and  expected  to  preside  over  its 
meetings,  and  to  open  the  conference,  but  he  was  unable  to  be 
present.  He  sent  an  address,  however,  which  was  read  by  the 
Eev.  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  Jr.,  and  of  which  the  following  synopsis 
was  reported: 

"  We  meet  here,  in  the  name  of  our  exalted  Kedeemer,  as  be- 
lievers in  His  divinity,  His  incarnation,  His  future  final  return  to 


Retireme7it,  i8j8  to  i88^,  623 

earth  as  the  final  judge  of  men.  Our  personal  bond  of  union  is  the 
participation  in  this  excellence  and  these  attainments  of  man's 
Redeemer.  Our  whole  spiritual  heavenly  life  depends  upon  this 
vital  connection  with  Him.  The  future  glorious  coming  of  Jesus 
is  the  very  life  of  the  hopes,  the  inheritance  of  His  people.  Our 
relation  is  to  be  wholly  a  personal  one  with  Him.  How  much  the 
Saviour  dwelt  upon  this  personal  relation  in  His  last  interview 
with  His  disciples,  and  how  little  some  portions  of  modern  Christi- 
anity seem  to  realize  it !  Living  in  Christ,  looking  forward  to  the 
promised  coming  of  Christ,  and  to  an  everlasting  dwelling  with 
Christ,  have  made  up  the  character,  the  joy  and  the  hope  of  true 
believers  in  every  age,  and  these  constitute  their  significant  de- 
scription with  equal  certainty  in  our  day. 

"  In  the  sure  confidence  of  the  reality  of  this  personal  advent  of 
the  Saviour  to  the  earth,  in  the  certainty  of  the  confidence  that  the 
time  of  His  glorious  advent  draweth  near,  we  stand  and  wait. 
Knowledge  and  interest  in  connection  with  this  great  event  on 
earth  have  vastly  increased,  and  increasing  multitudes  are  looking 
for  the  Lord's  appearing.  But  some  of  us  also  believe  that  as  a 
fact  in  the  history  of  man  involving  consequences  of  immense  ex- 
tent and  importance,  this  great  manifestation  standeth  at  the  door, 
and,  while  many  sleep,  the  Son  of  Man  will  come.  In  this  solemn 
conviction  we  have  assembled  here,  bringing  together  our  several 
impressions,  convictions  and  studies,  that  we  may  individually  con- 
tribute to  the  general  fund  of  knowledge,  of  observation  and  convic- 
tion in  reference  to  this  great  event  in  the  history  of  the  earth." 

On  the  second  day  of  the  conference,  Dr.  Tyng  was  present, 
and  at  the  opening  of  the  afternoon  session  delivered  a  short 
address.  His  venerable  appearance  and  the  energy  with  which  he 
gave  his  testimony  to  the  main  doctrines  of  the  conference,  made 
a  remarkable  impression,  as  he  thus  spoke : 

"  I  hope  I  may  be  excused  in  the  opening  of  the  interesting 
service  of  this  afternoon — a  sight  so  new  to  me,  circumstances  so 
remarkable  in  my  experience, — for  saying  a  few  simple  words  in 
reference  to  the  whole  subject  now  before  us.  November  will  fin- 
ish the  fifty-ninth  year  of  ray  poor  laboring  in  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel.  Well  do  I  remember  more  than  fifty  years  ago  when  the 
great  truth  of  a  Saviour's  pre-raillennial  coming  burst  upon  my 
mind.  As  a  young  man  in  the  South,  travelling  long  distances  to 
preach  His  word,  I  was  met  with  much — I  will  not  say  ridicule, 
but  with  kind  and  affectionate  reraonRtranco.  The  world  was  un- 
prepared around  me  for  any  such  enunciation,  and  yet  it  seemed  to 


624  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

me  to  be  the  clearest  sunlight  of  the  page  of  Scripture,  involved  in 
every  real  promise  of  the  gospel,  and  making  the  one  great  foun- 
dation upon  which  all  the  truth  and  all  the  hope  of  that  gospel 
rested.  I  looked  at  it  then  entirely  alone.  I  scarcely  knew  a  min- 
ister of  any  class  around  me  that  would  believe  it  at  all.  It  seemed 
to  them  to  be  an  undervaluing  of  all  the  efforts  of  that  which  they 
called  the  Christian  Church. 

"  I  was  ready,  and  I  have  always  been  ready,  to  love  those  whom 
my  Master  loves,  and  wherever  I  find  the  temple  in  which  He 
dwells,  I  find  the  Church  which  I  acknowledge,  older  in  its  estab- 
lishment than  Apostolic  authority,  and  grander  and  wider  in  its 
extent  than  any  denominational  organization.  In  the  full  confi- 
dence that  the  divine  election  manifests  itself  in  those  whom  God 
had  chosen  in  a  complete  conversion  of  the  soul  to  Himself,  in 
a  Saviour's  love,  my  heart  and  hand  went  out  as  a  youthful  min- 
ister to  every  servant  of  Jesus,  wherever  I  met  him.  Methodists, 
Presbyterians,  Baptists,  all  seemed  to  me  like  brothers  of  another 
name,  as  I  had  brothers  of  almost  every  name  in  the  large  family 
in  which  I  was  born.  I  looked  at  them  as  brothers.  They  were 
not  less  my  brothers  because  not  called  by  my  name,  not  less 
near  to  me  because  called  by  names  which  not  one  around  me 
would  seem  to  acknowledge.  They  were  my  brethren.  They 
loved  the  same  Saviour.  They  had  found  their  peace  at  the  same 
footstool  of  grace  and  mercy.  They  had  been  created  anew  with 
the  same  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  they  came  to  me  as  face 
answereth  face  in  the  waters. 

"  I  have  known  no  Church  on  earth  so  absolute  as  the  Church 
of  God's  elect.  I  have  known  no  family  of  the  children  of  God  but 
that  which  bears  in  their  very  forehead  and  character  the  mark  of 
divine  acceptance,  the  work  of  divine  power  and  the  fruits  of  divine 
hohness.  The  languages  of  earth  are  multiplied,  the  language  of 
Heaven  is  but  one.  I  meet  my  brethren  here  on  that  basis. 
Nothing  can  be  sacrificed.  There  is  nothing  to  be  sacrificed,  when 
we  come  together  as  the  servants  of  our  God,  I  will  not  say  under 
the  shadow,  but  the  sunlight  of  our  glorious  hope.  I  beheve  as 
fully  in  the  personal  advent  of  my  blessed  Saviour  in  His  own  time 
as  in  the  sunrise  of  to-morrow  morning,  and  look  for  it  as  con- 
stantly. It  may  come  in  my  time.  Many  things  have  come  within 
this  period.  It  certainly  will  come  within  somebody's  time,  but 
anybody's  generation  in  which  it  does  come  will  find  multitudes 
still  doubting,  Pharisees  still  questioning,  Sadducees  still  oppos- 
ing, and,  I  trust,  many  children  of  Israel  looking   for   deliver- 


Retirement,  i8j8  to  i88^,  626 

ance  and  rejoicing  in  tlie  fulness  of  the  deliverance  wliicli  is  pre- 
sented. 

"  Dear  brethren,  after  listening  to  the  brethren  who  read  to  us 
this  morning,  I  went  home  and  felt  as  if  eagle's  wings  were  put 
upon  me  ;  a  new  flight,  a  new  purpose.  I  cannot  tell  you  the  joy 
that  comes  to  my  lonely  mind  upon  this  subject  in  hearing  such 
assevei*ations  of  the  truth.  The  Lord  be  praised  for  this  meeting. 
I  fully  believe  its  results  will  be  most  important  and  precious  to 
look  at  for  the  blessing  to  come  upon  all  churches  who  will  receive 
the  truth,  while  darkness  and  sadness  must  rest  upon  those  who 
will  refuse  it.  The  Lord  of  Heaven  be  with  us  and  bless  us,  and 
in  the  fulness  of  His  grace  accept  us  and  make  us  part  and  portion 
with  His  own  presence,  when  in  glory  He  shall  return  to  gather  His 
flock  into  one,  and  to  set  up  a  dominion  that  shall  be  without  end 
forevermore.'* 

His  thoughts  going  back  always  to  the  days  of  his  youth,  rested 
in  the  greatest  pleasure  in  the  memories  of  his  father,  while  New- 
buryport  seemed  always  the  one  place  to  which  his  affection  most 
tenaciously  clung.  When  one  of  its  prospered  sons,  Mr.  Tenney  of 
New  York,  proposed  to  present  to  his  native  place  a  statue  of 
"Washington  which  he  had  erected  there,  it  seemed  proper  that 
some  expression  should  be  made  by  others  not  less  ardent  in  their 
attachment.  A  meeting  of  the  sons  of  Newburyport  residing  in  the 
city  and  state  of  New  York  was  therefore  held,  and  Dr.  Tyng  hav- 
ing been  called  to  preside  over  it,  was  asked  to  i^repare  an  address 
to  be  presented  in  their  name,  at  the  unveiling  of  the  statue  on  the 
22nd  of  February,  1879.  It  was  a  pleasing  duty  to  comply  with 
this  invitation,  and  he  intended  to  be  present  on  the  occasion, 
but  his  health  at  the  time  forbiddinfr,  the  Rev.  George  Dudley 
Wildes,  D.D.,  his  much  loved  friend  and  fellow-townsman,  read  the 
address  which  had  been  thus  prepared,  expressing  the  filial  affec- 
tion with  which  his  birthplace  was  ever  regarded. 

The  summer  season  of  every  year  was  passed,  as  so  long  had 
been  his  custom,  in  his  country  home  at  Irvington.  This  peaceful 
retreat  now  seemed  to  possess  new  attractions  in  these  days  of 
enforced  repose,  and  the  time  of  his  removal  was  anticipated  and 
welcomed  in  each  returning  year.  There  his  days  were  spent  in 
quietness,  away  from  all  the  noise  and  confusion  of  which  he  soon 
wearied  in  liis  city  life,  and  for  hours  at  a  time  he  would  sit  in  the 
calmness  of  meditation  upon  the  scene  which  was  spread  out  before 
him.  His  thoughts,  as  thus  occupied,  are.  beautifully  expressed  in 
tho  following  letter  to  his  friend,  Canon  Carus,  with  whom  he  still 


626  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D,D, 

maintained  a  frequent  correspondence,  "  Carissima "  being  Mrs. 
Carus,  who  was  always  so  referred  to,  in  the  terms  of  affectionate 
friendship. 

"Cottage  Home," 
Irvington  on  Hudson, 
October  Vith^  1879. 

To  my  vert  Dear  Friend  and  Brother,  Wm.  Carus,  Winchester, 
England. 

My  Bear  Brotlier  :  It  is  the  morning  of  the  Sabbath  and  I  am 
in  my  little  rural  study.  I  am  too  invalid  to  be  at  Church,  which 
is  near  a  mile  distant,  and  I  am  here  ostensibly  alone.  But  Jesus  is 
rich  in  the  fulness  of  His  love.  My  "  Carissima,"  my  precious  wife, 
attends  upon  my  word.  And  my  thoughts,  swifter  than  the  wind, 
gather  around  my  English  friend  and  brother.  My  cottage  is  on 
the  bank  of  the  Hudson,  looking  westward.  The  margin  of  the 
noble  stream  is  perhaps  three  to  five  hundred  feet  distant  from  my 
windows.  Two  miles  and  more,  the  width  of  the  noble  stream,  the 
high  hills  of  the  opposite  bank  make  my  western  horizon,  and  thus, 
by  putting  into  place  my  puny  self,  you  can  imagine  me  ''  as  I  am,'' 
and  as  none  other  would.  I  desire  to  appear  before  a  friend,  whom 
I  have  loved  so  truly,  and  his  "  Carissima."  I  am  still  too  feeble 
in  health  to  undertake  labor  or  much  responsibility  of  thought. 
Blessed  be  God,  the  heart  knows  no  old  age,  and  its  outgoings  are 
not  straitened  by  "  length  of  days."  I  am  closing  my  eightieth 
year  of  earthly  life  and  my  sixtieth  year  of  Christian  ministry. 
How  wonderful  is  a  Saviour's  goodness,  to  employ  us  so  long  and 
to  bear  with  us  so  gently !  If  He  is  so  precious  to  us  in  this  Twi- 
light of  Earth,  what  will  He  be  in  the  Noon  of  Heaven  ? 

I  am  closing  a  life  of  remarkable  prosperity  and  of  unusual  and 
undeserved  success,  and  I  have  still  some  few  friends  upon  earth 
to  whom  I  can  pour  out  my  heart  without  grudging.  To  you 
and  your  Carissima  I  would  be  in  the  "  comparative  "  as  long  as  life 
shall  be  given  to  us  on  earth  and  in  the  higher  heavenly  school. 
How  true  it  is  "wi&ere  sin  hath  abounded,  grace  hath  so  much 
the  more  abounded.''  How  truly  each  child  of  God  feels  this, 
alone  knowing  the  plague  of  his  own  heart.  I  find  myself  so  de- 
ca^nng  that  I  cannot  look  forward  to  earthly  days,  but  O,  that 
Heavenly  Home,  when  those  eyes  shall  see  Him  whom  this  heart 

has  so  truly  loved. 

All  the  companions  of  my  youth  have  gone  before  me.   I  have  sent 
you  the  first  part  of  my  autobiography.     I  purpose,  if  the  gracious 


Retirement,  i8y8  to  i88^.  627 

Lord  shall  permit,  to  give  this  coming  winter  to  the  completion  of 
my  work  in  our  city  home,  to  which  we  remove  in  the  opening  of 
November.  But,  dear  brother,  what  deeper,  sharper  views  of  sin 
we  get  as  we  grow  older !  Inner  sin.  Hidden  sin.  Thought  sin, 
**  Who  can  know  how  oft  he  offendeth  ?  "  How  suited  to  us  is  that 
cry,  "  deliver  me  from  my  secret  faults.  Let  not  sin  have  domin- 
ion over  me.''  I  can  say,  with  my  dear  Bedell,  "  I  am  ready  to  take 
by  the  hand  the  most  guilty  sinner  that  ever  went  into  the  king- 
dom, and  go  with  him  in  the  united  cry,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a 
sinner.     This  man  receiveth  sinners  and  eateth  with  them." 

Do  not  think  me  formal  in  this.  I  love  you,  I  trust  you,  I  long 
to  see  you,  but  I  suppose  I  shall  not  again  on  the  earth.  But  we 
will  meet  at  the  throne  of  Jesus.  This  wide-flowing  stream  before 
me,  bearing  upon  its  bosom  without  injury  all  the  outcast  of  thous- 
ands of  acres — what  an  illustration  it  is  of  the  majestic,  flowing  love 
of  Jesus !  Rivers  of  water  !  A  new  river  every  hour,  never  lessening, 
never  hurrying,  majestically  confident,  deeper  than  man  has 
measured,  wider  than  man  can  see,  never  diminished.  What  an 
illustration  of  our  pracious  Lord  and  His  work,  His  covenant,  His 
office.  His  perennial  provision — and  now  love  to  Oarissima.  Fare- 
weU.  FaithfuUy, 

S.  H.  T. 

In  the  spring  of  1881,  the  lease  of  his  house  in  New  York  ex  - 
pired,  and  was  not  renewed,  a  new  location  in  the  city  appearing 
desirable.  This  was,  however,  postponed  until  the  ensuing  autumn, 
the  furniture  being  placed  in  a  warehouse  for  storage  during  the  in- 
tervening time.  Arrangements  had  just  been  made  for  its  removal 
in  October  of  the  same  year,  when  the  whole  was  destroyed  by  fire 
in  the  warehouse  in  which  it  had  been  placed,  and  a  change  in  all 
the  plans  for  the  winter  was  thus  made  necessary.  Not  only  was 
all  his  household  furniture  thus  lost,  but  the  books  and  papers 
which  had  been  the  accumulation  of  many  years.  Their  value 
could  not  be  estimated,  and  the  full  extent  of  the  loss  was  scarcely 
appreciated  until  this  work  was  undertaken.  Many  valuable  papers 
could  not  be  obtained,  even  by  the  most  diligent  search,  while  of 
others,  continued  inquiry  was  necessary  to  obtain  the  one  copy 
transcribed  for  the  purpose  of  this  history.  On  this  account,  there- 
fore, it  must  Rcom  in  some  respects  deficient,  though  every  effort 
has  been  made  to  avoid  any  important  omission.  Happily,  how- 
ever, the  larprest  number  of  his  manuscripts  had  been  deposited 
elsewhere,  and  were  safely  preserved,  while  all  else  was  lost 


628  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

When  further  residence  in  the  city  was  thus  prevented,  the 
house  at  Irvington  was  fitted  for  winter  occupation,  and  in  its  se- 
clusion the  remainder  of  Dr.  Tyng's  hfe  was  passed.  There,  watched 
over  with  the  most  devoted  care  by  his  faithful  wife,  and  ministered 
to  in  the  most  tender  affection  by  a  little  family  of  grandchildren, 
the  daughters  of  his  son  Morris,  the  shades  of  the  evening  of  life 
rapidly  encompassed  him. 

During  the  previous  year  the  failure  of  his  mental  powers  had 
become  increasingly  apparent,  this  fact  having  been  of  much  influ- 
ence in  the  determination  to  remain  at  Irvington.  From  this  time, 
however,  there  was  a  constant  decline,  a  continued  enfeebling  of 
mind,  though  his  physical  health  remained  unimpaired  and  the 
strength  of  his  constitution  appeared  to  resist  every  encroachment 
of  the  weakness  of  age.  It  was  a  brain  absolutely  worn  out  by  its 
incessant  activity,  incapable  of  application  or  judgment,  but  still 
perfectly  fixed  and  clear  in  all  its  religious  thought.  When  he 
had  become  unable  to  sustain  a  connected  conversation  on  any 
other  subject,  the  power  of  expression  on  this  remained  unchanged. 
It  was  constantly  and  wonderfully  exhibited  in  extemporaneous 
prayer  ;  frequently  hours  would  be  spent,  in  the  stillness  of  the 
night,  in  communion  with  his  God  and  Saviour,  to  whom  he 
seemed  so  near.  This  very  remarkable  feature  continued  even  to 
the  very  day  of  his  death.  That  which  was  mortal  in  him  was  fast 
crumbling  in  decay,  while  the  immortal  shone  forth  even  more 
brightly  in  its  every  revelation  and  expression. 

His  life  was  one  of  uninterrupted  peace.  Unruffled  by  any  dis- 
turbing thoughts,  unconscious  of  any  disquieting  cares,  from  month 
to  month,  and  even  from  year  to  year,  he  calmly  waited  his  Master's 
call.  Looking  upward  and  forward  with  eager  longing  to  the  rest 
which  he  must  soon  attain,  he  dwelt  in  the  anticipation  of  the  pres- 
ence of  his  Saviour  as  making  all  the  happiness  and  joy  of  the 
heavenly  home  to  which,  though  still  veiled  from  his  view,  he  was 
so  rapidly  hastening. 

His  physical  energy  and  vigor  were  as  remarkable  as  the  feat- 
ures of  his  mental  weakness.  Constant  pleasure  was  found  in  long 
walks,  which  were  repeated  every  day.  From  these,  though  fre- 
quently extended  for  miles,  he  would  return  without  a  symptom  of 
exhaustion,  though  his  companion  might  be  extremely  wearied 
from  the  exertion. 

Accompanied  by  a  faithful  attendant,  he  thus  wandered  in  con- 
stant delight,  known  and  affectionately  greeted  by  all  whom  he 
met,  like  an  aged  patriarch  among  the  people.     His  heart  seemed 


Retiremsnty  i8j8  to  1885,  629 

overflowing  witli  affection  and  with  peculiar  tenderness  to  little 
children.  These,  when  encountered  on  his  walks,  he  would  invari- 
ably stop  and  speak  to,  dismissing  them  always  with  his  blessing, 
and  frequently  with  some  words  of  prayer.  Such  a  mode  of  life 
was  continued  with  little  variation  to  within  a  few  days  of  his 
death.  Without  the  intervention  of  any  illness,  or  the  indication 
of  any  disease,  and  after  scarcely  more  than  one  day's  confinement 
to  his  bed,  he  j)assed  peacefully  and  unexpectedly  away,  as  in  the 
slumber  of  an  infant,  on  the  night  of  September  3rd,  1885.  The 
end  came  so  suddenly  and  quietly  that  the  moment  of  departure 
was  unknown  to  those  who  were  watching  at  his  side.  Without  & 
warning,  his  spirit  had  flown  to  its  heavenly  mansion,  and  he  was 
"  forever  with  the  Lord." 

On  Tuesday,  September  8th,  the  funeral  services  were  held  in 
St.  George's  Church.  They  were  most  solemn  and  impressive  in 
character,  the  church  being  draped  in  mourning,  and  every  token 
of  respect  given  by  its  vestry.  In  the  very  large  congregation 
were  assembled  large  numbers  of  former  parishioners,  who  had 
gathered  from  every  direction  on  this  occasion,  beside  representa- 
tives of  the  clergy  of  every  denomination.  The  ofiiciating  clergy 
were  the  Eight  Rev.  Alfred  Lee  of  Delaware,  the  Right  Rev.  Henry 
C.  Potter,  of  New  York,  the  Rev..  Dr.  Dix,  the  Rector  of  Trinity 
Church,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Newton,  who  had  been  a  successor  of  Dr. 
Tyng  in  both  St.  Paul's  Church  and  the  Church  of  the  Epiphany 
in  Philadelphia,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Benjamin,  Rector  of  St.  Barnabas' 
Church  at  Irvington,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Rainsford,  the  Rector,  and  the 
assistant  clergy  of  St.  George's  Church.  An  address  was  dehv- 
ered,  in  these  words,  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Alfred  Lee,  D.  D.,  LL.D., 
the  Presiding  Bishop  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and  a 
life-long  friend  and  associate  of  Dr.  Tyng  in  its  ministry : 

"  The  course  is  finished.  The  weary  life-jourue/  ended.  The 
day,  with  its  early  brightness  and  promise,  its  meridian  fervor  and 
shaded  evening  is  closed.  The  voice  that  has  often  echoed  within 
the  walls  of  this  si^acious  sanctuary,  and  which  has  aroused  manv  a 
slumbering  conscience,  is  now  hushed,  and  the  lips  that  had  uttered 
thrilling  exhortations  are  pallid  and  dumb. 

•'  Many  affecting  memories  are  awakened  by  this  solemn  funeral 
occasion  in  the  minds  of  those  who  know  the  departed  rector  of 
this  church  in  years  gone  by.  Wo  recall  vividly,  not  the  decrepit 
and  exliausted  invalid,  but  the  powerful  advocate  for  truth  and 
righteousness,  as  ho  stood  up  in  his  manly  and  unimpaired  vif^or, 
an  earnest,  fearless  ambassador  for  Christ 


630  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D,D» 

*'  The  current  of  Life  at  the  present  day  flows  on  swiftly — old 
landmarks  soon  sink  in  the  distance — the  men  who  were  promi- 
nent a  few  years  back  are  now  almost  forgotten — names  and  events 
of  a  half  century  or  a  quarter  century  ago  seem  already  historical. 
But  if  the  world  loses  sight  of  well-known  forms  and  the  recollec- 
tions of  the  Church  grow  faint  and  dim,  the  life-work  of  Stephen 
H.  Tyng  is  not  destined  to  perish.  '  He  that  doeth  the  will  of  God 
abide th  forever.'  His  hand- writing  was  not  upon  the  sand,  to  be 
effaced  by  the  returning  wave — but  is  inscribed  in  an  everlasting 
register,  and  indelibly  stamped  upon  souls  won  for  Christ.  '  I  have 
chosen  you  and  ordained  you  that  ye  should  go  and  bring  forth 
fruit,  and  that  your  fruit  should  remain.'  What  is  done  in  the 
name  and  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ  is  abiding  and  imperishable. 
There  are  those,  not  a  few,  now  living  unto  God,  active  in  the  Mas- 
ter's service,  who  were  brought  under  his  ministry  to  the  Saviour's 
feet,  some  of  them,  doubtless,  in  this  assembly  to-day.  There  are 
others,  jDrobably  a  still  greater  number,  w^ho  have  preceded  him 
and  have  crossed  the  boundary  line,  and,  it  may  be,  now  hail  with 
joy  his  entrance  into  their  blessedness. 

"  Dr.  Tyng  was  a  man  heartily  engaged  in  many  departments 
of  Christian  labor — a  busy  man  while  his  working  day  lasted — '  not 
slothful  in  business,  fervent  in  spirit.'  He  did  with  his  might  what 
his  hand  found  to  do,  and  never  overlooked  or  neglected  any  of  his 
pastoral  duties.  But  it  was  pre-eminently  as  a  preacher  that  he 
improved  his  talents,  honored  his  Lord  and  served  his  generation. 
Those  who  Hstened  to  him  in  the  culmination  of  his  powers  cannot 
forget  the  impression  made  by  his  sermons.  Our  Church  at  that 
period  was  small  in  numbers  and  extent  compared  with  its  present 
state  ;  but  its  pulpit  was  adorned  by  a  number  of  ministers  who, 
we  may  assert  without  disparagement  to  the  present  day,  have  not 
been  since  surpassed.  The  sermons  of  such  men  as  McHvaine, 
Bedell,  Hawks,  the  Johnses,  Elliott,  Burgess,  Vinton  and  others 
whom  I  could  name,  were  eloquent  and  instructive  in  a  high  de- 
gree, full  of  thought  and  beauty,  and  pervaded  with  an  unction 
from  above.  Among  these  eminent  and  honored  preachers  of  the 
Word,  Dr.  Tyng  stood  in  the  front  rank.  Each  had  his  peculiar 
excellences,  one  distinguished  in  this  respect  and  another  in  that. 
In  some  points  our  departed  brother  was  not  behind  the  cbiefest. 
There  was  intense  energy,  burning  zeal,  direct  and  pointed  appli-. 
cation,  which  powerfully  affected  his  hearers.  He  was  remarkably 
gifted  as  an  extempore  speaker.  His  words  flowed  in  an  unbroken 
stream,  a  torrent  of  thought  and  feeling  that  carried  congregatioBg 


Retirement,  i8j8  to  1885.  631 

with  him.  He  never  hesitated  for  a  word — and  the  word  used 
seemed  always  the  most  fitting — and  his  sentences  were  as  well 
rounded  and  complete  as  if  carefully  elaborated  at  the  desk.  But 
while  so  fluent  in  utterance,  he  did  not  become  merely  rhetorical  or 
declamatory.  His  sermons  were  enriched  by  the  fruits  of  patient 
study  and  previous  preparation.  He  was  a  diligent  reader,  and 
specially  a  close  student  of  the  sacred  Scriptures.  '  The  law  of  the 
Lord  was  dearer  to  him  than  thousands  of  gold  and  silver,'  his  oc- 
cupation by  day  and  meditation  by  night,  and  he  poured  forth  out 
of  his  treasure  things  new  and  old.  One  main  attraction  and  ele- 
ment of  power  was  the  scriptural  character  of  his  teaching,  and  his- 
lectures  and  expositions  were  exceedingly  vivid,  clear  and  interest- 
ing. His  hearers  gained  new  and  striking  views  of  the  beauty  and 
fulness  of  the  word  of  God,  and  went  from  the  church  to  their  Bi- 
bles with  increased  zest  and  profit. 

"  A  marked  characteristic  of  Dr.  Tyng's  sermons,  and  of  his 
whole  bearing,  was  fearlessness.  If  he  was  for  many  years,  in  the 
best  sense,  a  popular  preacher,  he  never  sought  popularity  by  con- 
cealment or  compromise  of  his  views  of  truth  and  duty.  He  never 
consulted  the  prejudices  of  his  hearers,  nor  kept  back  aught  that 
was  profitable  lest  he  should  give  offence.  Under  all  circumstances 
his  courage  was  unfailing.  Those  who  attended  his  ministry  must 
count  upon  being  forcibly  reminded  of  duties  and  being  plainly 
warned  against  sins.  To  some  persons  his  boldness  might  some- 
times seem  to  border  on  defiance,  but  his  governing  impulse  was 
the  desire  to  be  faithful  to  the  Master  whom  he  served,  and  to  the 
souls  over  whom  he  watched  as  one  that  must  give  account.  And 
with  boldness  of  rebuke  he  always  set  forth  redeeming  love  in  the 
most  full  and  persuasive  representations. 

"  He  magnified  the  Lord  Jesus  in  all  His  offices  of  power  and 
grace.  The  living,  life-giving,  loving  Christ  iUumined  his  appeals  ; 
and  if  he  sometimes  seemed  severe,  he  could  also  be  tender  and 
affectionate,  and  such  expressions  from  his  lips  came  with  great 
effect. 

"The  subject  of  these  remarks  was  indeed  a  strong  man — strong 
in  liis  native  endowments,  intellectual  and  physical — a  quick,  active 
penetrating  mind  in  a  vigorous  frame.  Had  he  chosen  another 
calling,  embarked,  for  instance,  in  political  life,  he  would  have  been 
one  to  sway  by  his  impetuous  and  fiery  eloquence,  great  masses  of 
men,  as  well  as  to  command  the  attention  of  listening  senr^tes.  He 
was  strong  in  faith,  decided  in  his  convictions,  holding  the  truths 
which  ho  had  adopted  with  vise-like  tenacity.     He  believed,  there- 


632  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D. 

fore  he  spake.  He  was  strong  in  his  apprehensions  of  the  mag- 
nitude of  his  office  and  the  everlasting  results  of  his  ministry. 
He  was  strong  in  his  knowledge  of  men  and  discernment  of  charac- 
ter and  direct  application  of  truth  to  the  heart  and  conscience. 

"  The  closing  years  of  life,  when  laid  aside  by  the  providence  of 
God  from  the  duties  of  his  calling,  might  suggest  to  those  who 
knew  him  in  his  prime  the  exclamation,  '  How  is  the  strong  staff 
broken,  and  the  beautiful  rod !'  But  an  aged  and  faithful  servant 
of  the  Lord  is  not  forsaken,  nor  less  loved,  because  his  strength 
faileth.  The  treasure  is  placed  in  an  earthen  vessel,  and  the  ves- 
sel of  clay  is  subject  to  deterioration  and  infirmity.  But  it  is  the 
casket  that  is  impaired,  not  the  jewel.  In  the  glowing  language  of 
St.  Paul,  to  which  we  have  just  listened,  we  find  exceeding  conso- 
lation for  such  an  event  as  temporary  eclipse  and  failure  :  '  So  also 
is  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.  It  is  sown  in  corruption,  it  is 
raised  in  incorruption  ;  it  is  sown  in  dishonor,  it  is  raised  in  glory; 
it  is  sown  in  weakness,  it  is  raised  in  power  ;  it  is  sown  a  natural 
body,  it  is  raised  a  spiritual  body.  There  is  a  natural  body,  and 
there  is  a  spiritual  body.  And,  as  we  have  borne  the  image  of  the 
earthy,  we  shall  also  bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly.'  With  the 
natural  body  we  associate  corruption,  dishonor  and  weakness. 
Though  so  admirable  in  its  structure,  it  may  become  a  wreck.  The 
harp  of  thousand  strings,  disarranged  and  out  of  tune,  is  no  longer 
able  to  discourse  eloquent  music.  But  to  the  spiritual  body  are 
ascribed  incorruption,  glory  and  power.  It  shall  rise  from  ashes 
and  decay  to  immortality,  fashioned  like  unto  Christ's  glorious 
body.  Such,  to-day,  is  the  hope  that  cheers  us  respecting  our 
brother  departed.  The  Lord  grant  that  our  part  may  be  with  him 
in  the  resurrection  of  the  just." 

At  the  close  of  the  services.  Dr.  Tyng's  body  was  borne  to 
Greenwood  Cemetery,  where  it  was  laid  beside  the  remains  of  his 
son  Dudley,  removed  many  years  before,  in  the  desire  that  they 
might  finally  rest  side  by  side.  There,  "  in  death  not  divided,"  they 
lie  waiting  "  the  resurrection  of  life." 

Among  the  small  company  gathered  around  the  open  grave, 
stood  the  Eev.  Dr.  Dix,  the  Rector  of  Trinity  Church.  It  was  a 
touching  tribute  of  official  respect  and  of  personal  regard,  which 
was  deeply  felt  and  most  highly  esteemed  by  those  familiar  with 
the  associated  histories  of  St.  George's  and  Trinity  Church. 

It  would  be  vain  to  attempt  any  recapitulation  of  the  tributes 
of  the  different  organizations  with  which  Dr.  Tyng  had  been  so 
prominently  identified,  and  which  owed  so  much  to  his  co-opera- 


Retirement,  i8j8  to  i8Sj,  633 

tion  and  aid.  All  united  in  their  expression  of  the  value  of  liis 
life  and  ministry  and  joined  in  a  common  testimony.  Some  of 
these,  however,  demand  more  particular  record. 

At  the  first  subsequent  meeting  of  the  corporation  of  St. 
George's  Church,  the  following  record  was  entered  upon  the  min- 
utes of  the  vestry: 

"  In  the  providence  of  God  we  are  called  to  mourn  the  depart- 
ure  from  this  world  of  the  Eev.  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  D.  D.,  long  the 
honored  and  greatly  beloved  rector  and  pastor  of  this  church. 
He  was  taken  to  his  rest  on  Thursday  night,  September  Bel,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-five  years  seven  months  and  three  days. 
At  the  hour  of  midnight  '  he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus,'  and  was  not,  for 
God  took  him.' 

"  Dr.  Tyng's  ministry  in  this  city  commenced  in  1845,  at  w^iich 
time  he  was  called  to  succeed  the  venerated  Dr.  Milnor  as  the  rec- 
tor of  St.  George's  Church.  The  church  building  was  then  in 
Beekman  street.  Subsequently  a  new  site  was  obtained,  on  Stuy- 
vesant  Square  and  Sixteenth  Street,  where  a  very  large  and  impos- 
ing building  was  erected.  During  this  transition  period  the  cares 
and  labors  of  the  rector  were  very  great.  It  was  a  venture  of 
faith.  The  new  church  was  located  beyond  the  centres  of  popula- 
tion; only  a  portion  of  the  down-town  congregation  could  be 
taken  to  it.  It  was  therefore  an  open  question  whether  so  vast  an 
edifice  could  be  filled  without  much  delay.  But  Dr.  Tyng  was 
equal  to  the  emergency.  His  indomitable  energy  and  unrivalled 
powers  as  a  preacher,  coupled  with  remarkable  administrative 
ability,  and  aided  by  a  united  vestry,  soon  removed  all  doubts  and 
difficulties,  and  rapidly  carried  the  enterprise  forward  to  a  com- 
j^lete  success.  In  a  brief  i:)eriod  the  great  church  was  full  to  over- 
flowing, and  the  Sunday-school  building  was  crowded  with  teachers 
and  scholars.  Subsequently  Mission  Sunday-schools  were  estab- 
lished, and  two  chapels,  one  in  East  Nineteenth  and  one  in  East 
Fourteenth  Street,  were  built,  where  regular  services  were  held. 
This  rapidly  growing  work  was  under  the  supervision  of  Dr.  Tyng, 
and  with  all  its  details  he  kept  himself  familiar.  His  presence  and 
example  inspired  every  important  movement.  The  result  was,  in  a 
few  years  St.  George's  had  the  largest  congregation,  the  greatest 
number  of  children  and  youth  under  Sunday-school  and  Bible 
Class  instruction  of  any  church  in  the  city,  if  not  in  the  country, 
and  stood  among  the  foremost  in  all  benevolent  and  Chiistian 
work.  The  contributions  to  missionary  and  other  charitable  ob- 
jects were  exceptionally  numerous  and  large.     These  things  were. 


634  ^^'  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D, 

under  God,  the  legitimate  fruits  of  the  influence  and  teaching  the 
people  received  from  their  revered  rector. 

"  As  a  pastor,  Dr.  Tyng  was  unceasing  and  untiring  in  his  la- 
bors. Personal  convenience  or  comfort  never  stood  in  the  way  of 
his  ministering  to  any  and  all  who  needed  his  services.  Among 
the  poor  he  was  always  a  warmly  welcomed  visitor.  They  felt  he 
was  their  friend  and  helper.  With  the  children  and  youth  he  was 
a  special  favorite,  for  he  entered  most  fully  into  their  thoughts  and 
feelings,  and  identified  himself  with  their  interests.  From  this 
portion  of  his  people  he  had  very  large  additions  to  the  commun- 
ion of  his  Church.  In  a  word,  among  all  classes,  the  old  and  the 
young,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  he  was  most  cordially  welcomed,  and 
his  ministrations  were  gratefully  received  and  most  highly  prized. 

"  In  objects  of  general  benevolence.  Dr.  Tyng  took  a  lively  in- 
terest, and  to  them  devoted  much  attention.  He  served  on  many 
boards  and  committees,  and  was  an  earnest  and  effective  advocate 
of  their  claims  on  public  occasions.  The  announcement  of  his 
name  as  a  speaker  was  sure  to  draw  a  crowd. 

"  As  a  preacher  of  the  gospel  he  had  few  equals  in  his  day. 
His  views  were  distinctly  Evangelical,  and  he  never  failed  to  preach 
Christ,  and  Him  crucified,  as  the  only  hope  of  a  lost  world.  He 
was  clear  and  emphatic  in  his  presentation  of  the  truth,  and  his 
ministry  was  greatly  honored  of  God,  and  through  it  great  num- 
bers were  brought  to  the  Saviour  and  to  the  comforts  and  joys  of 
His  great  salvation. 

"  Such,  briefly,  was  the  man,  the  preacher  and  the  pastor  who 
for  so  many  years  ministered  in  this  church.  In  1878,  when  age 
and  infirmities  had  disabled  him,  he  retired  from  active  service, 
but  retained  his  connection  with  the  church  as  Rector  Emeritus. 

"  In  placing  this  minute  upon  its  record,  the  vestry  desire  to 
express  their  profound  gratitude  to  Almighty  God  for  the  gracious 
Providence  which  gave  to  this  church  such  a  gifted  and  faithful 
minister  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  sustained  him  through  so  many 
years  of  arduous  labor. 

"  They  bow  in  humble  submission  to  the  dispensation  which 
translated  him  from  this  world  to  the  Church  triumphant  in  glory. 

*'  (Signed)     Wm.  S.  Rainsford,  'Hector. 

"W.  H.  ScHiEFFELiN,  Glerh.^^ 

The  Evangelical  Education  Society  thus  commemorated  his 
labors  in  that  cause: 

"  It  becomes  our  painful  duty  to  enter  upon  our  minutes   an 


Retirement,  i8y8  to  i88^,  636 

appropriate  reference  to  tlie  loss  which  the  Church  has  sustained 
in  the  removal  from  earth  to  Heaven  of  that  faithful  and  devoted 
servant  of  God,  the  Rev.  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  D.  D.  He  was  a  Vice- 
President  of  our  Society,  and  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  import- 
ant work  in  which  it  is  engaged. 

"  Long  before  this  Society  was  organized,  he,  with  the  late  Rev. 
G.  T.  Bedell,  D.  D.,  of  St.  Andrew's  Church,  was  the  leader  in  the 
cause  of  Evangelical  Education  as  then  carried  on  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church. 

"  His  ministerial  labors  were  prosecuted  with  untiring  energy 
for  more  than  half  a  century.  In  the  simplicity  of  his  views  of 
gospel  truth,  and  in  the  faithfulness  and  power  with  which  he  pre- 
sented the  same,  he  was  a  model  minister,  eminently  worthy  of  the 
imitation  of  all  who  enter  that  office. 

"  He  seemed  to  come  fully  up  to  the  sketch  which  St.  Paul 
gave  of  himself  when  he  said,  *  Neither  count  I  my  life  dear  unto 
myself,  so  that  I  might  finish  my  course  with  joy,  and  the  ministry 
which  I  have  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  to  testify  the  gospel  of 
the  grace  of  God.' 

"  Science  and  philosophy,  and  the  modern  developments  of  dif- 
ferent branches  of  human  learning,  were  kept  pace  with  by  him, 
and  were  made  use  of  to  illustrate  the  great  truths  of  revelation, 
but  were  never  allowed  to  take  the  place  of  those  truths.  His  de- 
termination, like  that  of  the  great  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  was  '  to 
know  nothing  else  among  men  save  Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified.' 

"  And  here  he  stands  out  as  an  example  to  all  our  younger 
brethren  in  the  ministry.  From  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  his 
long  ministrj',  '  tlie  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,'  was  all  that  he  had  to 
tell  about  in  his  pubUc  ministrations.  He  was  an  example  of  un- 
daunted courage,  of  untiring  energy,  and  of  uiifaiHng  faithfulness 
in  the  discharge  of  all  the  duties  of  his  high  office. 

"  We  may  well  thank  God  for  the  life  and  labors  of  such  a  man, 
and  pray  that  all  who  enter  on  the  work  of  the  ministry  may  have 
grace  to  '  follow  him  as  he  followed  Christ.' 

*'  RicuARD  Newton, 
"Benjamin  Watson, 
"  William  P.  Cresson, 

''Philadelphia,  Nor.  5,  1885."  Committee. 

The  Evangelical  Knowledge  Society  paid  the  following  tribute 
of  their  afloctionate  respect  for  him  as  one  of  its  most  efficient  sup- 
porters: 


636  Rev.  Stephen  Higginso7i   Tyng^  D.D, 

"  The  Kev.  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  D.D.,  departed  this  life  at  his  late 
residence  at  Iryington  on  the  Hudson,  on  the  3d  day  of  Septem- 
ber, 1885,  in  the  eighty-sixth  year  of  his  age. 

"  His  life's  work  was  finished  and  he  calmly,  in  the  faith  of  the 
gospel  which  he  had  so  faithfully  preached,  entered  upon  his  rest. 
With  the  principles  and  objects  of  the  society  he  was  in  full  accord, 
and  to  its  support  he  gave,  through  his  active  ministry,  the  benefit 
of  his  commanding  influence. 

"  For  many  years  he  was  a  member  of  its  Executive  Committee, 
and,  by  his  skill  and  energ}^  contributed  largely  to  the  administra- 
tion of  the  society's  affairs.  By  pen  and  voice  he  was  always  ready 
to  advocate  its  claims.  His  congregation  being  in  full  sympathy 
with  him,  became  and  continued  actively  interested  in  its  objects, 
and  most  liberally  contributed  to  its  funds. 

"  Besides  preparing  several  of  its  earlier  publications,  he  ren- 
dered most  valuable  service,  for  a  time,  in  conducting  its  periodi- 
cals. 

"  To  the  cause  of  Evangelical  truth.  Dr.  Tyng  committed  himself 
at  the  commencement  of  his  religious  life,  and  continued  the  firm 
and  unfaltering  supporter  of  the  same  to  the  end.  He  lived  to  see 
its  principles  vindicated,  and  the  liberty  for  which  it  contended 
fully  established  Of  the  characteristics  of  this  remarkable  man, 
and  of  his  most  successful  ministry,  we  need  not  here  speak;  but 
we  deem  it  both  a  duty  and  a  privilege  to  place  on  record  our  ap- 
preciation of  the  signal  and  long-continued  services  he  rendered 
to  the  society,  as  well  as  to  the  cause  of  truth  and  righteousness  in 
the  world." 

On  Sunday,  the  22d  of  November,  1885,  a  memorial  sermon 
was  delivered,  at  the  request  of  the  vestry  of  St.  George's  Church, 
by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Gr.  T.  Bedell,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  the  Diocese  of  Ohio. 

It  brings  out  in  most  distinct  and  clear  tones  the  points  of 
character  which  so  eminently  distinguished  the  ministry  which  it 
commemorates. 

''HOW  ARE   THE   MIGHTY  FALLEN! 
"II  Samuel  i.  19. 

"There  were  giants  in  those  days.  Henshaw,  Hawks,  the 
Johnses,  Bedell,  Milnor,  Eastburn,  Mcllvaine,  Tyng — only  Lee  and 
Dyer  are  left.  The  death  of  Dr.  Tyng  has  made  a  wide  gap  in  that 
line   of  old-fashioned   Evangelical   churchmen.     Those    were  the 


Retirement,  1878  to  188^,  637 

men  who,  without  flinching,  bore  the  brunt  of  a  contest  for  princi- 
ples which  within  the  last  half  century  has  decided  the  fate  of  our 
Church.    Dr.  Tyng  was  foremost  among  them. 

"  Whilst  thinking  of  the  days  that  are  past,  a  proverb  has  been 
ringing  in  my  ears — '  Thy  own  friend  and  thy  father's  friend  for- 
sake not.'  It  was  written  for  days  of  forgetfulness  like  these,  when 
the  present  absorbs  all  thoughts;  and  the  past,  with  the  men  that 
created  this  present,  is  commended  to  oblivion. 

"  Not  so  the  members  of  St.  George's.  For  the  most  impressive 
incident  of  the  closing  years  of  our  venerated  friend  has  been  the 
faithfulness  of  this  parish  to  the  teaching  of  this  proverb.  Most  of 
the  fathers  who  knew  him  in  his  prime  have  passed  away,  but  the 
sons  have  caught  their  spirit.  A  generous  people  refused  to  '  for- 
sake '  their  ancient  pastor,  although  age  and  infirmity  had  ter- 
minated his  usefulness.  Their  unwearying  care  of  him  during 
eight  long  years  of  silence  is  an  instance  of  fidelity  as  rare  as  it  is 
virtuous;  as  pleasing  in  the  eyes  of  men  as  (we  believe  it  to  be) 
commended  of  God. 

"  Obeying  the  spirit  of  this  proverb,  I  come  to-day  to  ofi'er  a 
tribute  of  gratitude  to  God  for  a  valued  friendship,  unbroken  and 
undisturbed,  through  fifty  3'ears. 

"  The  friendship  between  Dr.  Tyng  and  m}'  father,  which  had 
its  origin  in  the  events  to  which  I  have  alluded,  and  the  transfer  of 
that  affection  to  me  after  my  father's  death,  has  been  a  very  sacred 
treasure.  You  will  appreciate,  then,  the  peculiar  gladness  with 
which  I  accept  this  invitation  of  the  rector  and  vestry  of  St. 
George's  to  pay  a  tribute  of  affectionate  reminiscence  to  my  father's 
friend  and  mine. 

"  A  reminiscence  only.  I  am  not  about  to  attempt  to  pronounce 
a  eulogium  on  Dr.  Tyng.  For  that,  the  eulogist  should  be  in  some 
respects  his  equal,  or  at  least  should  feel  capable  of  taking  a  just 
measure  of  his  character.  I  am  not  about  to  attempt  a  memoir  of 
Dr.  Tyng.  For  that,  there  is  not  sufficient  space  in  such  a  sermon, 
if,  indeed,  there  were  not  many  here  to-day  who  are  much  more 
familiar  with  the  details,  and  especially  with  the  later  incidents,  of 
his  life.  I  am  not  about  to  attempt  to  define  the  position  which 
Dr.  Tyng  made  for  himself  in  the  Church,  nor  to  prophesy  the 
place  which  he  will  hold  in  its  history.  It  would  bo  presumption 
in  me  to  ask  of  such  a  master  builder,  *  What  hast  thou  wrought  ?  ' 
And  it  is  too  early  to  question  of  the  future,  *  Where  shall  the 
recollections  of  such  a  life  be  crystallized  into  imperishable  fame  ?  ' 
I  have  come  simpl}'  to  give  you  reminiscences  of  Dr.  Tyng.     Im- 


638  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D,D, 

bibing  the  spirit  of  the  proverb,  I  shall  put  into  words  some  recol- 
lections which,  at  the  same  time,  may  stir  similar  pleasant  memories 
in  your  own  breasts. 

"  Thus  together  we  may  lay  our  tribute  of  gratitude  before  our 
covenant  God,  thankful  that  Dr.  Tyng  has  lived,  and  thankful  that 
in  dying  he  is  not  dead;  thankful  that  for  so  many  years  we  have 
shared  his  friendship,  and  that  when  we  shall  meet  again  in  pres- 
ence of  our  God,  where  no  mists  will  mar  our  mutual  estimates, 
and  each  of  us  shall  know  as  we  are  known,  we  shall  be  welcomed 
to  heaven  by  so  faithful  a  friend. 

"It  was  near  the  beginning  of  the  fuU  development  of  that  old 
controversy  that  the  friendship  between  Dr.  Tyng  and  my  father 
commenced.  It  was  a  friendship  as  pure  and  firm  as  that  between 
David  and  Jonathan,  and  as  lasting.  Yet  never  were  characters 
more  unlike.  We  often  notice  that  phenomenon — two  souls  knit 
in  perfect  harmony,  whose  only  chord  of  sympathy  is  one  overmas- 
tering common  affection.  In  its  presence  dissimilarities  disappear. 
The  one,  all  gentleness,  mildness,  suavity  of  manner  and  speech; 
the  other,  quick,  impulsive,  not  a  little  arbitrary,  always  taking  the 
shortest  cut  to  the  truth,  whether  by  action  or  by  word;  yet  both 
equally  firm  in  their  attachment  to  Evangelical  principles.  I  have 
an  impression  that  my  father  was  instrumental  in  securing  the  re- 
moval of  Dr.  Tyng  from  Georgetown  to  Philadelphia.  I  was  a  boy 
then,  but  can  hardly  fail  of  interpreting  rightly  what  I  remember  of 
the  very  marked  familiarity  of  intercourse  that  sprang  up  immedi- 
ately between  them.  It  seems  reasonable  that  Dr.  BedeU  should 
seek  for,  and  secure  at  his  side,  a  coadjutor  of  such  promising  power 
as  was  Mr  Tyng.  After  the  death  of  Benjamin  Allen,  the  rector  of 
St.  Paul's  Church,  no  other  prominent  representatives  of  his  then 
peculiar  views  were  left  in  Philadelphia  except  Dr.  Bedell  and  his 
missionary  assistant,  our  late  presiding  Bishop,  Dr.  Smith.  But 
Mr.  Tyng  was  already  known  as  a  thoroughly  earnest  and  influential 
advocate  of  Evangelical  views.  Although  only  in  the  seventh  year 
of  his  ministry,  those  characteristics  had  develojDed  in  him  which 
invariably,  and  often  unconsciously  to  themselves,  compel  men  into 
the  position  of  leaders. 

"  My  father  had  long  before  passed  from  a  colder  school  into  a 
warmer  atmosphere  of  theology,  when  in  1829  he  was  joined  by  Mr. 
Tyng.  These  two  men  in  Philadelphia,  with  Mr.  Milnor  in  New 
York,  were  destined  to  be  especially  instrumental  in  giving  a  new 
current  to  the  thoughts  of  our  Church.  Then  began  a  conspic- 
uous revival  of  those  views  of  Evangelical  religion  which  have   at 


Retirement,  1878  to  1885.  ^39 

lasfc  become  as  substantially  characteristic  of  our  pulpit  as  they 
always  were  of  our  Liturgy.  Conspicuous  exceptions  only  render 
this  general  estimate  the  more  noticeable.  The  elder  of  the  two,  at 
the  age  of  forty-one,  j^assed  away  before  the  critical  point  was 
reached.  The  younger  lived  to  stand  as  a  rock  at  that  crisis  in  the 
controversy  when  the  floods  rose  to  their  highest  point,  and  at  a  ven- 
erable age  rejoiced  in  the  victory  of  truth  and  ]Deace,  long  before 
his  eighty-fifth  year  admitted  him  to  rest. 

"Looking  back  from  this  age  of  indifference  to  those  years 
which  tried  men's  souls  and  tested  their  beliefs,  we  cry  impulsively, 
with  David,  as  the  mountains  of  Gilboa  recall  a  vision  of  strife  and 
victory,  but  with  losses  to  the  Church  of  God — 'How  are  the 
mighty  fallen,  and  the  weapons  of  war  perished.' 

"  Dr.  Tyng  was  a  strong  thinker,  a  native  orator,  a  man  whose 
vision  of  truth  was  so  clear  and  well  defined  that  he  could  not 
realize  the  meaning  of  contradiction.  His  utterances  were  convic- 
tions. They  carried  all  the  power  of  absolute  certainty.  As  a  nat- 
ural result,  he  gathered  close  to  him  men  who  thought  as  he  did. 
And  he  gathered  also  not  far  from  him,  on  every  side,  men  of  like 
decision  of  character,  who  were  as  constantly  antagonists.  Conse- 
quently his  life  was  a  continual  strife.  But  out  of  just  such  strife 
grew  the  strength  of  the  Evangelical  cause. 

"  Dr.  Tyng  was  a  man  of  impressive  presence,  of  quick  decision, 
of  true  spirituality ;  blessed  with  an  accurate  and  retentive  mem- 
ory; of  remarkable  self-reliance  and  firmness  of  purpose. 

"  Combining  these  quahties,  he  was  a  judicious  autocrat  Conse- 
quently he  was  a  leader  of  men.  In  any  other  sphere  of  activity  he 
would  have  been  foremost  in  his  age.  In  the  Church,  however, 
he  had  adopted  a  line  of  doctrine  and  of  policy  antagonistic  to 
prevailing  prejudice.  In  moral  warfare  he  lacked  one  quality, 
sometimes  useful,  often  dangerous  to  its  possessor — elasticity  or 
adaptability.  That  was  impossible  to  so  strong  a  character.  And 
therefore,  with  all  the  capacity  for  unhmited  leadership,  he  remained 
only  leader  of  a  party.  But,  as  I  have  recounted  these  characteris- 
tics of  the  man,  the  ChrLstian,  and  the  minister  of  Chi'ist,  30U  rec- 
ognize your  venerated  rector,  and  see  again  the  giant. 

''  A  judicious  autocrat.  I  use  the  word  as  characteristic  of  his 
rectorship.  A  rector  is  a  guide  and  governor.  Our  ecclesiastical 
regimen,  although  representative,  is  not  a  democracy.  The  pas- 
tor chosen  by  the  representatives  of  the  congregation,  whilst 
remaining  a  minister,  becomes  a  rector;  and  autocracy  in  the 
spiritual  affairs  of  a  parish  is  one  secret  of  success.     Our  system 


640  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng^  D.D, 

differs  from  tliat  of  every  other  Church,  either  Protestant  or 
Homish,  in  this  particular;  for  in  those,  on  one  side,  the  pastor  is 
trammelled  by  outside  authorities;  and  on  the  other  asserts  an 
unlimited  authority  over  individual  consciences.  Our  system, 
while  confining  the  independent  authority  of  a  rector  to  spiritual 
affairs  (as  Chairman  of  the  Vestry  he  is  only  one  among  many) 
leaves  him  entirely  to  his  own  judgment  in  all  matters  which  con- 
cern the  spiritual  interests  of  his  parish,  but  limits  that  control  to 
the  parish  as  a  unit.  He  has  no  control  over  individuals,  each 
individual  being  left  to  the  entire  possession  of  himself  and  free- 
dom of  thought  and  will.  Dr.  Tyng  understood  this  system 
thoroughly,  and  held  in  his  own  hand  all  the  interlacing  threads 
of  its  power. 

"  The  successive  vestries  with  whom  he  worked  were  equally 
intelligent  and  wise,  and  never  stepped  beyond  the  limits  of  their 
authority  in  temporal  affairs  to  interfere  in  his  spiritual  domain. 
Entire  harmony  resulted  from  this  distinct  recognition  of  their 
several  responsibihties.  Perfect  harmony  in  parochial  affairs  fol- 
lows on  no  other  condition.  In  St.  Paul's  and  the  Epiphany  in 
Philadelphia,  in  St.  George's,  Beekman  St.,  and  St.  George's,  Stuy- 
vesant  Square,  in  New  York,  the  success  of  Dr.  Tyng's  rectorship 
was  marked.  Harmonious  co-operation  was  never  seriously 
marred.  A  judicious  autocrat  held  the  reins  within  his  own  prov- 
ince, and  each  several  vestry  wisely  acknowledged  his  canonical 
autocracy.  That  absurdity  was  never  seen  beneath  his  flashing 
eye — a  flock  divided  within  itself;  nor  a  flock  which  hcd  assumed 
to  lay  the  pastoral  staff  between  the  horns  of  some  venerable  leader, 
whilst  the  pastor  was  expected  to  follow  meekly  in  the  rear. 

"  But  his  autocracy  was  as  judicious  as  it  was  inflexible.  It  was  not 
the  mere  exercise  of  authority,  however  well  defined,  but  it  was  that 
moral  influence  which  grows  out  of  a  common  conviction  that  its 
wielder  is  experienced,  unselfish,  wise;  has  no  aim  except  the  com- 
mon good,  no  end  below  the  skies.  This  judiciousness  was  shown 
in  his  management  of  all  that  related  to  the  spiritual  interests  of 
his  parishes,  his  subjects  for  instruction,  his  systematic  themes  for 
lectures,  his  well-arranged  prayer-meetings,  devotional,  enlivening, 
but  free  from  unwholesome  excitement  :  his  Sundav-schools,  won- 
derful  for  their  success,  not  only  in  numbers,  but  in  their  power 
of  producing  the  intended  end;  leading  the  little  ones  of  his  flock 
to  the  Good  Shepherd,  and  keeping  them  under  His  divine  guid* 
ance  as  years  roUed  by. 

"  Dr.  Tyng  was  an  eminently  successful  pioneer  in  developing 


Retirement y  iSyS  to  1885.  641 

the  principle  of  associated  effort  among  his  parishioners,  both 
women  and  men.  If  he  did  not  carry  it  as  far  as  some  in  these 
later  days,  he  was  at  least  sufficiently  judicious  to  restrain  it 
within  the  bounds  of  Christian  common  sense. 

"  He  gathered  them  into  circles,  not  for  aesthetic  culture,  but 
for  cultivating  the  graces  of  the  heart  and  offering  the  incense  of 
consecrated  powers  to  the  Lord;  and  many  an  earnest  Christian 
worker  to-day,  and  many  a  man  who  is  preaching  the  gospel  with 
the  love  of  it,  owes  the  development  of  those  spiritual  faculties  to 
the  fire  that  glowed  under  the  contact  of  heart  with  heart  round 
the  embers  which  Dr.  Tyng  had  kindled. 

"  I  can  imagine  the  indignation  which  would  have  stirred  this 
wise  and  conscientious  autocrat,  this  devoted  lover  of  our  Protes- 
tant Church,  had  any  hand  touched  the  table  of  our  Lord  to 
displace  it  from  the  sacred  associations  with  which  our  Prayer- 
book  has  surrounded  it,  in  order  to  introduce  in  its  stead  an  altar 
of  sacrifice,  whether  Roman  Catholic,  or  Catholic  by  any  other 
name.  How  those  eyes  would  have  flashed  !  How  that  firm  figure 
would  have  braced  itself  as  iron  !  We  should  have  seen  again  the 
whip  of  small  cords,  and  heard  the  crack  of  it,  as  he  drove  them 
all  out  of  the  temple — altar,  posturers,  vestments,  vessels,  imitators 
of  Rome,  and  all  their  modern  heresies.  Oh,  that'  a  merciful  God 
would  to-day  send  to  this  Church  somewhere  a  judicious  autocrat ! 

"  A  pastor.  This  administrative  ability  did  not  necessarily 
assure  to  Dr.  Tyng  the  faculty  of  pastorship,  but  it  aided  in  its 
development.  We  find  many  an  able  rector  devoid  of  the  sympa- 
thetic qualities  of  pastor,  and  many  more  devout  pastors  who  have 
not  an  idea  of  the  way  to  win  an  influence  for  governing.  The 
union  of  the  two  somewhat  opposite  qualities  is  rare,  and  was 
rarely  manifested  in  Dr.  Tyng.  One  would  almost  have  been  dis- 
posed to  consider  his  pastoral  proficiency  to  be  an  instinct,  rather 
than  the  result  of  cultivation,  so  entirely  different  was  the  man  as 
he  passed  from  the  chancel  to  the  home  of  grief  or  perplexity.  In 
the  one,  except  to  those  who  knew  him  well,  he  seemed,  if  not  to 
repel,  at  least  not  to  invite,  personal  intimacy.  In  the  other  the 
cold  exterior  disappeared  as  magically  as  does  the  thin  ice  veil 
of  a  November  niglit  before  the  morning  sun  wlicn  it  looks  lov- 
ingly into  the  shadnwr;  of  our  Western  valleys.  He  was  another 
man  as  he  entered  the  presence  of  care  or  sickness — calm,  rocip- 
rocative,  gentle,  helpful,  affectionate,  suggestive,  sympathetic. 
His  rapidity  of  thought  took  in  any  difficulty  from  the  slightest 
hints.     His  familiarity  with  Scripture  brought  divine  wisdom  in- 


641  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng,  D.D, 

stantly  to  relieve  any  spiritual  perplexity.  His  common  sense  and 
knowledge  of  human  nature  suggested  at  once  the  most  feasible 
solution.  To  the  suffering  and  the  sick  he  was  as  a  father  cherish- 
ing his  children.  Ordinary  consolation  came  with  extraordinary 
warmth  from  his  heart  of  love.  His  visits  were  reviving,  refresh- 
ing, full  of  help,  because  illustrated  by  his  own  deep  religious  ex- 
perience, and  enhvened  by  his  abundant  fund  of  incident  and 
anecdote. 

"  To  those  who  were  anxious  as  to  their  spiritual  state  he  was 
the  ablest  of  guides,  because  he  had  himself  groped  through  many 
by-ways  to  find  the  truth,  and  when  found  had  laid  hold  of  it  un- 
doubtingly  and  forever;  and  yet,  still  more,  because  his  assured 
faith  was  not  without  its  trials;  and  his  character  grew  to  perfec- 
tion only  through  mighty  conflicts  with  self. 

"  The  relation  of  one  instance  of  this  conflict  made  a  deep  im- 
pression on  me,  as  he  told  the  story  of  it  during  a  visit  to  our  home 
at  Gambier.  It  well  illustrates  what  I  meam.  He  had  received  a 
letter  which  called  forth  all  his  just  indignation.  He  sat  down  in- 
stantly, while  the  blood  was  at  fever  heat,  and  wrote  a  reply.  You 
can  imagine  the  tone  of  it.  He  seized  his  hat  and  hurried  to  the 
post-oflice.  Just  before  reaching  there  he  heard  a  voice  as  plainly 
as  did  Saul — '  Stephen,  that  won't  do.'  He  turned,  hurried  home, 
sat  down  at  his  desk,  wrote  another  letter,  and  walked,  ^not  quite 
as  fast  as  before,  to  the  post-office.  But  just  before  reaching  there, 
he  heard  again  the  voice,  *  Stephen,  that  won't  do.'  He  turned 
again,  went  again  to  his  desk,  knelt  down  to  ask  for  wisdom,  and 
found — ^more  than  he  asked  for — patience  to  bear  with  injuries, 
and  a  forgiving  spirit  like  his  Master's.  He  was  a  self-conquered 
Tyng;  and  he  wrote  a  letter  which  brought  his  correspondent  to 
his  knees,  and  made  him  thereafter  the  most  devoted  of  his 
friends. 

"His  memory  was  accurate  and  retentive.  You  have  heard 
that  in  his  immense  Sunday-school  in  the  Church  of  the  Epiphany, 
Philadelphia — two  thousand  children — he  knew  them  all,  and  could 
call  every  child  by  name. 

"  I  have  heard  him  repeat,  word  for  word,  a  merely  incidental 
remark  made  in  his  presence  three  years  before.  This  faculty  of 
accurate  memory  and  quick  recognition  is  of  the  utmost  value  to  a 
pastor,  giving  him  indeed  an  influence  out  of  proportion  to  its  real 
importance.  And  yet  it  is  very  flattering  to  one's  self  that,  after 
an  absence,  not  only  incidents  and  relationships  in  our  life,  but 
features  and  names  are  remembered,  by  one  whose  memory  is 


Retirement,  i8y8  to  1885*  643 

i 

already  overloaded  with  more  valuable  details.  The  Emperor  of 
Germany  is  said  to  possess  this  faculty  in  such  a  degree  that  he  is 
the  very  idol  of  his  army,  every  man  feeling  that  his  name  is 
stored  close  to  the  heart  of  his  sovereign.  Ah!  There  is  a 
grander  illustration  of  its  power.  For  what  Christian  to  whom  I 
speak  to-day  does  not  a  feel  a  knitting  of  his  soul  in  closer  bonds 
'.o  Christ  when  he  realizes  his  share  in  that  lovely  picture  of  the 
Heavenly  Pastor — '  He  calleth  His  own  sheep  by  name,  and  leadeth 
them  out.' 

"  A  distinguished  orator.  On  the  platform  Dr.  Tyng  was  almost 
unrivalled  in  his  day.  A  fine  figure,  manly  and  firm,  with  a  clear 
utterance  and  sonorous  voice,  whenever  he  rose  to  speak,  men 
stirred  themselves  to  hearken,  some  prepared  themselves  to  resist. 
"  His  were  not  honeyed  words,  nor  were  they  tempered  by  the 
temper  of  his  audience.  They  were  truths  as  they  appeared  to 
himself,  and  being  convictions,  carried  in  their  utterance  all  the 
force  of  his  own  decision,  and  the  added  persuasion  that  ail  men 
ought  to  believe  them.  His  contemporary,  Dr.  Hawks,  was  an 
orator  of  another  make.  Gentle,  graceful,  with  a  voice  of  exquisite 
melodv,  and  with  a  charm  of  rhetoric  that  could  not  be  surpassed; 
firm  in  his  convictions  of  truth,  but  keen  in  perception  of  the  tem- 
per of  his  audience,  he  won  his  way  to  the  judgments  through  the 
aflfections.  When  he  rose  to  speak  men  prepared  themselves  to  be 
moved,  and  moved  they  were.  When  these  two  orators  were 
secured  as  advocates  for  any  cause  the  cause  was  already  won. 

"  The  characteristic  of  Dr.  Tyng's  eloquence  was  force.  In  our 
iron  works  in  Ohio  we  have  two  modes  of  creating  permanent 
impressions.  One,  when  the  furnace  is  at  white  heat,  running- 
the  molten  iron  through  it  into  moulds;  then,  without  any  power 
of  resistance,  it  is  induced  to  take  the  very  form  which  the  moulder 
has  prepared.  That  was  Dr.  Hawk's  method.  The  other  is  the 
anvil  and  the  sledge-hammer,  under  which,  whether  it  be  a  heated 
bar  or  a  cold  slab,  it  is  compelled  to  take  the  desired  form,  and  then 
by  rivet  and  strong  arm  is  bolted  down  forever.  That  was  Dr. 
Tyng's  method. 

"  I  doubt  if  any  one  who  ever  heard  him  left  his  presence  with- 
out having  been  compelled  to  believe  that  he  uttered  the  truth, 
and  that  lie  uttered  it  with  a  full  conviction  of  its  imperative  com- 
mand ove  every  human  conscience.  Do  you  not  recognize  Dr. 
Tyng  in  the  text  of  the  first  sermon  that  he  preached  in  St 
George's  ? — *  Therefore  have  I  set  my  face  like  a  flint '  (Is.  1.  7) 
Do  you  not  hear  Dr.   Tyng  as  the  text    reverberates,     '  Is    not 


644  ^^*  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D,D, 

my  word,  saith  the  Lord,  like  a  hammer,  that  breaketh  the  rock  in 
pieces  ? '     The  characteristic  of  hia  eloquence  was  force. 

"  But  it  was  not  this  which  produced  the  effective  preacJier.  For 
he  was  undoubtedly,  and  above  every  characteristic  that  I  have 
mentioned,  an  effective  preacher.  I  do  not  mean  by  this  term  only 
a  preacher  who  is  able  to  hold  an  audience  interested  during  half 
an  hour  ;  but  a  preacher  who,  besides  the  general  interest  which 
he  creates  in  his  audience,  reaches  individual  consciences  through 
the  judgment  ;  and  by  both  moves  the  will,  and  so  effects  the  pur- 
pose of  his  preaching.  Men  carry  away  with  them  the  impression 
of  such  a  sermon.  You  do  not  hear  them  say  '  How  beautiful/ 
but  '  How  true,'  You  do  not  hear  the  whisper,  '  How  well  it  suits 
my  neighbor,'  but  in  the  impressive  silence  that  follows,  and  the 
unbidden  tear  that  falls,  one  finds  assurance  that  a  heavenly  voice 
is  uttering  within  the  soul,  'Thou  art  the  man.'  I  shall  have  ac- 
complished nothing  to-day,  nothing  worth  remembering  concerning 
the  subject"  of  our  reminiscences,  unless  we  can  discover  the  source 
of  his  effectiveness  as  a  preacher.  Making  that  discovery,  it  is  pos- 
sible that  we  may  imitate  him,  while  in  other  respects  inimitable  ; 
and,  in  following  him,  if  only  at  a  distance,  we  may  share  his  crown. 

"  His  effectiveness  as  a  preacher  was  due  primarily  to  the  sub- 
ject which  was  his  invariable  theme,  and  next  to  the  personality  of 
his  address.  He  preached  the  gospel  only  and  continually,  always 
some  phase  of  that  many-sided,  marvellous,  glorious  message, 
'  God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gava  his  only-begotten  Son,  that 
whosoever  believeth  in  Him  should  not  perish,  but  should  have 
eternal  life.'  Look  at  the  topics  of  a  volume  of  his  sermons. 
They  are  an  epitome  of  his  teaching. 

"  God's  Message  to  Israel. 

"  The  New  Creature. 

«  The  Lord's  Side. 

"  The  Protected  People. 

"  The  Rescued  Brand. 

"  The  Sinner's  Choice. 

"  The  Christian's  Rock. 

"  Little  Sins. 

"  The  Valley  of  Decision. 

"  The  Christian's  Hindrances. 

"  Disappointed  Procrastination. 

"  Ineffective  Repentance. 

«  The  Latter  End. 

"  Here  is  a  whole  practical  theology :    *  The  message' — Prepare 


Retirement,  1878  to  1885,  646 

to  meet  thy  God,  O  Israel !  How  ?  First,  by  being  made  a  '  new 
creature  '  in  Christ  Jesus.  Then  you  are  on  '  the  Lord's  side,'  and 
stand  and  walk  among  His  protected  people.'  But,  lest  pride 
should  mingle  with  your  joy,  remember  that  you  are  only  a  '  brand' 
plucked  out  of  the  burning,  by  a  mercy  that  is  divine.  To 
strengthen  your  faith,  contrast  the  'sinner's  choice'  with  'the 
Christian's  Rock.'  To  instruct  your  faith,  regard  the  dangerous 
nature  of  '  little  sins.'  So  long  as  we  remain  in  this  weary  world 
of  trial,  we  are  walking  every  hour  through  a  '  valley  of  decision.' 
The  '  Christian's  hindrances'  are  on  every  side  as  he  passes  along 
it  to  his  rest.  Yet  his  decisions  must  be  made.  A  man  may  live 
as  Terah  did,  two  hundred  and  five  years,  and  yet  die  in  Haran, 
out  of  sight  of  the  promised  land,  because  his  decisions  have  been 
brought  to  no  practical  spiritual  result.  *  Disappointed  procras- 
tination '  is  as  possible  in  the  life  of  one  called  by  the  name  of 
Christ  as  of  one  who  has  never  called  upon  Him.  Remember  that 
a  day  is  coming  when  a  too  late  'repentance'  will  be  '  ineffectual'; 
for  even  a  hold  upon  the  horns  of  the  altar,  like  Joab's  hope,  may 
be  utterly  disappointed.  Therefore  abiding  in  faith  on  the  salva- 
lion  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord,  and  remembering  the  judg- 
ment that  hangs  on  the  issues  of  life,  let  every  man  keep  steadily 
in  view  '  the  latter  end.' 

"  Such  is  an  epitome  of  his  preaching.  He  has  left  it  as  his 
testimony. 

"  Remarkable  for  what  it  included,  it  is  equally  remarkable 
for  what  it  excluded.  It  included  everything  that  God  the  Holy 
Ghost  has  revealed  to  us  concernng  the  love  of  God  the  Father,  in 
Christ  Jesus  our  Lord,  to  a  fallen  race,  spiritually  ruined,  born 
in  sin,  each  and  every  individual  in  it  also  a  sinner  by  choice, 
whose  only  hope  is  in  the  redemption,  the  atonement  by  the  pre- 
cious blood  of  the  Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation  of  the  world. 
And,  on  the  other  side,  it  included  God's  revelation  of  just  indig- 
nation against  every  one  who  wilfully  neglects  or  despises  His 
word  or  His  mercy. 

"It  was  especially  remarkable,  as  compared  with  the  ordinary 
teaching  of  those  later  days,  that  these  truths  were  taken  for 
granted.  He  did  not  weary  himself  to  prove  that  God's  words 
were  true,  nor  perplex  himself  or  his  hearers  by  endeavoring  to 
explain  or  explain  away  what  God  had  spoken.  He  took  for 
granted  that  when  God  said,  '  The  soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die,'  it 
was  not  only  true,  but  intended  to  be  believed  ;  and  that  death, 
however   it    might  be  phrased,   was  death,   and   therefore    to   be 


646  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson   Tyng,  D.D. 

dreaded  and  escaped  from  by  a  living  soul.  He  took  for  granted 
that  when  Christ  said,  *  Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  can- 
not see  the  kingdom  of  God,'  He  meant  it,  and  that  every  man 
who  enters  the  kingdom  must  be  born  again — converted,  he  meant  ; 
and  that  therefore  every  man  who  is  not  certain  that  he  has  been 
born  again,  in  the  sense  in  which  Jesus  used  that  term  when 
speaking  to  a  member  of  the  Church — a  good  man,  a  man  who 
had  entered  the  Church  by  the  initial  rite,  and  partook  of  the 
Passover  every  year  according  to  the  law — will  never  see  the  king- 
dom of  God,  however,  he  may  be  surrounded  by  sacraments,  or 
protected  by  the  battlements  of  the  Church. 

"  Dr,  Tyng  did  not  worry  himself  to  decide  between  the  various 
meanings  of  the  term  regeneration.  He  left  the  dictionaries  of  the 
Fathers  in  order  to  accept  the  exposition  of  conscience,  just  as 
Christ  did  to  Nicodemus. 

"  '  How  can  these  things  be  ?  '  *  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  ye 
must  be  born  again. '  Simply,  God's  word  is  truth.  It  is  to  be  be- 
lieved. The  Spirit  alone  can  reveal  the  mind  of  the  Spirit.  There- 
fore the  Holy  Spirit  must  be  your  teacher.  So  with  regard  to  all 
the  truths  of  the  gospel.  They  were  true,  not  because  they  were  in 
the  Creed,  but  in  the  Bible  ;  and  the  Creed  was  *  verily '  to  be 
affirmed  because  it  contained  those  truths.  The  efficacy  of  the 
atonement ;  the  only  mode  of  securing  salvation  in  Christ  by  be- 
lieving God's  promise  through  the  propitiatory  sacrifice  of  Christ  ; 
the  communion  of  the  saints  on  earth  the  true  CathoHc  Church  ; 
the  resurrection  of  the  body  and  the  life  everlasting  the  grand  out- 
come of  the  kingdom  of  God  as  it  shall  pass  into  the  majestic  glo- 
ries of  the  kingdom  of  heaven;  truth  because  revealed  in  the  Bible 
—these,  in  brief,  were  the  themes  of  his  preaching.  And  his 
strength  was  in  preaching  them  as  truths  which  he  knew  to  be 
true,  whether  men  would  hear,  or  whether  they  would  forbear. 

*<  Next,  his  preaching  was  remarkable  for  what  it  did  not  con- 
tain. In  these  days  what  will  you  not  hear  in  many  so-called 
Christian  pulpits?  Defences  of  spiritual  religion,  by  whatever  ar- 
guments you  can  conceive,  that  have  no  spirituality  in  them.  Ex- 
planations of  mysteries,  purposely  left  unexplained  by  revelation 
as  an  exercise  of  faith  ;  explanations  which  reduce  them  to  the 
common  ground  of  things  seen,  and  naturalize  the  gospel.  Deni- 
als of  explicit  teaching  of  Scripture,  merely  because  the  hearer  or 
the  teacher  is  as  yet  incapable  of  fathoming  the  mind  of  the  Omnis- 
cient Jehovah.  You  never  heard  Dr.  Tyng  giving  a  lecture  on 
science,  or  art,  or  the  humanities,  when  he  supposed  that  he  was 


Retirement',  1878  to  1885,  647 

preaching  the  gospel.  To  a  never  heard  Dr.  Tyng  attempting  to 
reconcile  the  gospel  with  theories  of  creation  which  in  the  last 
analysis  deny  human  responsibility,  deny  the  immortality  of  the 
soul,  deny  the  need  or  the  possibility  of  a  Christ,  and  the  very  be- 
ing of  God.  Esthetic  Eitualism  leading  to  doctrinal  Ritualism, 
and  that  leading  directly  to  Agnosticism  and  fatalism  by  its  reduc- 
tion of  all  things  spiritual  to  a  bare  materialism  :  salvation  by 
things  seen,  not  by  things  unseen — these  are  the  abhorrent  teach- 
ings which  had  no  place  in  his  visions  of  the  Cross;  which  could 
never  be  found  in  his  vocabulary  of  the  gospel. 

"  Remarkable  for  all  that  it  included,  and  equally  remarkable 
for  what  it  excluded,  Dr.  Tyng's  subject — the  Gospel — was  one 
source  of  his  effectiveness  as  a  preacher. 

"  The  other  was  the  personality  of  his  address.  His  sermons 
were  a  dialogue.  It  was,  I  and  Thou.  Many  preachers  have 
equalled  him  in  clear  annunciation  and  exposition  of  gospel  truth, 
but  few  have  shown  his  skill  and  power  in  forcing  the  truth  up  to 
the  very  door  of  individual  conscience.  When  he  had  taken  cap- 
tive the  reason,  and  judgment  was  convinced,  then  truth  followed 
close  behind  them  both,  to  the  inner  avenues,  where  the  will  lies 
waiting  behind  conviction.  At  that  moment  he  did  not  turn  the 
point  of  his  spear  with  some  pleasant  platitude,  just  as  the  man  was 
about  to  yield.  Nor  did  he  leave  any  man,  or  woman,  or  intelli- 
gent child  in  his  great  congregations  sheltered  behind  the  mass  ; 
but  every  man  felt  that  Dr.  Tyng  was  speaking  to  him. 

"  There  is  all  the  difference  in  the  world  between  a  scattering 
fire  at  long  range,  and  a  volley  when  you  can  see  the  eyes  of  the 
foe.  Dr.  Tyng,  in  preaching  to  the  unconverted,  felt  an  antagon- 
ism. If  it  were  sometimes  a  little  too  pronounced,  it  was  at  least 
always  honest.  And  it  had  its  effect.  *  Who  is  on  the  Lord's 
side  ?'  you  hear  him  say  ;  and  you  do  not  wonder  that  he  draws 
the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  and  makes  a  direct  attack  on  the  man  full 
panoplied  in  habits  of  sin,  in  contempt  or  indifference  to  the  King. 
He  looks  him  in  the  eye.  *  Thou  art  the  man.'  There  are  no  hon- 
eyed words,  no  gentle  hopes  that  in  some  unknown  way  this  sin- 
ner against  grace  may  yet  manage  to  escape  the  wrath  to  come. 
*  He  that  is  not  with  me  is  against  me.*  *  He  that  believe fch  not  is 
condemned  already.'  It  is  not  the  world  tliat  he  is  talking  to.  It 
is  not  the  Church.  It  is  not  the  respectable  members  of  respecta- 
ble society  who  gather  in  the  pews  to  pa^s  an  hour  of  the  Sabbath, 
and  listen  patiently  as  to  an  oft-told  tale.  But  it  is  he,  the  uncon- 
verted man.     Ho,  the  man  who  is  an  unbeliever.     He  or   she  who 


648  Rev,  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng^  D,D, 

has  not  yet  come  out  from  an  evil  world,  and  who  this  day  does 
not  stand  with  me  on  the  Lord's  side.  There  is  no  escaping  such 
address.  There  is  no  shelter  from  the  eagle  eye  of  such  a  preacher, 
for  there  is  an  Eye  that  looks  through  his,  down,  down  into  the 
secret  chambers,  where  the  soul  sits,  and  where  at  that  moment  it 
awakens  to  the  consciousness  that  it  is  alone  with  God.  Do  you 
wonder  that  men  are  startled,  begin  to  think,  are  converted  ?  That 
is  Moody's  power.  That  was  the  power  of  the  generation  of 
preachers  in  our  Church  that  is  past — past !     Alas  !  and  gone. 

"  That  was  the  power  of  Dr.  Tyng. 

^  How  he  would  have  rejoiced  to  share  in  the  Mission  which 
you  have  inaugurated  in  St.  George's,  and  which  is  to  welcome 
Advent  Sunday  in  so  many  churches  in  New  York.  Blessed  is 
the  Bishop  who  has  his  quiver  full  of  such  pastors.  Missions  were 
no  novelty  in  Dr.  Tyng's  day.  Then  they  were  called  revivals.  I 
like  the  old  name  better,  because  it  indicates  that  revival  precedes 
mission  ;  that  a  revival  in  the  heart  of  the  pastor,  and  in  the  ear- 
nest praying  people  of  his  flock,  must  ^o  before  the  hope  of  being 
effectual  in  carrying  the  news  of  the  gospel  outside  of  the  Church. 
But,  by  whatever  name  you  call  this  rose  of  Sharon  in  the  garden 
of  the  Lord,  blessed  be  its  perfume !  Only  let  the  Mission  be  a 
Mission  of  the  gospel,  clear,  distinct  in  its  fulness  and  its  freeness, 
redolent  of  the  mercies  of  our  Lord,  bathed  in  the  blood  of  the 
atonement,  sanctified  by  the  prayers  of  the  faithful,  borne  up,  and 
borne  on,  upon  the  faith  of  those  who  believe  that  God  will  be  true 
to  His  word.  Then  such  a  refreshing  will  come  upon  you  from 
the  Spirit  of  all  grace  as  will  at  last  bring  the  realities  of  His  Ad- 
vent to  take  their  proper  place  among  the  realities  of  your  daily 
walk  with  Christ. 

"  This  personality  of  address,  this  individualism  in  preaching, 
were  equally  manifest  in  Dr.  Tyng's  dealing  with  the  real  members 
of  Christ  in  his  congregations  But  then  it  had  a  different  tone. 
The  gentleness  of  Christ  subdued  the  warrior.  And  the  peacefulJ,^ 
peace-giving  loveliness  of  the  gospel  came  with  redoubled  influ- 
ence from  the  lips  that  had  been  breathing  God's  just  indignation 
against  the  wicked.  There  was  something  in  the  effect  of  contrast, 
but  more  in  the  realization  that  this  gospel  of  grace  had  trans- 
formed the  preacher.  The  hearer  confided  in  one  who  knew  of 
what  he  was  speaking.  And  every  fruit  of  the  Spirit,  and  all  the 
consolations  of  religion,  followed  into  the  hearts  of  those  who  were 
ready  to  receive  them.  There,  also,  it  was  the  dialogue  between 
experiences,  the  experience  of  the  teacher  and  the  experience  of 


Retireme7ity  i3j8  to  i88S,  649 

tho  scholar  ;  it  was  I  and  Thou,  and  effective  because  of  its  per- 
sonality. 

"  We  may,  then,  define  the  secret  of  Dr.  Tyng's  effectiveness, 
ao  the  personality  of  his  preaching  of  the  gospel,  solely  and 
only,  and  always  with  a  full  belief  and  absorbing  conviction  of  its 
truth. 

*'  I  have  finished  the  outline.  It  is  a  sketch  of  the  public  man, 
of  the  man  as  the  world  knew  him.  I  could  not  fill  up  the  picture 
without  trenching  on  a  sphere  where  a  man  has  a  right  to  feel  that 
he  is  alone  with  God,  and  reveals  himself,  if  at  all,  only  to  a  few. 
But  I  have  failed  in  the  delineation  if  you  are  not  conscious  that 
Dr.  Tyng  was  a  dual  man.  There  were  two  sides  to  his  character, 
the  natural,  where  his  peculiar  native  gifts  exhibited  their  power 
under  the  control  of  a  thorough  self-consecration  to  the  service  of 
Christ;  and  the  spiritual,  where  his  natural  qualities  were  con- 
verted, held  under  the  sweet  control  of  divine  grace;  where  gen- 
tleness and  calmness,  sympathy  and  devout  affection,  marked  the 
mighty  man— two  different  persons;  and  among  his  congregations 
they  only  saw  both  sides  of  his  character,  who,  under  providential 
dispensations,  needed  commiseration  and  brotherly  care,  or  sought 
and  deserved  his  confidence.  They  were  the  natural  qualities  which 
made  him  the  mighty  man  whom  I  have  attempted  to  describe, 
but  all  of  them  thoroughly  consecrated  to  God;  not  softened,  not 
changed,  but  only  having  a  new  direction.  These  made  him  the 
judicious  autocrat,  the  able  executive,  the  eloquent  orator,  the 
effective  preacher.  But  it  was  another  man  whose  visit  to  the 
bedside  of  the  sick  was  as  refreshing  as  the  breath  from  the 
cedars  of  Libanus;  whose  voice  by  the  couch  of  the  dying  was 
like  the  melody  of  angels,  and  seemed  to  open  heaven  to  the  worn 
and  weary  spirit.  It  was  the  other  man  who  counselled  in  distress, 
who  put  his  strong  arm  patiently  and  lovingly  round  discourage- 
ment, or  with  skilful  fingers  bound  up  the  broken-hearted.  It  was 
the  other  man  upon  whose  knees  the  children  loved  to  climb,  and 
listen,  as  to  the  music  of  the  spheres,  whilst  his  fertile  imagination 
wove  wondroua  creations  for  their  instruction  or  amusement. 

"  *  A  Christ-ioving  pastor  is  a  child-loving  pastor.'  These  are 
his  words  in  his  'Forty  Years'  Experience  in  Sundaj'-schools': 
'  He  who  as  a  babe  has  been  taught  of  Jesus  delights  to  be  a 
teacher  of  babes  for  Jesus'  sake.  A  loving  minister's  heart  can- 
not withhold  itself  from  this  most  attractive  and  precious  portion  of 
all   liis  labors.' 

"  This  was  the  man  new  born  of  the  spirit,   whose  heart   the 


65o  Rev.  Stephen  Higginson    Tyng^  D.D, 

Lord  had  touched,  whose  Hfe  was  hid  with  Christ  in  God,  who, 
amidst  all  the  tumults  and  conflicts  of  his  consecrated  nature,  was 
daily  becoming  more  and  more  Christ-like,  more  and  more  con- 
formed to  the  image  of  God's  dear  Son. 

"  The  reminiscence  of  one  scene  in  our  intercourse  with  him  in 
later  years  illustrates  this  contrast  and  completes  my  story. 

"  We  were  talking  of  the  love  of  Christ,  and  of  the  heavenly 
rest.     Suddenly  he  stopped,  and  said,  '  You  remember  the  hymn — 

"  '  There,  anchored  safe,  my  weary  soul 
Shall  find  eternal  rest.' 

"Yes!  we  thought;  and  how  significant  of  the  hopes  of  the 
sturdy  character  before  us,  the  man  of  conflicts  and  turmoil,  to 
whom  amidst  the  storms  of  life  God's  providence  has  granted 
scarcely  one  tranquil  hour.  How  glad  a  moment  when  he  shall 
find  his  bark  safe  anchored  in  the  harbor,  and  his  soul  at  rest  that 
side  the  breakers ! 

"  '  No  ! '  he  exclaimed,  '  I  never  want  to  sing  that  old  version  of 
the  hymn  as  in  our  Prayer-book  : 

"  '  There,  anchored  safe,  my  weary  soul 
Shall  find  eternal  rest : 
Nor  storms  shall  beat,  nor  hiUoics  roll 
Across  my  peaceful  breast.' 

"  *  I  do  not  want  to  be  anchored;  I  do  not  like  to  think  of  that 
chain  cable,  and  the  iron  flukes,  and  the  hard  rock,  nor  of  the  cold- 
beating  storms,  and  the  heavy-rolling  billows.  No — .'  Then, 
looking  up,  an  expression  of  wrapt  peace  came  over  his  noble 
countenance;  he  stretched  out  his  hands,  gently,  and  said,  slowly, 
in  the  most  tender  tones,  and  emphasizing  e^-eey  word  : 

*'  *  There  shall  I    bathe  my  weary  soul 
In  SEAS  of  Heavenly  rest, 
And  not  a  wave  of  trouble  roll 
Across  my  peaceful  breast.' " 


IN  MEMORY  OF  THE   LATE   REV.    STEPHEN   H.    TYNG,   D.D 

BY  THE   REV.    EDWARD   O.FLAGG,    D.D. 

I. 

Not  many  lieroes  grace  the  eternal  cause 

As  beacon  ligLts ; 
On  Ziou's  lieaveu-lit  towers  the  guardsmen  pause, 

Nay,  yield  the  tight. 

II. 

It  brightens  hope  to  trace— where  softness  reigns- 
Unflinching  nerve; 

The  valiant  few  who  ofifer  time,  pains, 
Their  King  to  serve. 

III. 

One  hence  has  gone,  with  iron  purpose  fraught. 

To  speak  as  told 
From  Sinai's  Mount,  or  where  the  Saviour  taught, 

In  words  of  gold. 

IV. 

His  matchless  trust  he  did  not  vend  at  will  — 

A  huckster  vile — 
To  changing  markets  in  celestial  wares, 

Of  any  style. 

V. 

One  central  truth  enlisted  thought  aud  breath, 

'Twas  Jesus'  love ; 
Discoursing  how  it  brought  up  Life  from  Death, 

He  fain  would  move. 

VI. 

Crowds  pressed  to  hear,  because  he  held  the  cross 

In  open  view ; 
Like  Paul,  he  deemed  all  else  but  loss, 

Such  mind  they  knew. 

VII. 

As  shined  to  Constantine  the  signal  weird. 

By  which  to  win. 
There  seemed  before  his  daily  sight,  upreared, 

This  cure  for  sin. 

VIII. 

Socratic  power  informed  his  ripened  speech, 

Instructing  youth  ; 
**  Unmoved  by  threat  or  favor,"  apt  to  teach 

Fair  wisdom's  truth. 

IX. 

Take  heart,  ye  timid  guides,  who  fear  to  tell 

The  "  narrow  way  "  ; 
Let  champions  brave  in  Christ  who  war  so  well, 

Thy  spirit  sway. 


651 


APPENDIX   L 


At  a  meeting  of  the  Vestry  of  St.  George's  Church,  New  York,  April  17th, 
1845,  the  following  resolution  was  unanimously  adopted: 

Besolved,  That  this  Vestry  respectfully  solicit  from  the  family  of  our  late 
Rector,  a  copy  of  his  last  sermon  to  the  congregation  of  St.  George's  Church, 
delivered  on  Sunday  morning,  April  6th,  1845,  on  ''Christian  Unity,"  that 
the  same  may  be  published  and  widely  circulated,  as  containing  the  last 
testimony  of  our  venerated  Rector  on  this  interesting  subject. 

NOTE. 

Immediately  after  the  delivery  of  the  following  discourse,  and  while  its 
venerable  author  was  yet  in  the  enjoyment  of  health  and  strength,  its  pub- 
lication was  urged  by  many  who  heard  it.  Two  days  after,  on  the  8th  of 
April,  the  preacher  was  summoned  suddenly  from  this  scene  of  his  long  and 
faithful  labors,  and  entered  into  his  rest.  His  whole  congregation  wero 
naturally  led  to  recur  to  the  last  instructions  which  they  had  been  privi- 
leged to  hear  from  his  lips;  and  the  desire  at  first  expressed  by  a  few,  novr 
became  universal,  that  the  sermon  might  be  preserved  for  the  benefit  of  his 
people,  and  be  published  for  the  good  of  the  Church. 

"  Judge  not  and  ye  shall  not  be  .iudged. " — Luke  vi.  37. 

There  is  no  infirmity  of  our  nature  that  more  frequently  manifests  itself 
in  the  intercourse  of  life,  than  that  against  which  this  admonition  of  our 
Saviour  is  directed.  The  disposition,  if  not  universal,  is  very  prevalent,  to 
torm  hasty  and  very  decided  estimates  of  the  opinions  and  conduct  of  our 
fellow-men,  and  to  express  ourselves  with  precipitation  and  rashness  concern- 
ing them.  This  evil  would  be  less  injurious  in  its  effects,  if  we  always  re- 
sorted to  the  infallible  standard  of  rectitude,  both  in  respect  to  principle  and 
practice,  which  the  sacred  Scriptures  present,  as  the  guide  of  our  decisions ; 
instead  of  making,  as  we  are  too  prone  to  do,  our  own  preconceived  senti- 
ments and  conduct  the  sole  criterion  by  which  we  test  those  of  our  neighbors. 
For  although  even  when  we  profess  to  make  God's  Word  the  standard  of  our 
judgment,  caution  and  forbearance  in  its  annunciation  is  the  course  of  pru- 
dence and  propriety,  yet  we  do  not  presume  our  Lord  to  require  of  His  dis- 
ciples such  an  extension  of  charity  to  others,  as  would  countenance  evident 
departure  from  the  truth  of  God  on  noints  that  are  fundamental,  or  to  with- 
hold censures  from  such  a  course  of  conduct  as  is  manifestly  vicious.  It 
would  be  a  prejudicial  misconstruction  of  this  salutary  counsel,  should  it 

652 


Appendix  L  663 

make  us  indifferent  to  the  firm  and  energetic  maintenance  of  the  faith  once 
delivered  to  the  saints,  or  allow  us  to  relax  the  rule  of  the  Divine  \yord, 
pronouncing  holiness  to  be  indispensable  in  him  who  would  attain  the  vision 
and  fruition  of  God. 

The  principal  view  which  I  propose  now  to  take  of  the  precept  is  in  refer- 
ence to  that  great  diversity  which  we  see  obtaining  in  the  Christian  world 
in  the  forms  of  Church  polity,  and  in  the  sentiment  on  subordinate  points  of 
doctrine,  severally  advocated  by  men,  who  nevertheless  agree  in  holding  to 
the  Dicine  Head  of  the  Church,  and  to  His  revealed  word  as  the  permanent 
rule,  both  of  doctrinal  opinion  and  of  moral  and  religious  conduct.     Sup- 
posing them  to  be  in  error  on  some  inferior  topics,  not  affecting  the  vital 
principles  of  faith  or  practice,  shall  we  judge  them  with  severity— separate 
on  this  account  from  their  society— refuse  to  unite  with  them  in  measures 
for  the  promotion  of  our  common  Christianity?  and,  what  is  more  important, 
adjudge  them  to  be  out  of  the  covenant  of  God's  mercy  ?    God  forbid  !    We 
are  not  required  to  surrender  our  opinions,  deliberately  and  intelligently 
formed,  to  theirs,  whether  the  subjects  to  which  they  relate  be  of  more  or 
less  consequence  in  the  general  scheme  of  our  religion ;  nor  should  we  require 
such  a  sacrifice,    except   as  the  result  of  sincere  conviction,  from  them. 
Christ's  precept  does  not  oblige  us  to  abstain  from  the  maintenance,  under 
proper  circumstances,  and  in  a  suitable  temper,  of  any  peculiarities  in  our 
own  system.     But  the  least  important  of  these  should  be  least  prominently 
presented,  and  occupy  a  less  frequent  and  a  less  intense  employment  of  our 
zeal.     Is  it  not  a  painful  reflection  tbat  religious  controversialists  of  almost 
every  name,  in  so  many  of  the  polemical  discussions  that  have  employed 
their  pens,  should  have  forgotten  the  precept  requiring  Christians  to  let 
their  '*  moderation  be  known  unto  all  men,"  and  so  flagrantly  have  violated, 
in  their  angry  contentions,  the  brief,  but  amiable  lesson  of  the  Redeemer 
whichforms  our  text  f    These  violent  collisions  of  party  spirit,  disgraceful 
and  injurious  even  in  the  world  of  politics,  have  marred  the  interests  of 
Christ's  Kingdom,  and  interrupted  the  peace  of  society.     They  have  sepa- 
rated on  earth  to  a  much  greater  distance  than  their  actual  differences  re- 
quired, or  a  suitable  regard   to  the  spirit    of  their  professions   justified, 
brethren  of  the  same  great  family,  many  of  whom,  it  is  believed,  are  in 
sweet  and  unbroken  harmony  now  uniting  their  songs  of  praise  in  heaven 
Happily  for  the  best  interests  of  true  piety,  for  some  years  past  the  collisions 
of  sects  have  been  less  fierce  ;  for  a  season  the  arena  of  religious  contention 
was  in  a  good  degree  unoccupied  ;  and  feelings  of  charity  and  love  far  more 
prevalent  than  those  of  bitterness  and  wrrth.      The  kind  providence  which 
some  years  since  united  various  denominations  in  the  circulation  of  the  sa- 
cred Scriptures,  first  broke  that  magic  spell  by  which  bigotry  and  intoler- 
ance had  so  long  bound  each  sect  in  a. selfish  and  exclusive  regard  to  its  own 
interests.     And,  blessed  be  God,  the  spirit  which  has  uniformly  characterized 
the  Bible  Societies  of  Europe  and  America,  led  to  such  an  acquaintance  and 
intercourse  between  the  charitable  and  pious  of  different  communions,  that 
new  and  conjoint  plans  of  religions  and  moral  usefulness  were  most  amica- 
bly and  flu-cessfully  put  in  operation  ;  the  result  of  which,  under  the  bless- 
ing of  Pro\ndence,  has  been  to  extend  the  knowledge  of  true  religion,  re- 
move unhappy  jealou.^icc*,  lessen  the  alleged  causes  of  separation,  an«!  hasten 
that  glorious  i)eriod,  for  the  arrival  of  which,  in  our  excellent  liturgy,  we 


654  Appendix  L 

constantly  pray,  wlien  "all  who  profess  and  call  themselves  Christians  shall 
be  led  into  the  way  of  truth,  and  hold  the  faith  in  the  unity  of  spirit,  and 
in  the  bond  of  peace." 

The  precept  of  our  Lord  requiringtbat  we  should  forbear  to  judge  others, 
lest  we  ourselves  be  judged,  forms  an  opposite  censuid  of  the  spirit  which 
the  mighty  undertakings  of  the  present  day  are  calculated  to  subdue,  and 
furnishes  an  appropriate  basis  for  some  reflections,  adapted  to  the  further- 
ance of  the  cause  of  Christian  unity  and  concord.  Whether  the  happiness 
of  society,  the  extension  of  Christ's  kingdom,  the  dismay  of  infidels,  or  the 
prosperity  of  our  own  communion,  be  the  object  of  desire,  lam  persuaded 
each  will  be  best  promoted  by  that  mild  and  conciliatory  temper,  to  the 
cultivation  of  which  the  minds  of  Christians  have,  of  late  years,  so  much 
more  than  formerly,  been  directed.  It  is  not  by  a  stately  and  proud  re- 
serve in  our  demeanor  towards  others,  not  by  advancing  high-sounding  and 
exclusive  claims  to  the  favor  of  God,  nor  by  casting  contemptuous  sneers  at 
the  principles  or  systems  of  such  as  in  outward  things  walk  not  with  us,  if 
they  profess  allegiance  to  the  same  Master,  and  faith  in  His  blessed  gospel, 
that  true  religion  will  be  promoted,  or  our  venerable  Church  obtain  from 
other  denominations  that  respect  to  which  her  character  and  her  institutions 
entitle  her-,  and  which,  when  presented  with  the  moderation  and  meekness 
that  characterized  our  adorable  Exemplar,  it  is  believed  she  will  not  fail  to 
receive.  It  is  one  thing  to  be  attached  to  our  own  peculiarities,  because  we 
believe  them  to  be  rxght^  and  another,  to  denounce,  in  the  language  of  as- 
perity and  unkindness,  the  opinions  and  doings  of  others  as  positively 
wrong;  or  to  attach  to  their  disunion  from  us  iu  ministry,  discipline,  and 
worship,  consequences  that  involve  in  doubt  their  everlasting  prospects. 

It  is  one  thing  to  look  with  feelings  of  deej)  regard  on  the  external  order 
and  symmetry  of  our  own  dwelling,  and  another  to  despise,  because  some- 
what less  beautifully  constructed,  that  of  our  neighbor.     In  plain  terms,  it 
better  becomes  us,  and  it  will  be  in  all  respects  more  profitable,  instead  of 
spending  our  time  In  judging  others,  to  judge  our  ownselves,  and  to  be  more 
anxious  to  exhibit  an  unshaken  faith  in  the  grand  doctrines  of  our  religion, 
and  a  course  of  conduct  evincive  of  the  sincerity  of  our  profession,  than  to 
expend  our  zeal,  and  excite  our  passions,  and  court  opposition  by  constantly 
dwelling  on  inferior  discrepancies,  which  neither  vitally   affect  a  Christian's 
standing  with  God,  nor  materially  influence  his   conduct  in  life.     If  heated 
controversies  on  all  sides  were  avoided,  and  a  spirit  of  Christian  charity  fer- 
vently cherished,  the  Church  universal,  "  which  is  the   blessed  company  of 
all  faithful  people,"  would  ris3  in  all  her  majesty  and  strength,  her  enemies 
would  sink  into  merited  insignificance,  and  we  should  realize  with  a  more 
undoubting  confidence,  the  promise  of  her  great  Head,  that  the  gates  of  hell 
shall  not  prevail  against  her.     There  is,  it  is  true,  some    plausibility  in  the 
grounds  on  which  violent  party  disputants  defend  a  stern  and  unbending  at- 
tachment to  their  own  views,  and  a  right  to  judge  with   severity  the  views 
of  their  opponents.     There  are  certain  axioms  to  which  they  readily  resort ; 
but  it  happens,  that,  however  opposite  in  their  opinions,  each  claims  the  savie 
right  of  summoning  these  to  his  aid.     In  this  state  it  is  not  probable  either 
will  be  convinced  by  his  adversary  ;  but  each,  if  he  has  imbibed  the    spirit 
of  his  Master,  should,  as  far  as  possible,  forbear  from  any  harsh  judgment  of 
his  motives,  or  the  results  of  an  honest  difl"erence  of  views.     For  instance,  one 


Appendix  L  655 

alleges  he  rauBt  be  right,  because  trntli  is  an  unit ;  as  "  there  is  one  faith, 
one  Lord,  one  baptism,"  so  no  two  opi)osing  propositions  can  be  true.  A 
God  of  truth  cannot  contradict  Himself.  As  the  same  fountain  sends  not 
forth  bitter  water  and  sweet,  so  truth  and  falsehood  cannot  issue  from  the 
same  source.  They,  perhaps,  each  tell  us,  too,  tbat  they  have  placed  their 
rcinds  under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  that  He  cannot  be  wrong 
because  the  promised  ofiSce  of  that  heavenly  agent  is  to  "  lead  "  the  disciples 
of  Christ  "  into  all  truth."  Each  will  also  allege  that  the  standard  to  v.^hich 
his  creed  is  conformed  is  the  Word  of  God.  The  law  and  the  testimony  con- 
stitute the  touch-stone  to  which  they  are  alike  willing  that  every  proposi- 
tion they  advance  should  be  brought.  Now  where  candor  obliges  us  to 
award  to  these  disputants  both  a  competent  measure  of  intellect,  and  also 
honesty  of  purpose  and  intention,  would  we  not  recommend  to  them — if  we 
are  the  party  on  one  side  or  the  other  of  these  supposed  controverted  points, 
would  we  not  ourselves  exercise — much  forbearance  in  their  enforcement, 
much  reciprocal  charity  and  indulgence?  In  all  such  cases  it  will  contrib- 
ute to  this  feeling,  if  we  reflect  why  it  probably  is  that  good  peojde  have 
such  different  apprehensions  of  the  truth  of  God  ;  how  it  is,  that,  in  the  re- 
ligious world,  (by  which  term  I  would  be  understood  now  to  refer  to  such  as 
agree  in  certain  great  points  deemed  essential  to  salvation,)  such  numerous 
diversities  of  sentiment  should  obtain.  It  is  no  matter  of  surprise  that 
wicked  men  should  be  opi)oscd  to  the  truth,  or  have  a  thousand  incongruous 
and  conflicting  views  respecting  it ;  for  their  creed  is  commonly  dictated  by 
their  evil  propensities  and  passions.  They  have,  in  no  sense,  "  received  the 
truth  in  the  love  of  it,"  and  God  often  "gives  them  over  to  strong  delusion 
to  believe  a  lie."  But  why  on  many  points  does  so  great  variety  of  oi)inion 
obtain  among  those  who  truly  love  and  fear  God  ? 

Now  we  are  free  to  express  our  j^ersuasion,  that  God  does  not  sufifer  one 
of  His  real  children  to  embrace,  and  die  in  the  belief  of  any  dogma,  by  which 
his  salvation  is  endangered.  The  Apostle  tells  us  of  those  who  "being  in 
damnable  heresies."  But  though  every  deviation  from  the  truth  is  error, 
every  such  deviation  is  not  damnahle  error.  Some  things  are  fundamcnialhj 
im])ortant  — others  are  not  so.  1  am  aware  that  there  may  seem  to  be  diffi- 
culty in  determining  what  are  of  the  one,  or  the  other,  description.  I  know 
of  no  better  rule  of  distinction  than  this.  All  truths  arc  fundamental,  the 
belief  of  which  is  necessary  to  produce  such  exercises  of  faith  and  holiness 
as  are  essential  to  salvation,  and  all  errors  are  fundamental  errors,  whicli  a 
man  cannot  hold,  and  yet  receive  that  faith  and  holiness,  without  which, 
according  to  the  Scriptures,  ho  cannot  be  saved.  For  instance,  faith  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  absolutely  essential  to  the  salvation  of  those  to  whom 
Ho  has  been  revealed.  For  "  without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  God." 
Repentance  for  sin  is  essential ;  for  God  "commands  all  men  everywhere  to 
repent."  Spiritual  rrgoncration  is  esst>ntial,  for  Christ  <leclares,  **  except  a 
man  bo  born  again,  he  cannot  enter  into  tlie  kingdom  of  Heaven."  Saucti- 
iication  is  essential,  for  "  without  holines.s  no  man  can  see  the  Lord." 

We  might  extend  the  examination;  but  these  examples,  plainly  dcriviMl  from 
the  book  of  God,  arc  sufficient  for  illustration.  Many  matters  of  Kecon<lary 
importance,  however,  may  1)0  believed  or  <lisl)<dieved  by  ])ersnns  who  ])rof('ss 
all  the  doctrines  that  have  been  statnd,  and  others  equally  weighty  which, 
neither  leading  into  immoral  practice,  nor  putting  in  jeopardy  the  salvation 


656  Appendix  I, 

of  tlie  soul,  do  not  require  that  the  bond  of  Christian  brotherhood  should  be 
severed  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  call  for  such  a  liberal  construction  and  treat- 
ment as  may  conform  to  the  spirit  of  our  Lord's  injunction  in  the  text: 
"  Judge  not."  But  the  man  who  believes  his  own  mind  to  be  under  the  special 
iniluence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  may  find  it  hard  to  believe  his  neighbor,  who 
differs  from  him  on  these  subordinate  points,  a  real  disciple  of  Christ ;  be- 
cause, as  intimated  above,  of  the  impossibility  of  the  gracious  Comforter, 
who  was  to  lead  into  all  truth,  bearing  on  the  same  subject  a  difi'erent  testi- 
mony to  different  minds.  Now  may  we  not  remove  this  difiSculty — must  we 
not  do  so  unless  we  are  prepared  to  violate  every  principle  of  Christian  char- 
ity by  supposing  that  the  passage  referred  to  as  descriptive  of  the  office  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  and  others  of  a  similar  nature,  apply  only  to  the  essential 
truths  of  salvation?  Is  it  not  a  harsh  judgment  to  pronounce  an  individual 
wholly  destitute  of  grace,  because  in  theory  or  practice  he  appears  to  us 
to  err  on  some  inferior  points?  On  any  other  principle  we  must  involve 
numbers  in  peril  of  perdition  on  account  of  their  ignorance  or  unbelief  of 
propositions,  which,  though  true,  are  such  as  the  divine  word  no  way  con- 
nects with  the  hope  of  future  blessedness.  If  we  are  disposed  to  the  exer- 
cise of  a  charitable  judgment,  may  we  not,  in  some  measure,  account  for  the 
subsisting  differences  of  opinion  on  a  variety  of  minor  topics  connected  with 
religion  ?  Many  propositions  of  this  less  important  nature  are  not  so  clearly 
taught  in  Scripture,  as  are  those  immediately  connected  with  the  salvation 
of  the  soul.  It  has  been  the  great  mercy  of  its  adorable  Author,  that  those 
propositions,  a  cordial  assent  to  which  is  necessary  to  the  exercise  of  faith 
and  the  practice  of  holiness,  are  so  plainly  taught  and  so  frequently  repeated 
that  if  a  man  will  not  shut  his  eyes  and  suffer  his  passions  to  give  law  to  his 
understanding,  he  must  believe  them,  while  others  less  important  (this  very 
circumstance  showing  that  they  are  so)  are  not  delivered  with  such  indub- 
itable clearness,  but  that  they  may,  when  brought  under  the  consideration 
of  differently  constituted  minds,  or  under  varying  circumstances  of  educa- 
tion or  association,  become  subjects  of  dispute. 

Many  of  the  points  on  which  Christians  differ,  are,  infact,  rather  deductions 
and  inferences,  than  positive  Scriptural  prescriptions,  which  each  man  as- 
sumes the  right  to  make  for  himself;  and  therefore  it  is  not  by  any  means 
surprising,  that  one  should  draw,  on  such  questions,  a  conclusion  which  an- 
other would  not.  Every  one  has  not  the  same  quickness  of  apprehension, 
the  same  extent  of  information,  the  same  reasoning  powers,  and  talents  for 
logical  deduction.  Though  he  may  have  the  spirit  of  truth  dwelling  in 
him,  and  the  outward  Word  to  direct  him,  he  may  not  be  placed  in  as  fa- 
vorable circumstances ;  he  may  not  have  the  same  collateral  assistances,  or 
the  same  capacity  of  distinguishing  truth  from  error,  as  others;  or  if  he  has, 
yet  in  measuring  and  weighing  a  variety  of  ^propositions,  he  may  err  on 
some.  As  undoubted  Christians  are  often  observed  not  to  be  free  from 
every  error  in  practice,  so  neither  are  they  from  every  error  of  understand- 
ing. If  they  have  not  the  same  faculty  for  the  apprehension  of  divine  truth, 
nor  the  same  means  and  advantages  for  knowing  the  mind  and  will  of  God, 
it  is  not  more  to  be  wondered  at  that  they  should  differ  in  the  fashion  of 
their  opinions  than  of  their  faces. 

To  what  different  conclusions  even  well-informed  minds  have  arrived,  after 
an  attentive  examination  of  Scripture,  in  relation  to  the  external  polity  of  the 


Appendix  L  6Sy 

visible  Church!  We  allege  the  imparity  of  the  ministry,  and  the  gradation 
of  three  orders ;  others  contend  for  an  entire  equality  and  a  single  order. 
Supposing  they  are  mistaken,  shall  we  judge  our  brethren,  who  honestly 
dissent  from  our  conclusions,  as  out  of  the  pale  of  the  Chistian  covenant, 
and  either  consign  them  to  eternal  ruin,  or  leave  them  to  a  bare  peradven- 
ture  as  to  their  eternal  hopes  ?  So  we  entertain  no  doubts  that  infants  are 
to  be  baptized,  though  we  cannot  support  our  position  by  any  positive  com- 
mand expressly  mentioning  them,  any  more  than  such  an  authority  can 
be  produced  for  the  administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper  to  females.  But  as 
the  latter  is  a  matter  of  fair  inference  from  the  generality  of  the  command 
for  the  observance  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  so  the  former  is  inferred  from  the 
same  generality,  as  well  as  from  identity  of  the  covenant  of  grace  under  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments,  from  the  law  of  circumcision,  from  early  usage, 
from  the  Saviour's  declaration  of  the  right  of  infants  to  the  kingdom  of  God, 
etc.  Yet  others,  no  doubt  as  sincere  as  ourselves,  do  not  see  the  force  of  our 
conclusions,  and  conscientiously  abstain  from  the  practice. 

Should  we  harshly  judge  each  other  on  these  and  similar  topics  ?  or  may 
we  not  severally  hold  our  opinions,  and  pursue  our  convictions  of  duty, 
with  the  charitable  hope  that  our  doings  being  designed  to  be  conformed  to 
the  Divine  Will,  may  be  accepted  of  God? 

Allow  me  another  suggestion  in  respect  to  the  existing  differences  of 
opinion  among  Christians.  May  they  not  be  permitted  by  divine  providence 
for  wise  purposes  ?  The  will  of  man  is  left  free  to  choose  or  reject  such 
propositions  as  are  laid  before  him.  His  exercise  of  this  liberty,  even  when 
some  error  supervenes,  may  tend  to  the  confirmation  of  others,  and  perhaps 
eventually  of  himself,  in  the  truth.  It  is  no  uncommon  thing  for  us  after 
satisfaction  resulting  from  inquiry,  to  hold  with  more  tenacity  than  others 
those  truths  of  which  our  minds  once  doubted ;  and  it  cannot  be  questioned 
that  even  polemical  controversy,  a  thing,  in  itself,  presenting  so  few  attrac- 
tions, when  conducted  in  a  meek  and  candid  spirit,  has  often  led  to  the 
more  perfect  proof  and  establishment  of  sound  doctrine.  It  may  induce 
many,  who  would  otherwise  be  indifferent  to  the  duty,  to  search  the  Script- 
ures, excite  to  more  vigorous  exercise  of  the  understanding,  and  eventuate  in 
the  extension  of  the  correct  principles  of  the  gospel.  Such  were  the  results  of 
those  eminent  displays  of  talent  and  piety,  which  distinguished  the  writings 
of  the  Reformers;  and  other  instances  might  be  adduced  in  verification  of 
this  statement.  Even  when  men  have  contended  for  victory,  rather  than 
for  truth,  and  have  had  more  in  view  their  own  exaltation  than  the  glory  of 
God,  He  has  not  infrciiuently  made  the  infirmities,  as  well  as  the  wrath, 
of  man  to  praise  Him.  When  important  truths  have  been  assailed,  and 
every  effort  of  ingenuity  exerted  for  their  overthrow,  tho  result  has  been, 
that,  instead  of  ]>lindly  assenting  to  them,  as  unexamined  traditions,  tlieir 
professors  have  been  made  thoroughly  acquainte«l  with  the  evidences  ou 
which  they  rest,  and  become,  as  the  Apostle  exi)re8se8  it,  "  rooted  and 
grounded  in  the  faith,"  as  well  from  the  force  of  ]>ot<itive  argument  in  their 
favor,  as  of  tho  weakness  of  those  by  which  they  have  been  assaile*!. 

Further:  Tho  wiadimi  of  divine  providence  may  permit  diversities  upon 
points  which  though  not  altogether  indifferent,  are  comparatirelif  so,  that  we 
may  perceive  that  "the  kingdom  of  God  is  not  meat  and  drink,  but  right- 
eousness, and  peace,  and  jcy,  in  tho  Holy  Ghost ;  for  he  that  in  those  things 


658  Appendix  I. 

ssrveth  Christ  is  acceptable  to  God,  and  approved  of  men."  The  kingdom 
of  heaven  is  not  made  dependent  on  speculative  opinions,  or  on  outward 
modes  and  forms.  Yet  our  infirmities  would  sometimes  lead  us  to  such  a 
conclusion,  if  it  were  not  so  ordered,  that  we  have  daily  in  our  view  many 
who  we  cannot  doubt  fear  God,  and  walk  closely  with  Him,  and  may  per- 
haps have  reached  far  higher  attainments  in  holiness  than  ourselves,  yet 
nevertheless  differ  from  us  in  many  respects  in  their  theoretical  opinions, 
worship  God  in  a  different  community,  and  conduct  their  devotions  in  a 
manner  variant  from  our  own.  It  becomes  us  in  the  spirit  of  our  Saviour  8 
precept,  to  judge  tenderly  of  such,  to  view  what  we  may  consider  their 
errors,  with  indulgence,  and  beware  how  we  suffer  an  over-zealous  fondness 
for  things  of  an  external  nature,  or  of  subordinate  importance,  to  embitter 
our  feelings  against  them.  Alas!  it  too  frequently  happens  that  bigots  have 
more  charity  for  the  sins  of  others,  than  for  their  involuntary  errors  as  to  the 
minor  doctrines  and  the  circumstantials  of  religion  ;  and  are  found  contend- 
in  «•  for  trifles  having  little  or  no  influence  on  the  interests  of  eternity,  while 
they  manifest  comparative  indiflerence  in  regard  to  other  things  for  which 
every  man's  conscience  and  the  law  of  God  must  condemn  him. 

But  again  the  minor  differences  prevalent  in  the  Christian  world  may  be 
permitted  for  the  very  purpose  of  giving  employment  to  the  exercise  of 
charity.     It  has  been  said,  "  Precepts  lead  to  duty ;  but  examples  draw  ns." 
There  is  no  duty  more  strongly  urged  in  Scripture  than  charity,  or  brotherly 
love,  nor  any  to  which  the  unrenewed  propensities  of  our  nature  are  more 
averse.     Pride  and  envy  are  the  natural  inmates  of  the  human  breast,  "God, 
I  thank  thee  that  I  am  not  as  other  men,"  is  still  the  Pharisaic  sentiment  of 
many  a  corrupt  and  evil  heart.     But  when  Christians  perceive  that  others 
who  walk  not  with  them  in  external  things,  or  speculatively  differ  from  them 
on  some  points  of  doctrine,  are  evidently  one  with  them  in  spirit ;  when  they 
are  compelled  to  yield  to  the  persuasion  that  with  all  their  supposed  mis- 
takes, God  has  loved  and  accepted  them,  surely  feelings  of  attachment  must 
arise,  which  no  points  of  unimportant  difference  can  repress.     Must   not 
their  hearts  be  drawn  towards  those  whom  they  cannot  but  view  as  fellow 
heirs  with  them  of  an  inheritance  of  glory,  into  grateful  exercises  of  Chris- 
tian affection  and  esteem  ?     Can  they  refuse  to  love  those  whom  their  heav- 
enly Father  loves?     Can  they  deny  the  hand  of  fellowship,  and  the  heart  of 
sympathy,  to  brethren  differing  from  them  in  name,  but  sprinkled  with  the 
same  redeeming  blood,  justified  by  the  same  grace,  sanctified  by  the  same 
spirit  as  themselves?    Is  there  weight,  dear  brethren,  in  these  suggestions? 
Then  how  must  we  lament  that  error,  which  suffers  alienation  of  affection, 
and  reluctance  to  friendly  intercouse,  to  be  the  consequence  of  'differences 
about  the  inferior  topics,  or  slighter  circumstantials  of  religion  !     How  egre- 
gious the  mistake  of  supposing  a  claim  to  heaven  to  be  forfeited  by  anything 
else  than  our  abandonment  of  the  faith  and  holiness  of  the  gospel !     How  in- 
consistent in  those  who  so  properly  object  to  popish  infallibility,  to  claim  it 
for  themselves!     Has  not  my  brother  as  much  reason  to  quarrel  with  me  for 
dift^erinsr  from  him,  as  I  have  for  his  differing  from  me?    But  I  allege  Script- 
ure for  my  course.     So  does  he.     I  think  that  that  holy  influence,  to  which 
I  desire  in  spiritual  things  to  subject  my  mind,  persuades  me  of  its  correct- 
ness.    So  does  he.     I  have  the  opinion  and  practice  of  many  wise  and  holy 
men  on  ray  side.     So  probably  has  he.     But  the  Church  to  which  I  belong 
maintains  the  dogma  or  the  usage  for  which  I  contend.     So  has  he  been  ed- 
ucated in  a  Church  which  maintains  its  opposite,  and  neither  of  them  pro- 


Appendix  I.  669 

fesses,  or,  if  it  does,  has  a  right  to  claim  infallibility,  or  the  power  of  teach- 
ing or  prescribing  anything  contrary  to  the  word  of  God.  Hear  the  expos- 
tulations of  that  word :  "  Who  art  thou  that  judgest  another  man's  servant  ? 
To  his  own  master  he  standeth  or  falleth."  "  Why  dost  thou  judge  thy 
brother,  or  why  dost  thou  set  at  naught  thy  brother?  For  we  shall  all 
stand  before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ."  ''Let  us  not,  therefore,  judge 
one  another  any  more."  ''Judge  not,  lest  ye  be  judged."  "  Whatsoever  ye 
would  that  men  should  do  unto  you,  do  je  even  so  to  them  " 

Oh,  brethren,  had  these  amiable  precepts  been  better  understood,  or 
practiced,  what  endless,  unprofitable  contentions  would  have  been  avoided! 
Instead  of  such  unsatisfactory  disputes  about  the  outworks  of  religion,  and 
matters  of  belief  or  practice  unconnected  with  salvation,  Christians  would 
have  found  an  ample  bond  of  union  in  the  single  sentiment  which  recognizes 
faith  and  holiness  as  constituting  the  whole  essence  of  pure  and  spiritual  re- 
ligion. Whatever  their  other  discrepancies,  they  would  have  agreed  in 
striving  together  in  love  for  these  ;  and  the  intercourse  of  congenial  minds 
on  earth  would  have  been  at  least  a  faint  image  of  the  peaceful  harmony  of 
heaven.  There,  without  a  question,  will  meet  the  holy  and  the  good  of  every 
religious  name,  and  it  will  be  found  that  a  thousand  distinctions  that  many 
deem  here  of  immense  importance  will  be  there  utterly  disregarded  and  for- 
gotten. 

Let  us,  therefore,  diligently  inquire  for  ourselves  what  is  truth ;  and  let 
us,  when  discovered,  cordially  cherish  and  retain  it.  Conclusions  honestly 
and  deliberately  formed,  even  on  inferior  and  circumstantial  points,  we 
are  not  required  to  yield  at  the  bidding  of  others.  But  let  us  cultivate  a  chari- 
table disposition  towards  those  whose  inquiries,  as  honestly  and  deliberately 
made  as  our  own,  have  led  to  opposite  results.  If  God  has  received  them, 
let  us  not  refuse  to  do  so,  nor  decline  to  be  their  associates  in  any  suitable 
endeavors  for  the  advancement  of  Evangelical  religion  in  the  hearts  of  men, 
and  its  extension  throughout  the  earth. 

The  length  of  these  remarks  precludes  our  exhibiting  the  precept  of  our 
Saviour  in  other  points  of  view  than  that  in  which  it  has  been  the  principal 
object  of  this  discourse  to  i)]ace  it.     I  cannot,   however,  conclude  without 
observing,  that  if  the  injunction  has  the  extent  now  given  to  it,  its  oblir^a- 
tion   cannot  be  doubted  in  the  more  limited  one  to  which  it  has  generally 
been  confined.     If  we  should  exercise  a  mild   and   charitable  disposition 
towards  our  brethren  of  every  name,  we  should  most  assiduously  avoid  harsh 
and  severe  censures  ui)on  those  who  in   church  communion  stand  immedi- 
ately ronnectod  with  us.     This  charitable  principle  does  not  require  ua  to  be 
partakers  of  other  men's  sins.     It  compels  us  not  to  adopt  their  errors;  it 
forltids  ns  not  to  offer  to  our  erring  brethren   suitable,   seasonable,   and 
scriptural  counsel  an<l  advice.     But  it  does  peremptorily  forbid  our  assum- 
ing in  respect  to  them  and  their  conduct,  the  prerogative  of  God.     Wc  have 
all  sins  enough  of  our  own  for  whi<h  to  judge  ourselves,  and  as  wo  know- 
more  of  our  sins  than  others  do.  we  should  be  more   ready  to  condemn   onr- 
sehcH  than  them.     The  author  of  that  precept  we  have  been  considering  has 
solemnly  warned  ns  against  saying  to  out  brethren.    "  Let  me  pull  the  mote 
out  of  thine  eye."  and  behold,  a  beam  is  in  our  own  evo.     It  is  TTis  command 
that  we  first  east  out  the  beam   out   of  our  eve.  that  wo  may  see  clearlv  to 
ca.st  the  mote  out  of  our  bn.tber's  eye;  and  His  declared  purpose  is  most  sol- 
emnly announced  that  "with  what  measure  we  mete  to  others,  it  shall  he 
incted  to  us  again." 


APPENDIX  IL 


Dr.  Tyng*s  address  at  the  Anniversary  of  the  American 
Sunday  School  Union,  at  Musical  Fund  Hall,  Philadelphia, 
May  15th,  1848,  upon  the  resolution :  That  the  real  welfare 
and  useful  influence  of  our  beloved  country  must  ever  be  mainly 
dependent  on  the  religious  training  of  the  children  of  our  land. 

I  would  speak;  sir,  upon  this,  as  upon  a  theme  always  imiwrtant ;  but 
under  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the  time  in  which  we  are  gatheret'  to- 
gether pre-eminently  so.  If  there  be,  sir,  upon  the  whole  surface  of  the 
globe  to-night  a  nation  that  is  raised  as  a  city  set  upon  a  hill,  to  guide  and 
protect  and  encourage  and  uphold  the  multitude —the  millions  of  mankind — 
it  is  the  position  of  this  republic.  And,  sir,  if  there  ever  has  been,  or  ever 
will  be,  a  crisis  in  which  the  utmost  of  its  excellence  will  be  brought  out 
to  view,  in  which  its  ability  to  stand  and  to  endure  and  to  abide,  to  bless 
the  residue  of  the  world,  will  be  tested,  that  crisis  is  the  very  one  in  which 
the  present  anniversary  of  this  Union  is  held.  Why,  sir,  the  world,  the 
whole  world  is  heaving,  and  the  entire  mass  of  the  human  population 
throughout,  not  only  the  civilized  but  the  uncivilized  portions  of  the  globe, 
seems  to  be  like  the  opening  mouth  of  ignorant  hunger,  demanding  some- 
thing, it  knows  not  what ;  and  we  are  compelled  to  stand  by  this  mass,  and 
strengthen  all  men  by  our  sympathy,  our  instruction,  and  our  support  ;  and 
to  be  able  to  take  this  position,  we  are  to  dig  down  far  deeper  than  the  ex- 
ternal appearance  of  our  influence,  and  lay  a  foundation  and  test  principles 
somewhat  entirely  beneath  the  apparent  surface  and  operations  of  outward 
things. 

I  look,  sir,  upon  the  whole  history  of  our  country  past  as  being  a  com- 
plete illustration  of  the  value  of  your  institution,  and  of  the  importance,  the 
indispensable  necessity  of  its  maintenance,  and  of  spreading  larger  and 
larger,  and  exerting  a  more  and  more  extensive  power.  What  was  it,  Mr. 
Chairman,  that  led  our  own  glorious  Eevolution  to  its  happy  result  j  which 
has  guarded  that  result  in  the  confirmation  of  the  happiness  and  prosperity 
of  the  country;  that  has  established  us  as  a  people  able  to  maintain  our 
hold  against  the  thousand  evils  and  wickednesses  upon  every  side,  working. 
div<^rting,  distracting  and  overturning,  apparently,  every  influence  for 
good?  I  answer,  sir,  beyond  all  causes  combined  was  the  deep  and  univer- 
sal acquaintance  with  the  sacred  Scriptures,  scattered  among  the  children 
of  a  former  generation — the  training  of  mind  and  heart  and  spirit  by  which 


Appendix  II.  66 1 

they  ■were  prepared  and  enal3led  to  understand  for  what  they  must  contend, 
and  to  contend  successfully  and  triumphantly  for  the  rights  that  they  had 
established.  It  is  not  surprising  that  our  Congress,  in  its  very  first  assem- 
bling, should  have  ordered  an  edition  of  the  sacred  Scriptures  to  be  im- 
ported, I  will  not  say  printed.  It  is  not  surprising  that  a  spirit  lihe  that 
should  have  governed  in  the  minds  of  the  men  then  gathered  together;  for 
every  man  of  them  had  undoubtedly  been  taught  from  their  very  youth — 
from  the  beginning  of  their  days — the  power  of  those  lively  oracles.  The 
land  was  inhabited  by  a  people  that  had  gathered  in  with  their  mother^s 
milk  the  principles  and  influences  of  sacred  instruction,  and  had  learned 
from  the  very  earliest  period  of  their  days  that  it  is  God's  truth  which 
makes  men  free  with  a  liberty  above  the  conflicts  of  earth.  And  it  was  that 
very  spirit  which  carried  them  successfully  through  their  early  struggles, 
and  it  is  the  remnant  of  that  very  spirit  which  has  maintained  the  re- 
public in  its  influence  and  power  up  to  the  present  time. 

It  is  wonderful  to  me  when  I  see  the  flood  of  immorality  from  other  lands 
which  is  constantly  breaking  upon  our  shores,  the  overwhelming  imported 
infidelity — for  the  greatest  portion  of  the  popular  infidelity  of  this  land  is  of  a 
foreign  and  imported  origin — when  I  see  the  anarchy  which  is  bursting  in 
upon  us  like  a  flood,  and  the  liceutiousness  which  is  casting  up  its  steam- 
ing vapor  in  all  parts  of  the  land,  it  is  wonderful  that  this  country  has 
maintained  its  ground,  that  every  institution  of  public  order  and  domestic 
jieace  and  personal  liberty  has  not  been  swept  off  tho  earth  before  the  power 
of  that  deluge  which  it  has  appeared  impossible  to  resist.     Nothing  has 
maintained  the  country  but  the  abiding  influences  of  the  hereditary  in- 
struction  conferred  upon    generation   after  generation   by  our  Christian 
fathers;  influences,  sir,  buried  so  deep  that  all  the  pickaxes  of  infidelity 
have  not  been  able  to  break  them  up;  influences  which  have  been  sent 
abroad  30  extensively,  and  have  entered  so  deeply  into  the  vitals  and  minds 
of  the  people,  that  no  power  of  evil  has  been  able  to  eradicate  them.     It  is 
amazing  to  me,  as  an  observer  of  this  country,  not  that  our  institutions  have 
occasionally  reeled  and  staggered,  and  presented  the  question  whether  they 
should  stand  or  not,  but  that  for  these  sixty  years  they  have  been  able  to 
stand  under  the  overwhelming  flood  that  has  sapped  their  very  foundations. 
Jesuitism,  assuming  every  shape  aud  form — from  the  polite  dancing-master 
who  instructs  your  daughter,  to  the  teacher  of  foreign  languages  who  is  edu- 
cating your  sons:  laying  aside  the  garb  of  the  priestly  ofiSce,  and  adopting 
the  unsuspected  and  fanciful  iutercouse  of  common  life — has  endeavored  to 
undermine  public  and  private  virtue  aud  public  and  private  liberty.     It  ia 
amazing  that  this  land  has  been  able  to  endure  against  these  stupendous 
influences  which  have  been  setting  in  upon  it.     It  uever  would  have  endured 
had  not  tho  fathers  of  the  land  done  what  your  institution  is  trying  to  make 
the   fathers  of  tho  present  generation  do   for  tho  generation  which  is  to 
come. 

When  I  look,  sir,  at  the  amazing  power  of  imported  infidelity  containe:! 
in  forciign  publications,  which  are  roimblishcd  here,  and  mad«!  to  suit  the 
tastes  ol  our  people,  tempting  them  as  tho  intoxicating  drmon  temjjts  our 
nation,  at  tho  lowest  pri<e,  it  is  amazing  to  mc  that  our  nation  has  not  been 
swept  away  by  a  mob,  and  that  it  has  been  practicable  for  us  to  maintain 
ourselves  beneath  our  own  roofs,  in  the  secure  possession  of  our  rights. 


662  Appendix  II, 

I  maintain,  sir,  that  is  has  been  nothing  hut  the  early  irradiation  of  this 
country  with  the  light  of  God's  vrord — it  has  been  nothing,  sir,  hut  the  early 
salting  down  of  the  early  population  of  this  land  with  the  savor  of  Divine 
knowledge  inculcated  in  the  early  teachings  of  the  New  England  fathers, 
which  has  preserved  our  country  from  hemg  overv'helmed  and  destroyed. 

And  now,  sir,  we  stand  in  a  generation  in  which  we  are  to  teach  the 
world  the  lesson  we  have  learned  of  God — a  simple  lesson,  that  intellect,  how- 
ever exalted  it  may  he,  unless  sanctified  iy  the  word  of  God,  becomes  hut  a  sword  in 
the  hand  of  a  madman;  that  education,  however  enlarged,  unless  it  is  a  de- 
votee to  the  cause  of  Christ,  becomes  an  evil — a  curse.  I  would  bid  you 
look  at  Europe.  I  would  ask  no  other  illustration  than  boiling,  upheaving 
France,  where  gigantic  intellect  has  investigated  every  department  of 
science — where  logic  has  reasoned  with  a  precision  unsurpassed ;  and  yet, 
sir,  where  no  Bible  has  taught  them  the  truth  of  God,  and  no  early  educa- 
tion has  engrafted  the  knowledge  of  the  Most  High  —where  men  are  mere 
babes  in  all  the  principles  of  the  science  of  human  life,  and  asking  and 
seeking  for  a  refuge  and  an  end  that  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  discern. 

We  are  looking  to  France  for  the  uprising  of  the  spirit  of  liberty  ;  and 
while  it  is  not  in  any  of  us  to  sympathize  with  the  autocratical  spirit  of  ex- 
clusiveness  and  oppression,  neither  is  it  in  any  of  our  hearts  to  sympathize 
with  the  uprising  of  a  mere  democratical  spirit  of  insubordination.  Our 
sympathy  is  to  be  directed  and  made  effective  by  throw mg  light  in  upon 
the  heaving  mass  of  darkness— by  scattering  the  means  of  self-control  in  the 
word  of  God.  We  are,  sir,  to  extend  the  hand  of  fraternity  upon  the  sacred 
Scriptures.  We  are  to  give  out  the  instruction  of  an  elder  sister  as  at  the 
very  footstool  of  the  throne  of  God.  If  we  would  be  useful,  we  should  say  to 
infantile  France -for  France  is  yet  but  an  infant— and  to  infantile  Europe, 
**  Come,  let  us  ascend  into  the  hill  of  the  Lord,  and  listen  to  what  the  Lord 
shall  say  to  us,  for  the  Lord  will  speak ;  He  will  teach  us  His  ways,  and  we 
will  walk  in  His  paths  :  for  out  of  Zion  shall  go  forth  the  law,  and  the  word 
of  the  Lord  from  Jerusalem." 

I  hold  it,  sir,  to  be  the  duty  of  this  republic  to  stand  upon  the  conserva- 
tive principles  of  liberty,  which  are  sustained  and  upheld  by  the  distinct 
recognition  of  the  authority  of  the  living  God,  and  allow  no  new-born  frater- 
nity to  be  brought  out  upon  principles  anarchical  and  disorganizing,  not 
recognizing  that  the  Lord  ruleth  in  the  affairs  of  men.  3n  such  circum- 
stances as  these,  then,  are  we  to  take  a  personal  responsibility ;  and  never 
since  the  generation  that  established  the  independence  of '76,  has  there  been 
a  generation  in  this  land  over  whom  such  responsibilities  were  cast — over 
whom  there  needed  such  an  incubation  of  the  spirit  of  the  Most  High,  and 
around  whom  there  required  such  a  wall  of  fire,  to  protect  them  from  an  in- 
fluence that  is  attempting,  in  its  power,  to  consummate  their  overthrow  and 
prevent  their  being  instruments  of  good  to  their  fellow-men. 

We  are  not  to  undertake  the  destinies  of  this  great  republic  alone.  We 
have  the  keys  of  the  earth,  and  I  hold  it  to  be  our  duty  to  travel  to  the  ut- 
most limits  of  man,  bearing  the  solemn  testimony  to  the  human  race,  that 
we  owe  our  religious  blessings  and  social  rights  to  the  distinct  recognition 
of  the  Divine  authority.  We  should  hold  out  to  them,  sir,  in  one  hand,  that 
Declaration  of  Independence,  which  declares  the  rights  of  man,  and  in  the 
other  the  book  of  God,  which  gives  the  charter  of  divine  support,  and  say  to 


Appendix  II.  66 


the  nations  of  the  world,  Hear  they  are  -tlie  last  carae  down  from  God— the 
first  we  grafted  upon  the  book  of  God  ;  and  as  a  parasite  it  has  lived,  when 
as  an  independent  plant  it  woukl  have  withered  and  faded  and  died.  Sir,  I 
did  not  look  for  applause  upon  the  remarks  I  have  felt  compelled  to  make 
this  evening.  From  remarks  which  I  heard  from  my  friends  during  the  past 
week,  I  was  led  to  fear  that  they  were  speaking  the  language  of  congratula- 
tion far  too  soon.  I  think  it  our  duty  now  to  bold  up  the  feeble,  faltering 
steps  of  France,  while  jiassing  through  her  transition  state,  by  pouring  in 
upon  her  a  flood  of  God's  illuminating  Spirit,  through  the  medium  of  His 
sacred  word,  and  to  ai)plaud  subsequently,  sir,  when  her  period  of  compe- 
tent majority  shall  have  arrived. 

Now,  sir,  this  is  our  dispensation,  as  inherited  from  our  fathers;  and  we 
are  to  carry  it  on  in  our  day,  and  at  the  same  time  to  spread  a  healing  in- 
fluence throughout  infatuated  Europe,  and  to  sanctify  and  save  the  ruffian- 
ized  ungodliness  of  Europe  cast  upon  our  own  shores.  It  seems  to  me,  sir, 
you  cannot  take  a  child  from  one  of  our  cities  or  villages,  and  attempt  to 
plant  him  in  your  Sunday  School,  but  you  must  have  a  controversy  over  bim 
like  that  of  Michael  and  the  Devil  over  the  body  of  Moses.  There  stands, 
eir,  the  open  mouthed  crocodile  of  Popery,  ready  to  swallow  him  up  at  the 
first  manifestation  of  his  existence.  You  have  to  fight  with  a  power  which 
naught  but  the  sword  of  the  living  and  eternal  God  Himself  can  overthrow — 
naught  else  can  drive  off  the  avenger  of  Satan's  wrongs  and  the  opposer  of 
God's  rights.  You  have  to  meet  the  spirit  of  licentiousness  and  infidelity 
which  stalks  boldly  forth  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land 
spreading  its  poison  into  every  dark  spot  and  fetid  kennel  of  our  cities,  groping 
along  in  every  sly  place,  presenting  the  most  tempting  appearance  in  his 
external  aspect,  but  biting  like  a  scorpion  and  stinging  to  death  in  the  first 
embrace,  his  helpless  victims.  The  books,  sir,  of  which  my  friend  has  spoken 
are  prepared  for  the  very  alphabets  of  your  children.  The  tracts  of  the  Tract 
Society  and  the  books  of  the  American  Sunday  School  Union,  are  all  imi- 
tated to  teach  them  the  first  principles  of  vice  and  immorality.  Ere  the 
father  knows  that  his  child  has  been  exposed,  its  mind  has  been  polluted  by 
these  vile  works,  which  wend  their  way  even  to  the  cradles  of  our  children, 
and  unresisted  seize  upon  their  tender  victims  and  pour  their  leprous 
distilment  into  their  yielding  minds. 

In  the  midst  of  such  circumstances  you  must  contend,  and  you  must  bo 
prepared  to  meet  these  responsibilities,  and  to  do  according  to  the  work 
committed  to  your  charge.  And  in  order  to  perform  this  work,  in  order  to 
discharge  these  responsibilities  effectively,  you  must  ever  maintain  and  es- 
tablish in  the  mind  of  the  community,  in  the  mind  of  the  nation,  the  suprem- 
acy of  the  divine  authority.  Secular  education,  however  thorough,  how- 
ever extensive,  cannot  accomplish  the  object.  The  moment  you  separate  the 
religious  element  from  tho  intellectual,  you  render  the  latter  powerless  for 
good.  I  am  not  ashamed  to  point  to  that  institution  which  I  am  proud  to 
call  my  alma  mater,  as  an  illustration  of  this  fict.  That  institution  has  in- 
tellectual power  unrivalled,  resources  unlimited,  and  abounding  wealth  ; 
but  God  has  planted  his  curse  upon  the  place;  so  men  that  ask,  why  is  it  that 
intellect  so  remarkable  is  paralyzed,  that  power  so  surprising  fails  to  produce 
its  legitimate  effect?  Tho  very  moment  that  you  cutoff  the  connection 
which  binds  the  soul  to  God.  you  attempt  to  set  up  an  independent  sunshine 


664  Appendix  11, 

at  noonday  by  closing  the  shutters  of  your  house;  and  God  will  curse,  with 
a  heavy,  bitter,  abiding  curse,  that  people,  land,  institution,  or  neigh- 
borhood, who  undertake  to  be  a  God  to  themselves,  and  to  the  other  nations 
a  God  besides. 

I  will  not  detain  you  longer  upon  this  subject.  Perhaps  I  ought  not  to 
have  detained  you  so  long  ;  and  yet  I  have  not  spoken  a  word  of  that  of 
which  my  heart  is  so  very  full — the  adaptation  of  your  Union  to  this  very 
purpose  of  meeting  the  crisis  of  the  age  to  which  I  have  referred— of  estab- 
lishing upon  a  permanent  basis,  and  thus  perpetuating  the  social  and  re- 
ligious and  political  institutions  of  our  beloved  land,  and,  at  the  same 
times  administering  to  the  necessities  of  agitated,  quaking  Europe,  calming 
her  troubled  and  warring  elements  of  insubordination,  discord  and  anar- 
chy, and  conducting  her  nations  to  the  haven  of  civil  and  religious  liberty, 
founded  upon  reverential  recognition  of  the  divine  authority  in  the  counsels 
and  affairs  of  men.  Mr.  Chairman,  you  must  stand  to  your  post.  You  must 
plant  yourself  on  the  old  marks,  determined  that  you  will  teach  nothing  but 
what  God  has  taught  to  you.  And  you  may  rest  assured,  sir,  that  another 
revolution  is  coming  round,  the  results  of  which  will  be  more  glorious  than 
any  the  world  has  ever  yet  witnessed.  Sir,  you  have,  in  a  great  measure, 
the  fashioning,  the  moulding,  the  directing  of  the  mighty  future.  Oh  that 
you  may  be  faithful  in  tlie  discharge  of  your  responsibilities,  on  which  such 
vast  interests  are  suspended.  These  interests  are  not  confined  to  this  coun- 
try alone.  The  world  is  your  field.  Your  task  is  overwhelming  ;  but  en- 
ergy, disinterestedness,  faith  and  promptness  of  action  will  raise  up  allies  to 
your  assistance.  We  shall  hear  of  the  National  Sunday  School  Union  of 
France  yet — the  child  of  this  very  institution.  The  American  Bible  Society 
is  to  send  out  this  year  many  thousand  copies  of  the  sacred  Scriptures,  as  a 
solemn  message  to  guide  the  people  of  that  interesting  land,  and  you  will  see 
the  day  that  a  delegation  from  proud  Paris  shall  stand  upon  your  platform 
and  inquire  for  the  constitution  under  which  you  have  flourished,  and 
through  the  instrumentality  of  which  God  has  done  so  much  to  save  the 
land. 


APPENDIX   III. 


Dr.  Tyng's  address  at  the  Second  Annual  Meeting  of  the 
New  York  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  held  in  the 
Church  of  the  Puritans,  Union  Square,  Monday  evening.  May 
15,  1854  : 

Mr.  President,  My  Christian  Friends. 

It  was  the  purpose  of  the  Society  to  have  their  platform  filled  by  laymen 
only.  I  approve  of  this  purpose,  and  should  exceedingly  desire  to  see  pre- 
sented a  platform  filled  with  Christian  laymen,  taking  the  seat  of  a  gospel 
minister  without  the  apparent  official  responsibility  of  it,  and  bringing  the 
great  subjects  of  gospel  responsibility  and  instruction  before  this  com- 
munity upon  the  mere  ground  of  their  personal  relation,  and  the  responsi- 
bility of  their  individual  character.  I  have  listened  to  this  report  with 
unspeakable  delight.  That  a  report  so  thoroughly  religious  in  its  character, 
so  discrimlnately  Evangelical  in  its  principles,  so  complete,  so  bold,  so 
fearless  and  unveiled  in  its  purposes  and  tendencies,  should  have  been 
brought  before  us  at  this  time,  my  Christian  friends,  I  esteem  to  be  a  subject 
for  our  mutual  congratulation,  and  there  is  not  one  of  us,  male  or  female, 
lay  or  clerical,  who  ought  not  to  take  this  association  of  young  men  by  the 
hand  and  say,  "You  shall  never  fail,  you  shall  never  fail." 

You  have  before  you  in  the  report  the  great  objects  of  this  Association.  I 
never  saw  them  so  distinctly  presented  to  my  mind  as  I  have  seen  them  to- 
night, throwing  themselves  into  two  distinct  classes :  the  one,  self-preserva- 
tion ;  the  other,  the  universal  extension  of  the  principles  and  the  power  of  the 
truth  •  the  one  to  guard  and  nurture  a  domestic  influence  and  concentrate  a 
domestic  and  local  power,  and  the  other  to  send  out  that  domestic  inllucuce 
and  extend  that  local  aud  domestic  power  until  tho  vast  limits  of  the  earth 
shall  feel  its  inllucuce  and  every  nation  of  mankind  shall  understand  the 
pnr]»oses  for  whiclj  it  is  combined  and  acts.  AVho  that  has  had  great  inter- 
course with  the  moral  history  of  the  world  will  not  at  once  see  the  va.st 
importance  of  the  objects  for  which  this  Association  is  combined  ?  and  who 
tliat  has  traced  the  hi.story  of  the  mightiest  agents  in  every  class  of  intluence 
npon  the  mind,  and  destiny  and  character  of  man,  will  not  realize  the  fact 
that  those  agents  have  nsnnlly  sprung  from  the  most  feeble  aud  unnoticed 
beginnings  T 

When  the  great  Lord  Eldon  sat  u])on  the  Chancery  Bench  of  Eng- 
land, a  man   jwssessing  perhaps  the  highest   and   the   deepest   legal   mind 

6(35 


666  Appe7idix  III, 

that  Great  Britian  ever  saw,  and  a  man,  too,  eminently  conservative  in  his 
cliaracter,  and  eminently  distinguished  for  his  purpose  to  maintain  the 
aristocratic  power  of  the  community,  it  was  his  delight  to  tell  the  young 
lawyers  at  the  bar,  ''  Young  gentlemen,  I  was  born  in  a  chair-foot  "  And 
when,  supposing  a  chair-foot  meant  a  common  chair,  they  looked  at  him  with 
astonishment,  he  interpreted  it  to  them,  in  no  degree,  however,  to  the 
advantage  of  his  birth.  "  In  my  native  town  of  Newcastle-upon-Tyne,''  said 
he,  "a  'turnchair'  means  a  blind,  dark  alley,  and  the  bottom  house  of  a 
blind,  dark  alley  is  called  the  '  chair-foot.'  I  was  born  in  the  bottom  house 
of  a  blind,  dark  alley,  and  when,  therefore,  I  take  you  to  the  place  of  my 
birth,  I  can  tell  you  nothing  else  but  that  I  was  born  in  a  chair-foot"  Noble 
was  the  testimony,  but  he  could  well  aiford  to  make  it,  for  though  the  dignity 
of  the  peerage  crowned  his  position  though  a  sovereign  favored  and  endowed 
him  with  wealth,  and  though  a  nation's  reverence  surrounded  his  political 
and  legal  character,  he  gavo  to  his  country  more  credit  and  character  by  the 
profundity  of  his  learning  and  talent  than  his  country  ever  returned  to 
him  by  all  the  variety  of  its  remunerations.  One  of  the  most  eminent  of  the 
Bishops  of  the  Church  of  England,  driving  along  the  road  in  his  splendid 
chariot  on  a  Sunday  morning,  stopped  and  asked  a  little  time  to  stay.  He 
left  his  people,  telling  them  ho  would  be  back  soon,  and  went  up  the  hill- 
side, and  there  knelt  down  to  pray.  They  supposed  him  almost  insane,  but  he 
returned  shortly,  and  addressed  them  as  follows :  "  On  that  spot,  more  than 
fifty  years  ago,  I,  a  bare-footed  cow  boy,  drove  away  a  cow  that  had  been 
sleeping  there  throughout  a  winter's  night  that  I  might  warm  my  feet  upon 
the  ground  that  she  had  heated  with  her  body.  God  has  made  me  what  I 
am,  and  I  cannot  pass  that  place  without  thanking  God  for  the  influences 
and  the  occasions  that  He  has  given  to  me." 

When  we  look  through  the  history  of  the  past,  and  see  that  every- 
thing eminent  has  started  from  just  such  characteristic  beginnings — when 
our  own  Franklin  tramps  through  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  a  gawky  boy, 
■with  a  loaf  of  bread  in  his  hand,  munching  as  he  goes  ;  when  Webster  tells 
you  of  his  original  cabbage  garden  upon  Middlesex  Canal ;  when  Henry 
Clay  declares  it  to  have  been  the  pride  of  his  history  that  he  was  a  poor  boy 
from  **the  slashes"  of  Virginia — I  say,  when  we  look  through  the  whole 
array  of  such  facts,  who  shall  undertake  to  come  into  our  midst  and  estimate 
the  value  and  influence  of  any  one  of  the  thousands  of  young  men  whom  we 
may  meet  in  our  streets,  or  upon  whose  head  we  may  incidentally  lay  our  hand? 

A  poor  young  man  in  London  was  bound  as  an  apprentice  to  an  iron- 
monger. It  was  his  pride  and  delight  to  accomplish  every  task  set  him 
with  eminent  success,  and  whenever  there  was  a  particular  order  in  the 
store,  which  required  especial  neatness  and  punctuality,  it  was,  as  a  matter 
of  necessity,  given  to  him.  Aye,  our  report  speaks  to-night  of  '-years  of 
sowing."  The  character  of  the  seed  indicates  tho  character  of  the  harvest  ; 
and  when  we  find  that  this  young  man  bestowed  the  most  minute  attention 
and  fidelity  to  his  duty— "  faithful  in  that  which  was  least"— in  his  shop 
in  Tottenham  Court  Road,  London,  we  arc  not  surprised  when  we  find  him 
to  be  a  great  herald  of  salvation— a  man  who  gave  arts  and  intellectual  power 
to  the  lelands  of  the  South  Sea,  and  a  nobler  than  whom  earth  has  never  pro- 
duced, and  than  whom  no  man's  history  will  be  more  incentive  and  sug-gest- 
ivc  to  futur©  generations  cf  young  men  as  they  read  and  ponder  it. 


Appendix  III,  667 

A  young  man  was  engaged  in  raking  out  a  fire  of  a  sugar  refinery  in 
London.  It  was  all  tliat  lie  appeared  competent  for,  for  lie  was  unconverted. 
Oh,  my  friends,  how  I  do  thank  you  for  such  bold  expressions  in  your 
Report  1  "  converted"  and  "  unconverted."  There,  there  is  something  tangi- 
ble—a manifest  something  besides  being  good  and  bad.  There  is  something 
besides  the  golden  rainbow  shadowing  out  the  religious  influences  of  charac- 
ter so  fashionable  in  the  theology  of  our  day.  There,  there  is  something 
clear  and  distinct,  and  when  we  open  sheaves  like  that,  we  expect  to  find  a 
glorious  work  within.  This  young  man  was  never  anything  until  converted. 
I  have  known  scores  of  them  who  seemed  to  get  an  inspiration  of  genius 
and  power  when  converted  to  the  service  of  Jesus  Christ.  But  the  fidelity 
which  raked  the  fires  of  the  sugar  refinery  and  gave  him  the  character  of  a 
man  steadfast  and  devoted,  was  the  seed  which  was  to  flourish  in  a  noble 
work  ;  and  you  may  trace  that  young  man,  without  education,  without 
scholastic  preparation,  without  any  means  other  than  the  love  of  God  in 
his  heart  and  English  common  sense  in  his  head,  and  a  faithful,  out-spoken 
Saxon  tongue  in  his  mouth,  you  may  trace  him,  until  all  through  the  coast 
of  Western  Africa  the  name  of  William  Johnson  is  the  perfect  type  of  excel- 
lence in  presence,  devotion  and  amazing  success  in  the  missionary  ministry 
of  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

Now,  my  friends,  why  do  we  pick  up  these  little  facts,  which  seem  like 
shells  on  the  shore  of  time  ?  Why  travel  and  gather  up  incidents  but  for  the 
purpose  of  mutual  encouragement?  I  speak  not  merely  to  young  men. 
Who  shall  tell  me  what  the  young  men  of  this  city  individually  are  to 
accomplish  ?  But  there  is  something  especially  exciting  to  my  mind  in  the 
title  which  these  young  men  have  assumed.  A  Christian  Association  !  Aye, 
I  hail  the  time  when  Church  aud  Christian  shall  seem  to  be  synonymous ! 
I  remember  hearing  my  venerable  and  excellent  friend  Dr.  Bethune  remark 
that  he  fully  believed  that  the  real  Apostolic  succession  was  in  the  Reformed 
Dutch  Church,  and  that  the  Apostles  spoke  low  Dutch.  I  look  forward  to 
that  time.  Thiro  is  not  a  feeling  in  my  heart  which  would  not  rejoice  if  it 
were  accomplished.  I  should  love  the  time  to  come,  when,  all  barriers  being 
broken  down,  I  could  take  those  two  Reverend  Fathers  by  the  hand,  (point- 
ing to  two  gentlemen  on  the  platform)  and  say,  "  Let  us  preach  together  and 
labor  together  for  the  conversion  of  souls."  We  shall  never  rise  up  to  a  high 
Christianity  until  this  is  accomplished.  Ceas3  applause,  and  let  us  fed  how 
unworthy  is  this  unceasing  feeling  of  suspicion  that  the  brother  who  stands 
next  me  has  some  other  object  than  the  bold  confluent  object  of  proclaiming 
the  gospel  and  sending  out  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation,  aud,  therefore,  it 
is  that  I  hail  the  title  from  my  very  heart.  I  hail  the  title— a  Christian 
Association  !  Yes,  a  Christian  Association,  and  it  shall  be  no  cause  of  grief 
to  mo  when  I  rest  my  hea<l  upon  a  dying  pillow  that  I  have  over  built  up 
one  single  fence  l>etween  my  brother  and  me,  or  ever  voluntarily  alienated 
ono  single  Christian  l)rother  from  myself.  By  the  help  of  God  I  will  lie 
down  in  peace  free  from  the  bondage  of  a  memory  like  that. 

When  these  young  men  thus  come  out  themselves  in  such  an  association, 
with  such  a  title,  with  such  a  report,  with  language  so  distinct,  so  bold,  so 
noble,  so  open  and  ho  undiHgnise<l,  is  there  a  father  or  a  mother  in  this  house 
that  will  not  woup  over  them  tears  of  joy,  and  say,  ''  Son  of  my  heart, 
blessed  be  God  that  I  nee  thee  rise  with  the  pearls  of  wisdom   in  thine  hand 


668  Appendix  III, 

to  buy  -tlie  treasure  that  faileth  not  forever."  I  dare  hardly  look  at  the 
other  side  of  the  picture,  for  when  every  other  young  man  I  meet  flaunts 
along  with  a  cigar  reeking  from  his  mouth,  with  the  language  of  profanity, 
ribaldry,  or  levity  issuing  from  his  lips  ;  his  evenings  spent  in  the  bar-room, 
or  worse,  and  his  days  completely  devoted,  under  the  bondage  of  selhsh 
necessity,  to  the  mere  pursuit  of  mammon,  I  hardly  supposed  that  there  was 
such  a  number  of  united  Christian  men  among  us.  The  mere  thought  of 
this  society  makes  our  old  bones  to  leap  like  a  hart,  and  stirs  us  up  with  a 
feeling  of  energy  that  bids  us  (turning  to  some  gentlemen  on  the  platform), 
that  bids  us  feel  that  there  is  hope  in  Israel,  and  when  our  heads  are  laid 
down  beneath  the  sod,  that  there  is  a  sun  to  rise,  and  a  day  to  come,  and  a 
glory  to  dawn,  and  a  light  to  beam,  and  a  fount  to  flow,  when  we  have  fin- 
ished our  dispensation  and  entered  into  our  rest.  I  take  you  by  the  hand, 
beloved  youth,  and  rejoice  over  you  with  a  father's  joy  from  the  very  bottom 
of  my  heart. 

Look  at  the  prospect  before  you,  American  young  men.  Was  there  ever  a 
time  in  the  history  of  our  republic  when  you  were  so  important,  or  when  it  was 
so  important  that  you  should  be  trained,  and  banded,  and  combined,  or  when 
almost  the  existence  of  our  land  as  a  nation  is  periled  as  it  never  was  periled 
before  ;  when  days  have  arrived  that  might  start  the  policy  of  ancient  times 
from  the  tomb,  and  awake  the  energies  of  the  golden  age,  that  have  long 
been  forgotten;  when  a  crisis  has  come  in  which  we  have  to  fight  the  old 
contest,  even  for  personal  liberty,  over  again,  or  else  give  up  that  which  is 
almost  as  dear  to  my  soul  as  liberty  itself,  the  glorious  combination  of  the 
States  of  America,  that  makes  America  what  it  is,  and  shadows  out  its  sole 
possibility  of  usefulness  and  glory  hereafter.  Yes,  dearer  than  the  union  of 
these  States  to  me  nothing  is  upon  the  earth  but  liberty  itself,  and  if  those 
two  cannot  be  combined,  then  I  am  brought  to  the  position  of  the  parent 
with  the  twin  children,  where  one  or  the  other  must  be  sacrificed,  and  I 
may  look  upon  the  one  with  the  deepest  interest,  and  upon  the  other  with 
the  deepest  lanxiety,  and  exclaim,  "  Woe,  woe  is  me  that  1  must  choose, 
where  either  choice  shall  thrust  a  dagger  to  my  heart,  and  drive  me  sad  and 
sorrowful  to  the  rest  of  my  days." 

Now  for  the  prospect  before  us.  We  who  have  battled  on  for  thirty 
years,  through  a  whole  generation  of  men,  have  but  little  more  to  do.  Our 
days  are  coming  to  their  conclusion.  The  setting  sun  shines  out  before 
us,  its  beautiful  rays,  sometimes  more  beautiful  than  ever  before,  cast 
themselves  athwart  our  vision,  and  remind  us  that  soon  our  repose  must 
come.  None  of  us,  dear  youth,  will  stand  in  your  path,  and  America  shall 
look  forward  to  the  influence,  and  the  power,  and  the  results  of  a  genera- 
tion of  combined  and  Christianized  young  men,  who,  with  a  wisdom  that 
true  religion  gives,  may  be  able  to  consider  and  settle  yet  more  wisely  the 
great  questions  which  we  have  failed  to  quiet,  or  accurately  to  appreciate. 

But  there  is  a  prospect,  my  brethren,  beyond  all  this.  O,  how  the  world 
stands  waiting  for  Immanuel's  Land.  It  seems  but  yesterday  that  I  was  at 
Salem,  where  Judson,  and  Nott,  and  Miles,  and  Newell  determined  to  go 
abroad  as  missionaries,  where  there  was  scarcely  a  single  Christian  in  the 
land  who  sympathized  with  them,  and  the  feeling  of  the  American  people 
was  purely  selfish  ;  but  now  behold  that  amazing  agency,  the  American 
Board  of  Commissioners,  perhaps  the  most  successful  agency  for  missions, 


Appendix  II L  669 


except  the  Church  Missionary  Society,  or  the  London  "Wesleyan  Missionary 
Society.  Look  at  the  extent  of  the  Baptist,  the  Methodist,  and  the  Preshy- 
terian  Societies  (I  will  not  speak  of  my  own,  but  I  wish  that  it  was  a  thous- 
and times  larger).  Why,  in  these  last  thirty  years  that  have  gone  by,  see  how 
the  world  has  opened  to  American  Christians.  There  is  not  a  spot  upon  the 
face  of  the  whole  globe  where  an  American  ycung  man  may  not  now  be 
l)ermitted  to  plant  the  standard  of  Christianity  ;  and  now,  perhaps,  we  have 
throughout  our  country  thousands  of  young  men — a  friend  suggests  to  me 
thirty  thousand  young  men — combined  in  various  Christian  Associations,  far 
off  from  each  other.  I  received  a  letter  the  other  day  from  a  Christian  Associa- 
tion of  young  men  in  San  Francisco.  Two  youths  went  from  my  Sunday-school 
to  that  place,  and  there  combined,  with  a  view  to  form  a  Christian  Associa- 
tion. First  there  came  in  the  spirit  of  latitudinarian  indifference,  and  said, 
"Do  you  call  us  no  Christians?  We  insist  upon  union,"  and  then  there  came 
in  the  spirit  of  destructive  Popery,  and  said,  ''Do  you  not  call  us  Chris- 
tiana ?  We  insist  upon  coming  in."  And  these  young  men,  in  the  midst  of 
that  immense  metropolis  of  gain,  giddiness  and  guilt,  had  to  settle  that 
question,  and  they  have  settled  it.  They  sent  to  me  newspapers  that  had 
abused  them  beyond  all  measure,  but  they  stood  their  ground.  And  let 
this  association  remember  that  in  just  such  a  contest  fidelity  is  strength. 
Better  three  hundred  men  who  can  be  depended  upon,  than  thirty  thousand 
who  are  doubtful.  Let  them  ever  take  the  ground  of  this  report,  "  conver- 
sion" and  "•  unconversion,"  and  God  will  bless  them. 

I  am  ashamed  to  have  occupied  so  much  time,  but  when  a  father  and  a 
pastor's  mind  enters  upon  a  subject  like  this,  where  shall  it  stop,  and  what 
shall  be  the  limit  of  one's  expression. 

Now,  my  friends,  the  simple  question  is,  shall  we,  as  a  community,  help 
these  young  men,  and  give  them  ability  to  carry  out  their  glorious  enter- 
prise ?    You,  my  excellent  friend,  (turning  to  Dr.  Bethune,  who  testified  his 
assent  to  the  last  sentence  of  the  reverend  speaker  by  an  inclination  of  the 
head)  von  bow  your  assent,  and  I  believe  that  there  is  no  man  hero  who 
will  not  help  these   young  men.     All  will  say,  as  you  say— Yes!  with  one 
accord  ;  and  I  believe  that  there  is  not  a  single  individual  here  this  night 
who  will  not,  according  to  the  extent  of  \\\z  p'lrse,  afford  assistance.     The 
rich  man  will  do  so  according  to  his  ability,  and  the  poor  seamstress,  who 
earns  her  shillings  by  her  toil,  will  give  her  mite,  and  that  will  be  the 
sweetest  gift  of  all,  for  what  so  precious  to  the  hand  of  man  as  the  gift  of 
female  devoteduess,  and  female  confidence  and  love.     Does  man   ever  feel 
himself  so  exalted  as  when  the  hand  of  woman  toils  to  enable  him  to  toil 
with  more  success  himself? 


APPENDIX   IV. 


Dr.  Tyng's  address  at  the  Anniversary  of  the  American  Tract 
Society  of  Boston,  held  in  the  Church  of  the  Puritans,  New 
York,  May  10th,  1860. 

Mr.  Chairman  axd  my  Christian  Friends  : — I  view  this  as  one  of  the 
most  interestiug  and.  important  meetings  we  not  only  ever  had  assembled, 
but  perhiJps  ever  shall  have  assembled  in  the  city  of  New  York. 

When  I  look  at  the  interests  which  are  at  stake,  at  the  value  of  the  cause 
which  is  involved,  at  the  remarkable  providence  which  has  raised  up  in 
time  of  need  an  appropriate  and  efficient  instrumentality  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  work  to  be  achieved,  and  at  the  amazing  providence  which  has 
watched  over  it  and  prospered  it  with  sucli  a  degree  of  calm,  tranquil,  and 
effective  success,  I  confess  that  this  occasion  is  one  of  exceeding  personal 
congratulation.  I  cannot  but  congratulate  the  oldest  Tract  Society  in  the 
United  States,  the  parent  Tract  Society  of  this  country,  the  mother  of  us  all, 
upon  its  meeting  this  morning  with  all  the  evidences  of  the  divine  benedic- 
tion resting  over  it,  and  of  the  communion  and  fellowship  of  Christian 
reciprocation  arising  from  it.  We  meet  here  this  morning  under  a  banner 
twofold,  but  never  separated,  the  banner  of  purity  and  peacefulness.  First 
pure,  then  peaceful ;  first  truth,  then  peace  ;  first  a  foundation  that  God 
hath  laid  in  Zion,  then  evidence  that  God  is  building  up  peace  on  that  foun- 
dation. 

The  grand  uniting  principle  upon  which  we  are  brought  here,  connected 
together  and  made  one  to-day  is  the  union  of  absolute  purity  and  peaceful- 
ness, and  a  grateful  enjoyment  of  things  in  prosecution.  The  old  and  first 
established  Tract  Society  meets  here  before  us,  not  a  forth-putting,  agitat- 
ing power  in  the  mid.st  of  a  peaceful  community,  but  a  dove  from  the  very 
ark  of  safety,  with  an  olive  leaf  in  her  mouth,  a  divine  messenger  going  to 
shed  from  its  divine  and  illustrious  wings,  over  a  disturbed  surface,  rays  of 
heavenly  light.  For  a  while  this  lovely  ark  attached  itself  to  a  junior  but 
out-going  craft,  to  be  led  across  the  ocean  by  other  pilots,  and  according  to 
the  direction  of  other  charts,  till  at  last,  the  faithful  watchmen  having 
slept  beneath  in  confidence  too  long,  they  found  themselves,  alas,  dismasted 
and  disabled,  and  floating  like  a  log  upon  the  sea  attached  to  a  superior 
ship.  Nothing  then  was  to  be  done  but  at  the  risk  of  everything,  in  the 
perils  of  the  sea,  to  cast  off  and  start  for  themselves.  Nothing  was  to  be 
done  but  in  trusting  dependence  upon  that  Pilot  that  never  forsakes  the 


Appendix  IV,  671 

Christian,  that  rebuked  the  storm,  and  that  walked  upon  the  sea  in  perfect 
peace  when  His  disciples  were  filled  with  terror  and  dismay -nothing  was 
to  be  done  but  in  trusting  dependence  upon  Him  to  cast  off  and  start  upon 
a  voyage,  ah!  not  a  voyage  of  discovery,  but  a  voyage  homeward  bound. 
It  was  a  voyage  on  a  raging  billow,  to  be  sure,  but  the  beautiful  shining 
shore  that  lined  the  other  side  with  its  translucent,  glittering  attractions 
promised  the  ample  reward  of  a  home  of  peacefulness,  blessedness,  prosperity 
and  protection.  If  any  one  asks  us  why  we  cast  of,  our  answer  is  that  we 
found  ourselves  going  on  a  voyage  that  we  never  bargained  for.  We  found 
that  the  voluntary  coolies  were  to  be  sold  as  involuntary  slaves.  We  found 
that  when  we  came  to  the  end,  instead  of  receiving  the  recompense  for 
which  we  had  been  looking,  and  which  we  had  a  right  to  anticipate,  the 
recompense  which  we  were  actually  to  receive  was  wrong  and  suflering 
under  oppression,  almost  enforced  servitude  to  a  system  against  which  our 
consciences  relucted,  and  from  which  the  very  purpose  of  our  better  nature 
held  back.  It  has  been  asked  why  we  are  hero ;  as  well  ask  Joshua  and  his 
men  in  the  valley  of  Gilgal  why  they  were  there.  They  were  there  because 
that  was  God's  promised  land  to  them  that  did  His  work.  We  are  here  be- 
cause this  is  the  Lord's  appointed  place  of  labor  and  toil  to  them  that  faith- 
fully obey  His  will.  And  we  are  here  this  morning  with  a  spirit  that,  I  will 
venture  to  say,  has  characterized  no  meeting  in  this  city  this  week.  There 
is  a  moral  confidence  among  us  which,  I  am  persuaded,  other  bodies  would 
give  very  mnch  to  have.  We  have  attained  to  a  point  in  which  no  longer 
do  we  stand  and  tremble  in  our  shoes,  lest  mighty  mischiefs  of  political 
chicanery  shall  come  upon  us  entirely  to  overthrow  us.  No  longer  do  wo 
stand  at  the  by-ways  and  cross- ways— the  6ida  and  the  iriv'ia — of  political 
parties,  and  ask  that  one  which  happens  to  be  up— and  it  is  always  Satan's 
party  that  is  up — what  we  may  do  or  say.  We  stand  upon  a  ground  which 
the  living  God  has  given  us,  a  ground  which,  while  wo  stand  upon  it,  we 
challenge  the  living  devil  to  take  away  from  us.  We  are  hero  in  the  con- 
sciousness of  right. 

We  breathe  freely,  and  I  am  happy  that  we  are  here  in  this  house. 
It  is  a  house  in  which  a  faithful  man  stands  up  to  plead  for  truth 
and  freedom.  Though  my  own  judgment  does  not  go  to  the  length  to 
which  his  conscience  leads  him  to  go,  no  man  in  this  community  com- 
mands my  heart's  confidence  more  than  he.  There  are  voluntary  traitors  to 
the  truth,  but  my  faith  is  strong  that  never  will  ho,  while  the  world  stands, 
prove  a  traitor  to  what  he  knows  and  believes  to  be  true.  I  say  then  I  re- 
joice to  be  in  this  house.  Be  it  the  Church  of  the  Puritans,  I  know  the 
stock  of  which  the  Puritans  were.  I  am  myself  of  that  stock.  All  that  in 
mo  which  relucts  at  wrong,  and  contends  against  oppression,  and  says, 
"Give  up  never,"  is  simply  blood  that  flowed  out  of  a  Puritan  father's  heart. 
I  am  an  Episcopalian  because  I  am  a  Puritan.  There  is  a  Cliurch  which  ex- 
isted before  Ptiritans  wore  known,  and  without  which  Puritans  never  would 
have  been.  I  cannot  forget  that  my  ancestor,  Francis  Higginson.  when  leav- 
ing tlie  English  Channel  in  the  vessel  that  was  to  bring  him  to  this  country, 
looked  over  the  stern  and  said,  *•  Farewell,  dear  Kngland  ;  farewell,  dear 
Church  of  England  ;  never,  never,  shall  we  forget  thee."  Perhaps  it  is  the 
regurgitation  of  honored  blood  in  remote  generations  that  leads  me  to  say  of 
the  Church  of  England,  ♦•  Dear  Church,  welcome  to  tliis  heart  and  soul." 


672  Appendix  IV, 

That  Church  which  is  the  mother  of  Puritans,  will  be  the  mother  of  fidelity 
in    Puritanism  to  the  end  of  time.    I  say  then  we  are  breathing  freely. 
There  is  no  necessity  for  us  to  browbeat  truth  by  violence  or  choke  off  de- 
bates by  adjournment.     There  is  no  necessity  for  us  to  call  in  the  Samsons 
of  the  law  to  put  down  the  apostles  of  the  gospel.     There  is  no  necessity  for 
us  to  hang  up  curtains  of  false  excuses  before  ua,  because  we  are  afraid  to 
confess  the  deeds  we  have  done.     What  we   do,  we  do  openly.     Under  such 
circumstauces,  I  say  again,  we  breathe  freely.     We  mean  to  breathe  freely. 
If  men  say  of  us  :  "  They  are  a  fanatical  set."    Be  it  so.     I  am  a  fanatic— an 
exceeding  fanatic— when  I  think  I  am  right  and  every  one  else  is  wrong.     1 
do  not  say  I  think  I  am  right,  my  friends;  you  will  never  get  me  into  that. 
I  know  we  are  right.    In  this  heart  of  hearts  I  know  that  this  society  stands 
upon  a  right  foundation,  has  adopted  a  right  principle,  and  is  carrying  out 
a  right  practice.     And  I  shall  attempt  to  show— for  my  friends  put  me  at  the 
beginning,  that  I  might  be  as  long-winded  as  I  pleased— I  shall  attempt  to 
show,  that  we  need   no  excuses  and  extenuations  from  any  other  quarter 
whatever.     When  we  act,  we  act  with  deliberation,  and  then  we  are  willing 
to  take  the  responsibility  of  what  we  do. 

We  have  no  fears,  because  we  know  we  are  right.  We  have  no  appre- 
hensions of  a  power  behind  us,  because  we  are  conscious  that  the  power  on 
which  we  rely  is  appointed  to  bo  the  upholder  of  them  that  do  well,  and  the 
avenger  only  of  evil  doers.  There  is  a  mutual  confidence  between  us,  and 
we  mean  to  sustain  each  other.  Does  any  one  ask,  then,  what  is  our  plat- 
form ?  We  answer  that  it  is  the  Bible,  the  word  of  God,  simply,  only, 
fully,  entirely.  What  it  teaches,  we  teach ;  what  it  teaches  as  imperative 
duties,  we  teach  as  imperative  duties;  what  it  teaches  as  contingencies,  we 
teach  as  contingencies;  we  teach  everything,  not  only  upon  its  right  foun- 
dation, but  in  its  right  place.  We  accept  the  Word  of  God  as  plenarily  in- 
spired. We  do  not  feel  at  liberty  to  mutilate  it  because  it  teaches  truths 
that  are  unpopular.  We  take  no  such  ground  as  that  taken  by  a  gentleman 
I  read  of  the  other  day,  who,  after  supplicating  very  earnestly  for  blessings, 
closed  his  prayer  by  saying,  "  We  do  not  mean  to  dictate,  but  simply  to 
suggest  that  an  answer  to  these  petitions  would  gratify  this  whole  com- 
munity." We  do  not  mean  to  dictate,  we  mean  fearlessly  to  proclaim  the 
truth  of  God,  to  defend  it,  and  in  the  simplicity  of  it  to  stand  or  fall. 

I  hear  it  now  said  that  the  thing  which  separated  us  from  our  friends 
was  ''a  miserable  abstraction."  Well,  a  wedge  is  a  miserable  abstraction 
when  it  lies  by  the  side  of  a  log.  Take  it  up  and  insert  it,  and  strike  it 
with  a  beetle  big  enough,  and  you  will  make  two  abstractions.  I  will 
ao-ree  that  this  whole  subject  is  a  miserable  abstraction. 

It  has  abstracted  many  a  babe  from  a  fond  mother's  bosom,  many  a  child 
from  a  loving  father's  heart,  many  a  soul  from  the  possibilities  of  Christian 
influence  and  Christian  character,  and  many  a  poor  victim  of  suffering  and 
wretchedness  from  justice,  protection  and  defence. 

A  miserable  abstraction  indeed  ;  but  there  comes  a  time  when  miserable 
abstractions  become  ponderous  realities.  If  great  Christian  principles  and 
duties  are  miserable  abstractions,  then  the  whole  gospel  scheme,  and  the 
whole  prospect  for  humanity  are  miserable  abstractions.  There  are  men  that 
will  tell  me  that  the  blood  of  Jesus  is  a  miserable  abstraction;  there  are 
men  that  will  tell  me  that  my  Saviour  is  a  miserable  abstraction  ;  there  are 


Appendix  IV,  673 

meu  that  will  tell  me  that  the  infinite  Jehovah  is  a  miserable  abstraction ; 
there  are  men  that  will  tell  me  that  the  sinner's  doom  is  a  miserable  abstrac- 
tion. Be  it  so.  Then  these  are  miserable  abstractions  which  bind  us  to- 
gether in  the  work  which  we  have  undertaiien,  and  which  are  dearer  to  us 
than  the  apple  of  our  eye. 

My  friends,  liere  is  a  society  that  has  an  unrestricted  field,  no  fence  sur- 
rounds its  campaign.  Like  Palestine  it  has  its  landmarks,  integrity,  right- 
eousness, reverence,  God  and  humanity  ;  but  it  is  undivided  by  fences. 
Yes,  this  American  Tract  Society  has  an  unrestricted  field.  It  ha©  an  unre- 
stricted, field  in  revelation.  It  takes  all  the  blessed  doctrines  of  Scripture, 
and  is  able  to  propagate  them  boldly  and  plainly.  It  bows  down  to  no 
armed  infidelity  of  man  in  the  Church  or  out  of  it.  It  distinctly  and  thor- 
oughly teaches  the  great  Evangelical  truths  of  the  Bible  without  asking  one 
class  or  another  what  it  shall  teach. 

It  has  an  unrestricted  field  in  the  duties  which  are  imposed  by  Divine 
revelation.  It  tells  what  meu  must  do  in  every  possible  relation  to  life. 
Does  it  read,  "  Masters  give  unto  your  servants  that  which  is  just  and 
equal "  ?  Here,  at  last,  is  a  society  that  dares  to  print  that  text,  that  feels 
at  liberty  to  utter  it,  and  that,  having  printed  or  uttered  it,  does  not  blush 
and  say,  *'  We  mean  nooff^ence  when  we  speak  of  that  subject,  but  it  becomes 
necessary  sometimes  to  refer  to  it,"  we  proclaim  it  and  urge  obedience  to  it. 
Does  it  say,  "  Let  as  many  servants  as  are  under  the  yoke  count  their  own 
masters  worthy  of  honor"  ?  Here  is,  at  last,  a  society  that  dares  to  say  it 
in  the  simplicity  of  truth.  We  can  go  to  the  master  and  lay  our  right  hand 
upon  his  shoulder,  and  to  the  servant,  and  lay  our  left  hand  on  his  shoulder, 
and  say,  "  Ye  are  brethren,  see  that  ye  fall  not  out  by  the  way  ;  both  of  you 
aave  a  Master  in  heaven.  Ah  !  make  it  sure  that  there  is  a  home  in  heaven 
fbr  you  both.'^ 

It  has  an  unrestricted  field  in  the  sins  and  evils  which  it  rebukes.  Here, 
at  last,  is  a  society  whose  whole  category  of  sin  does  not  come  within  a 
dirty  man's  mouth  and  a  silly  woman's  skirts.  It  considers  other  sins  be- 
sides dancing  and  tobacco.  We  believe  the  oppression  of  human  beings  in 
bondage  to  be  a  sin  against  God  ;  we  believe  the  buying  and  selling  of  a 
man  to  be  an  enormity  in  the  sight  of  that  great  Being  who  made  him  in 
His  own  image,  breathed  into  his  nostrils  the  l)reath  of  life,  filled  him  with 
His  own  Spirit,  and  said  unto  him,  **  My  son,  I  remember  thee  still."  And, 
lit  last,  we  have  a  society  that  feels  it  has  a  right  to  speak  of  it,  and 
that  does  not  ask  a  living  man  on  earth  whether  it  may  speak  of  it  or 
not. 

We  have  an  unrestricted  field  in  the  persons  to  whom  we  shall  go.  Ah  ? 
wonderful  is  the  passion  for  union  in  our  day.  Where  is  the  society  that 
represents  the  union  as  this  ?  In  what  section  of  this  country  is  this  society 
unable  to  be  an  edifying  ])reacher  f  We  know  no  north,  no  south,  no  east, 
no  west.  This  old  American  Tract  Society  is  bounded  by  two  oceans  on 
two  of  its  sides,  and  by  the  northern  zone  and  the  tropics  on  the  other  two. 
We  have  not,  at  last,  to  go  down  and  ask  of  that  imaginary  line,  which  so 
figures  in  our  papers  as  Mason  and  Dixon's,  whether  wo  shall  pitch  a  col- 
porteur across  naked  or  with  his  saddlebags.  We  send  him  arross  as  he  is. 
If  their  papers  are  filched  and  l)unied,  they  will  be  like  the  ashes  of  Wirk- 
liflfo,  and  carried  by  the  rivers  to   the  sea,  and  thus  throughout  the  globe 


6^4  Appendix  IV, 

Many  and  many  a  man  has  sowed  eternal  truth  in  this  country  by  'buxying 
his  own  ashes  at  its  roots. 

We  have  an  unrestricted  field  in  occasions.  Ah  !  we  do  not  ask  now  for 
opportunities.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  fitting  opportunities.  "  Behold, 
now  is  the  accepted  time ;  behold,  now  is  the  day  of  salvation."  Our  report 
tells  you  that  already  two  of  our  colporteurs  are  in  the  slave  States,  but  it 
does  not  tell  you  of  the  scores  of  letters  that  came  to  us  from  them  in  appli- 
cations for  help  which  we  alone  can  give,  or  of  the  support  and  strength  we 
have  afforded  to  Christian  households  there  by  teaching  which  we  alone  have 
power  to  impart  to  them,  for  there  are  Cliristian  families  there  of  the  purest 
Christian  character  and  of  the  highest  Christian  life.  If  families  there  desire 
that  which  shall  declare  that  purity  of  character  is  God's  fundamental  law, 
and  that  the  chastity  of  the  female  slave  is  as  dear  in  the  sight  of  God  and 
in  the  light  of  heaven  as  that  of  her  mistress,  where  will  they  get  them? 
To  what  depository  shall  they  apply  for  them  in  this  city  beside  ours? 
Poor  ''Toby  and  Sambo"  has  been  given  to  the  flames.  "The  Duties  of 
Masters  to  Servants,"  and  similar  tracts,  have  been  counted  out  for  destruc- 
tion.   Beautiful  is  the  notice  in  our  last  tract  journal  on  this  subject : 

"  Memoir  of  Mary  Lundie  Duncan. 

**  ^Ve  are  happy  to  announce  that  we  have  received  from  the  mother  of  the 
lamented  Mary  and  the  author  of  her  admirable  memoir,  an  unmutilated  and 
unabridged  copy  of  that  work  for  republication  by  this  society.  It  is  accom- 
panied also  by  some  manuscript  additions  which  have  never  before  appeared. 
In  her  letter  transmitting  the  volume  Mrs.  Duncan  says,  'It  gratifies  me 
much  to  have  your  Tract  Society  publish  this  little  memorial.  I  have  been 
sharply  rebuked  for  allowing  another  society  to  abridge  it,  but  I  have 
never  regretted  it,  as  that  word  "abridge"  was  the  cause  of  exciting  the 
inquiry  which  led  Boston  to  do  itself  and  the  cause  of  justice  and  truth  the 
credit  it  has  done.' 

"  The  way  that  was  abridged  was  like  the  Indian's  way  of  abridging  a 
certain  animal  that  was  troublesome,  by  cutting  off  his  tail  just  behind  his 
ears.  A  peculiar  system  of  abridgment  is  that  which  takes  the  very  life 
and  element  of  power  out  of  a  story.  Abridgment  very  much  like  that  was 
perpetrated  also  upon  some  other  publications,  as  in  Richmond's  'African 
Servant  *  the  following  beautiful  verse  has  not  escaped  such  abridgment : 

'*  *  I  was  a  helpless  negro  "boy. 

That  wandered  on  the  shore  ; 
Thieves  took  me  from  my  parent's  arms, 
Who  never  saw  me  more.' 

"  Pehold  it  abridged  by  four  letters: 

*' '  Men  took  me  from  my  parent's  arms.' 

"  What !  are  '  men '  and  '  thieves '  synonymous  in  the  vocabulary  of  that 
institution  f    It  would  seem  so. 

**  '  Men  took  me  from  my  parent's  arms, 
Who  never  saw  me  more.' 


Appe7idix  IV,  675 

"  If  the  poetry  had  admitted  it  and  they  had  said  : 

**  *  Devils  took  me  from  my  parent's  arms,' 

it  would  have  been  more  appropriate. " 

Now,  1  say,  that  at  last  here  is  a  society  that  has  no  necessity  for  such 
abridgment.  We  have  an  unrestricted  field  in  the  publication  of  works 
suited  to  our  purpose.  There  is  no  work  which  the  world  needs  that  they 
dare  not  send  forth  without  the  slightest  alteration.  We  shall  proclaim  the 
Word  of  God  without  mutilation  or  suppression,  and  the  management  of 
this  society  may  stand  up  at  last  and  say  with  fidelity,  whom  have  we  de- 
frauded f  Whom  have  we  robbed  ?  From  whose  hands  have  I  taken  a 
bribe  to  blind  our  eyes  withal  ? 

We  have  an  unrestricted  field  in  the  personal  consciousness  of  responsi- 
bility to  God  and  man  in  the  discharge  of  our  duties.  It  was  a  heart-rending 
occasion  that  first  made  this  miserable  abstraction  a  Jiving  reality,  when  in 
1857  a  company  of  fifteen  of  our  united  society  made  a  unanimous  report 
that  though  the  society  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  political  questions  con- 
nected with  this  abstraction,  yet  the  moral  duties  which  grow  out  of  the 
question  of  slavery,  as  well  as  those  moral  evils  and  vices  which  slavery  was 
known  to  promote,  uiMloubtedly  did  fall  within  the  province  of  the  society, 
and  could  and  ought  to  be  discussed  in  its  publications.  When  this  report 
was  sent  in  by  those  fifteen  gentlemen,  who  were  appointed  by  the  manage- 
ment themselves,  it  was  adopted  by  an  unanimous  vote  of  the  society  in  full 
conclave,  and  then  it  was  choked,  and  gagged,  and  smothered,  and  stifled, 
and  locked  up,  and  forbidden  to  speak  by  the  very  men  from  whom  their 
appointment  originated.  What  will  gentlemen  think  of  such  responsibility 
as  this  ?  When  that  contingency  arose  there  arose  a  painful  difficulty  for 
some  of  us  who  had  made  great  sacrifices  of  feeling,  and  conscience,  and 
sense  of  duty,  because  palsied  by  the  tongue  that  refuses  to  speak  and  the 
hand  that  refuses  to  lift  itself  up  in  behalf  of  the  oppressed.  In  this  assump- 
tion of  the  right  by  our  own  servants  to  overrule  our  authority  and  com- 
mands we  became  the  oppressed.  Now,  if  my  maid-servant  insists  upon 
assuming  the  place  of  the  mistress,  and  locking  up  my  habitation  from  me, 
I  claim  that  I  have  a  right  to  make  a  miserable  abstraction  of  mysolf  You 
call  it  an  abstraction.  It  was  an  abstraction.  It  was  a  miserable  abstrac- 
tion, beyond  a  doubt,  but  we  were  obliged  to  niake  it,  and  if  men  ask  us 
where  we  stand,  wo  answer,  We  stand  on  the  ground  on  which  we  stood  be- 
fore, of  our  responsi'iility  to  men  and  our  re8i)onsihility  to  God.  We  do  not 
meet  our  brethren  nnd  say,  *'  You  have  no  right  to  ask  this  question  ;  your 
business  is  to  choose  servants  and  obey  and  bo  satiRfied  with  them."  I  con- 
fess that  that  is  a  modem  idea  of  personal  responsibility  on  the  part  of  what 
we  call  "help."  Pome  of  our  ladies  would  be  very  much  dissatisfied  with 
it.     It  is  not  our  idea  of  personal  responsibility. 

Wo  have  an  unrestricted  field  in  the  eordiality  of  our  Mipplication.  My 
friends,  it  sooms  to  me  tliat  if  a  man  should  boggle  in  praying  for  a  .«^lnve  in 
this  house,  his  words  would  choke  him.  There  is  not  :in  individnal  on  the 
face  of  the  e.irth  for  whom  wo  cannot  pray  by  name.  Wo  can  pray  alike  for 
master  and  slave,  the  oppressor  nnd  the  oppressed,  the  rich  and  the  poor, 
the  exalted  and  the  himiblo.     Nor  is  there  a  human  being  speaking    our 


676  Appendix  IV. 

tongae  who  may  not  come  to  our  depository  and  receive,  so  far  as  we  have 
the  means  to  furnish  them,  just  the  very  books  he  wants,  and  just  the  very 
instruction  suited  to  his  taste.  Now  I  call  that  American,  and  I  call  a  soci- 
ety of  which  that  may  be  said  an  American  society,  and  as  to  whether  it 
puts  on  the  tail  of  its  kite  Boston  or  New  York,  I  am  indifferent ;  all  that  is 
necessary  is  to  have  a  tail  that  will  keep  the  kite  steady  ;  the  kite  is  the 
thing  that  will  go  up,  after  all.  My  friends,  this  society  has  always  stood 
upon  this  bold,  noble,  fair  ground,  and  it  never  stood  upon  fairer  ground 

than  now. 

Unrestricted  in  the  doctrines  it  teaches,  in  the  duties  it  performs,  in  the 
sins  it  rebukes,  in  the  persons  to  whom  it  speaks,    in  its   occasions,  in  the 
responsibilities  it  confesses,  and  in  the  supplications  it  makes  -I  ask,  gen- 
tlemen,  in  what  it  is  deficient?     I  appeal  to    these    venerable  brethren 
around  me,  and  to  these  Christian  sisters,  for  we  are  a  woman's  rights 
society.    We  claim  that  our  women  shall  have  a  right  to  their  opinion  and 
their  judgment,  and  we  mean  to  publish  tracts  that  will  teach  other  duties 
besides  abstinence  from  dancing.     I  appeal  to  these  brethren  and  sisters,  if 
the  ground  we  have  taken  is  not  a  perfectly   righteous,    just,  evangelical 
ground.     Does  any  man  say  to  me,  "  Why  do  you  take  that  ground  and  join 
these  people  ?  "    As  well  say  to  one  of  the  men  who  stood  on  the  margin  of 
the  Red  Sea  on  that  memorable  morning,  '^  Why  do  you  go  with  the  fanatics  ? 
Why  do  you  not  hug  the  garlics  of  Eg3T)t?     Pharaoh  is  a  good  master  ;  he 
never  sells  his  young  people  till  they  are  grown  ;  he  feeds   them  well  and 
clothes  them  well ;  why  can  you  not  abide   and  stay  ?  "     Abide  and  stay 
where  I  must  sacrifice  my  conscience,  my  sense  of  duty,  my  conviction  of 
responsibility,  to  perpetual  chicanery  and  expediency  ?     Why,  I  would  go 
down  and  eat  the  very  ground  of  the  earth  before  I  would  do  it!    Whether 
it  is  Puritan  blood  or  not,  I  tell  you  it  is  blood  that  runs  from  my  very  toes 
to  the  crown  of  my  head  ;  I  cannot  do  it.    I  can  want  ;  I  can  fight,  if  neces- 
sary ;  I  can  stand  up  in  defence  of  truth  till  I  grow  infirm,  but  it  is  not  in 
me  to  do  that ;  I  cannot  be  responsible  for  talking  a  language  not  one  letter 
of  whose  alphabet  I  understand.     I  say  then  that  this  society  is  welcomed 
by  us  of  the  Churches  of  this  city.     We  exult  in  its  approach.     It  has  an- 
chored itself  just  where   it  belongs,  in  the  Bible  House.     The  only  Tract 
Society  in  the  Union  that  can  make  the  Bible  a  looking-glass,  and  behold 
with  composure  its  face  as  reflected  from  it,  has  anchored  there.     It  says, 
''  Here  will  I  dwell,  and  this  shall  be  my  heritage  forever,  for  I  have  a  de- 
light therein." 

There  you  will  find  it,  and  you  may  lave  one  hand  in  the  cold  water  of 
the  Bible,  and  the  other  in  the  tepid  stream  of  the  Tract  Society,  flowing 
out  of  it — as  on  the  mountains  of  Virginia  you  may  thrust  one  hand  into  a 
cold  spring  and  the  other  into  a  hot  one,  which  flow  in  one  channel,  ming- 
ling as  they  flow,  till  by  and  by  they  come  to  make  those  beautiful  baths 
where  the  sick  may  find  their  healLug,  and  the  decrepit  their  restoration, 
to  which  generations  come,  as  if  an  angel  had  been  sent  down  to  trouble 
the  pool,  and  from  which  they  go  away  whole,  blessing  God  for  having 
provided  a  remedy  for  their  ills.  Does  anybody  ask,  ''  Where  is  the  Ameri- 
can Tract  Society  in  New  York?"  We  answer,  <' In  the  Bible  House;" 
where  else  should  it  be  ?  Do  you  expect  to  find  it  in  the  theatre  ?  Do  you 
expect  to  find  it  near  the  offices  of  the  Tribune  and  the  Times,  where  th© 


Appendix  IV,  ^11 

very  atmosphere  is  politics  and  contention  ?  You  will  not  find  it  there. 
Go  up  where  literature  has  erected  its  beautiful  palace  in  the  Astor  Library 
in  front,  where  faithful  humanity  has  lifted  up  its  edifice  for  science  and 
art  right  opposite,  where,  at  the  right,  education  has  adorned  its  beautiful 
temple  of  attraction  for  the  young,  where  God  has  been  pleased  to  set  up 
His  tower  of  defence,  like  the  peaceful  towers  of  Zion,  there,  beautiful  for 
situation,  is  that  building,  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth.  Walk  round  about 
it.  There  are  no  dark  courts  beneath  it.  Count  well  its  bulwarks,  mark 
its  towers.  Beautiful  the  palace  of  the  great  King.  There,  not  on  the  side 
of  the  north,  but  of  the  sunny  south,  is  that  peaceful  rest,  that  seems  to 
have  been  scooped  out  by  the  hand  of  Providence  for  our  particular  occupa- 
tion. Now  with  the  distinct  platform,  my  friends,  we  go  forth.  Our  begin- 
nings last  year  were  but  very  small— wonderful  has  been  their  increase. 
Ah,  yes,  its  beginnings  may  be  small,  its  latter  end  will  greatly  increase  ; 
and  if  ever  so  small,  then  I  say,  better  a  dinner  of  herbs  where  love  dwell- 
eth,  than  a  stalled  ox  and  hatred  therewith,  better  a  little  that  a  righteous 
man  hath  than  great  riches  of  many  wicked. 


APPENDIX   V. 


SUBSCRIPTIONS  TO  REBUILD   ST.    GEORGE'S   CHURCH. 


Moses  Taylor $5000  00 

Percv  R.  Pyne 5000  00 

David  Dows 5000  00 

J.  Pierpout  Morgan 5000  00 

Charles  A.  Easton  5000  00 

Jolin  Steward 3000  00 

John  J.  Phftlps 2500  00  1 

William  A.  Haines 2000  00  | 

Mrs.  C.  L.  Spencer 2000  00 

Theodore  Crane 1000  00  ! 

Elie  Charlier 1000  00 

Effingham  Tewnsend 1000  00 

William  G.  Read 1000  00 

William  Alex.  Smith 1000  00 

J.  V.  Onativia 1000  00 

Charles  H.  Ward 1000  00 

Judge  J.  A.  Vanderpoel 1000  00 

Edward  Walker 1000  00 

Samuel  Hopkins 1000  00 

William  Whitlock,  Jr 1000  00 

William  Tilden ,    1000  00 

Alexander  M.  Lawrence 1000  00 

William  Paxson 500  00 

Adolphus  Lane  500  00 

J.  A.  Moore     500  00 

Francis  M.  Babcock 500  00 

Charles  Tracy 500  00 

Ross  W.  Wood 500  00 

William  H.  Neilson 500  00 

J.  M.  McJimsey:  500  00 

William  K.  Strong 500  00 

J.  M.  Monnel,  M.  D 500  00 

William  L.  Jenkins 500  00 

Charles  T.  Gostenhofer 500  00 

George  D.  Morgan 500  00 

Mrs.  Joseph  Lawrence 500  00 

William  T.  Blodgett 500  00 

A.  M.  Arcularius     500  00 

Daniel  H.  Brooks 500  00 

C.  A.  Morford 500  00 

William  Degroot 500  00 

Jacob  Le  Roy 500  00 

W.  F.  Dominick 300  00 

P.  R.  Bonnett 250  00 

Thomas  Hale  250  00 

678 


Samuel  M.  Cornell 250  00 

James  Everdeel 250  00 

Mrs.  Stephen  Storm 250  00 

Samuel  E.  Sproulls 250  00 

Henry  P.  Marshall 250  00 

J.  P.  Coulter 250  00 

Alfred  M.  Brown 250  00 

Margaret  S.  Rockwell 250  00 

Mary  G.  Tracy 250  00 

George  C  Satterlee 250  00 

William  E.  Curtis 250  00 

William  Mead 250  00 

James  M.  Farr 250  00 

Hon.  Charles  P.  Kirkland  . .  .  250  00 

D.  B.  Healey 200  00 

Rudolf  Winterhoff 2f  0  00 

Mrs.  Cora  Barton 200  00 

Margaret  Kemp 200  00 

Miss  Ada  Bruen 200  00 

F.  Goodridge 150  00 

John  Foster 150  00 

Tliomas  Storm 100  00 

Robert  Dent    100  00 

Mrs.  A.  E.  Lasar 100  00 

Edward  F.  Hopkins ...  100  00 

James  Applel)y 100  00 

John  Trimble 100  00 

John  A.  McVickar,  M.  D 100  00 

J.  H.  St.  John 100  00 

John  Cunningham 100  00 

H.  H.  Sproulls 100  00 

John  McLaren 100  00 

J.  M.  Ward 100  00 

F.E.Ward 100  00 

Edward  J.  Salmon 100  00 

C.M.Tracy 100  00 

L.  H.  Tracy  100  00 

The  Misses  Boyd 100  00 

Miss  Harriet  Lawrence 100  00 

J.  W.  Nunns 100  00 

Miss  H.  B.  Haines 100  00 

Mrs.  Adam  Stodart 100  00 

George  Dixon,  Jr 100  00 

John  T.   Daly  100  00 

J.  G.  Holbrook 100  00 


Appendix   V. 


679 


M.  G.  Reade 100  00 

William  Hakin 100  00 

Mrs.  J.  Gregory 100  00 

Mrs.  Gillett 100  00 

Mrs.  Abram  Valentine.  .*.....  100  00  j 

Charles  G.  Taylor  100  00 1 

Mrs.  M.  Edwards 100  00  f 

A.  A.  Abbatt 50  00 

William  B.  Crooks 50  00 

Miss  Susan  Clohorty 50  00 1 

Miss  Alice  Winslow    ...  50  00 ! 

Frederick  Clowes 50  00 

Miss  Letitia  Matthews 50  00 

Daniel  Morgan . .  50  00 

John  L.  Rutgers 50  00 

James  Lally 50  00  j 

Miss  Mary  Matthews 50  00 ' 

Mrs.  C.  A.  Tarns 50  00] 

J.  M.  McLaren 25  00 1 

H.  A.  McLaren 25  00 

John  McLaren 25  00 

Miss  J   M.Oakley 25  00, 

J.  T.  Hatch 25  00 1 

J.  L.  Arcularius 25  00 1 

William  M.  Wallace 25  00 , 

Thomas  Jeremiah 25  00  ( 


Thomas  Pettis    25  00 

Miss  Mary  Ely 25  00 

Jared  L.  Moore 25  00 

Miss  Ann  Griswold 25  00 

Joseph  McLaren 25  00 

Miss  Harriet  Patten 20  00 

Miss  Eunice  Gisborne 20  00 

Mrs.  Bird 20  00 

Miss  Christopher 30  00 

Children  H.  A.  Taylor 27  80 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Priest 10  00 

G.  S.  Chalmers 10  00 

Miss  Ann  S   Buckingham 10  00 

Miss  Shepard 10  00 

H.  D.  Warner 10  00 

William  King 5  00 

J.W.Thomson 5  00 

Georgie  Gordon 5  00 

Miss  Wilson 5  00 

Percy  R.  Pyne,  Jr 5  00 

Nellie  Sloan 5  00 

Annie  Osborn       2  50 

Nora  Smith 1  00 

Samuel   Sproulls,  Jr 24 

Dudley  Sproulls 20 


APPENDIX  VI. 


Wardens  and  Vestrymen  of  St.  George's  Church,  New  York. 

WARDENS. 

Garrett  H.  Van  Wagenen November  23rd,  1811,  to  Easter,  1821 

Harry  Peters "  ''  "        1823 

J.  De  Lanqey  Walton Easter,  1821  '<        1835 

IsaacCarow "  1823  "        1825 

Edmund  Morewood *'  1825  "        1829 

Hubert  Van  Wagenen "  1829  ''        1837 

John  Stearns,  M.  D "  1835  ♦*        1848 

Thomas  Bloodgood  "  1837  *'        1844 

James  A.  Burtis •'  1844  <'        1846 

William  Whitlock,  Jr "  1846  *'        1863 

Frederick  S.  Winston "  1848  "        1855 

AdolphusLane "  1855  ''        1871 

Joseph  Lawrence ''  1863  "        1866 

Samuel  Hopkins ''  1866  «'        1873 

Charles  Tracy ''  1871 

DavidDows "  1873 

VESTRYMEN. 

Robert  Wardell November  23rd,  1811,  to  Easter,  1812 

"              "       Easter,  1816  "        1837 

John  Onderdonk November  23rd,  1811  "        1812 

IsaacCarow "  "      1811  "        1812 

''          "        June  2nd,  1813  Warden,  1823 

Edward  W.  Laight November  23rd,  1811  Easter,  1816 

John  Greene "  •*  ♦«        1812 

Isaac  Lawrence "  "  "        1816 

Francis  Dominick <*  "  "        1816 

Cornelius  Schermerhom "  *'  •  •           1820 

Quintin  Milne Easter,  1812  June,    1813 

William  Ustick "  ''  Easter,  1816 

Robert  Bogardus  *'  "  "       1816 

Donald  Malcolm *'  *'  "        1816 


h 


Appendix  VI. 

J.  De  Lancey  Walton Easter 

Jacob  Lorillard " 

Edmuud  Morewbod '• 

David  R.  Lambert " 

Joseph  W.  Brackett '* 

Thomas  Lawrence •* 

James  M.  Hoyt " 

i<  << " 

Gerardus  A.  Cooper • " 

Hubert  Van  Wagenen " 

Thomas   Bloodgood ** 

Oliver  H.  Hicks *' 

John  Stearns,  M.  D ** 

John  Anthon " 

Thomas  S   Townsend ** 

<4  H  << 

James  A.  Burtis *' 

William  Shatsell  '* 

i<  «<        '< 

John  H.  HUl " 

Jeremiah  H.  Taylor ** 

Brittain  L.  Woolley " 

John  W.  Mulligan " 

John  Noble " 

William  Whitlock,  Jr ** 

Frederick  A.  Tracy " 

Stewart  Brown " 

Frederick  S.  Winston " 

Thatcher  Tucker '* 

Richard  B.  Brown ** 

Thomas  L.  Callender " 

Andrew  M.  Arcularius " 

Adolphus  Lane ** 

Samuel  M.  Cornell " 

Felix  A.  Huntington " 

Hiram  Ketch iim " 

Henry  Anstico ....  " 

Jo8C])h  Lawrence ....  ** 

Jacob  Le  Roy " 

Peter  G.  ArtMilarius " 

Samuel  Hopkins " 

William   K.  Strong   " 

Ross  W.  Wood .  " 

Charles  Tracy " 

Horace  Webster " 

Percy  R.  Pyne " 

William   A.  Hainei  " 

Gideon  Pott " 

George  C.  Satterlro " 

William  L.  Jenkins " 


68 1 


L816 

Warden, 

1821 

<( 

Easter, 

1817 

<( 

Warden, 

1825 

it 

Easter, 

1817 

{< 

(( 

1820 

1817 

<< 

1826 

(( 

(• 

1823 

1832 

(( 

1841 

1820 

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1823 

(« 

Warden, 

1829 

1821 

<< 

1837 

1823 

Easter, 

1826 

(< 

Warden, 

,  1835 

(( 

Easter, 

1827 

1825 

(< 

1828 

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(( 

1833 

1826 

Warden, 

1844 

t( 

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(< 

1839 

1827 

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1834 

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Warden, 

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1839 

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( c 

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,  1848 

1839 

Easter, 

1843 

t( 

u 

1840 

1840 

it 

1850 

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,  1855 

1843 

Easter, 

1860 

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1847 

1846 

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1848 

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1854 

1847 

Warden, 

,  1863 

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1858 

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War<K'n, 

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1850 

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1860 

1854 

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1869 

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,1871 

1855 

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1865 

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1872 

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682  Appendix   VI. 

William  Alex.  Smith Easter 

William  T.  Blodgett '« 

David  Dows " 

J.  Pierpont  Morgan " 

David  J.  Ely December  21st, 

Harvey  Spencer **  " 

Henry  P.  Marshall Easter, 

John  N.  Stearns , " 

J.  Mason  McJimsey '' 

John  D.  Wood " 

Mason  Young ** 

William  H.  Phillips '' 

Robert  Winthrop '* 

W.  Gayer  Dominick ** 

William  E.Curtis ** 

James  B.  Reynolds,  M.  D ** 

Theodore  H.  Mead ** 


1865 

Easter 

1868 

1866 

u 

•1876 

1868 

Warden 

,1873 

1868 

1869 

Easter, 

1876 

li 

1871 

1872 

Easter, 

1876 

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1876 

It 

1878 

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COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES 

This  book  is  due  on  the  date  indicated  below,  or  at  the 
expiration  of  a  definite  period  after  the  date  of  borrowing,  as 
provided  by  the  rules  of  the  Library  or  by  special  arrange- 
ment with  the  Librarian  in  charge. 

DATE  BORROWED 

DATE  DUE 

DATE  BORROWED 

DATE  DUE 

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